Inside the Hall caught up with a pair of 2012 IU commits — Broad Ripple’s Ron Patterson and La Porte La Lumiere’s Hanner Perea — at this past weekend’s IndyBall.com Shootout at North Central.
Q & A’s with both players, as well as a short highlight reel, are available in the media players below:
Inside the Hall hit the spring AAU trail in Indianapolis over the weekend for the IndyBall.com Shootout, which featured several IU commits and recruiting targets. Here are notes on prospects in the 2012 class from editor Alex Bozich and recruiting analyst Joe Eberhardt. (Photo credit: Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)
Hanner Perea, La Porte La Lumiere, Indiana Elite Team Indiana
- Bozich’s take: The Colombia native was somewhat limited by a sore hamstring, but still managed to display that elite athleticism that is responsible for his rise up the national recruiting rankings. Offensively, he’s far more dangerous at this point hovering around the paint and looking for lobs and putbacks. Playing with a point guard like Ferrell that will drive into the lane and look his way should produce plenty of opportunities for easy buckets. But in order for Perea to become more well-rounded offensive threat, he’ll need to develop a more consistent post game and continue working on his jump shot out to 10 or 12 feet. Defensively, Perea changed a number of shots with his tremendous length.
Jeremy Hollowell, Lawrence Central, Indiana Elite Team Indiana
- Eberhardt’s take: A late addition to the Indiana Elite team, Hollowell didn’t appear to miss a beat. He looked great all weekend long, scoring by knocking down perimeter jump shots and attacking defenders off the dribble. Hollowell looks to have improved his athleticism heading into this weekend, finishing several dunks in traffic and pleasing the crowd with his bounce. He also played a big part in Indiana Elite’s defensive game plan on Gary Harris, helping to hold the fellow 2012 star to just four field goals in the Indiana Elite vs. D3 Pride matchup. This weekend was a solid all-around performance for Hollowell, showing off the versatility that makes him so impressive. As long as Hollowell continues to assert himself, he should be one of the most productive players on the AAU circuit this summer.
The 2011 spring debut for Indiana Elite Team Indiana was a successful one.
In front of an unusually large crowd for an early AAU event, Hanner Perea, Jeremy Hollowell, Ron Patterson and Yogi Ferrell took the court at North Central for the first time together.
And the four IU commits did not disappoint as Indiana Elite crushed the Hancock County All-Stars, 103-63, in a pool play game of the IndyBall.com Shootout.
Ferrell caught fire from the perimeter and led the way with 29 points. Hollowell, who committed to IU a little over two weeks ago, added 13 and Perea and Patterson each pitched in 12 points. Peter Jurkin did not travel to Indianapolis for the tournament.
Here are a few HD quality highlights from the win: (Note: You can expand the video to full screen by using the arrows in the bottom right hand corner of the video player):
Joe Eberhardt is a high school sports blogger and recruiting analyst for Inside the Hall. You can follow him on Twitter at @IndyHSHoops and read his blog, IndyHSHoops.com.
An Indiana target since his freshman year of high school, Ron Patterson excited Hoosier fans by committing to the Hoosiers in August of 2010. The junior guard led his Broad Ripple team to a city championship this year, the school’s second consecutive crown. Patterson will be teaming up with fellow Indiana commitments Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, Jeremy Hollowell, Peter Jurkin and Hanner Perea on an Indiana Elite team this summer.
The first thing that stands out about Patterson is his explosive athleticism. Also blessed with a great wingspan, the junior guard plays much bigger than his 6-3 frame. He’s a formidable shot blocker for his size and rebounds very well from the guard position. Patterson excels at finishing above the rim, and isn’t afraid to go up with the ball against bigger defenders.
Patterson has improved his shooting ability throughout his high school career. Patterson has grown to become a reliable 3-point shooter, both off the bounce, and in catch and shoot situations. He also is able to knock down the pull-up mid-range jumper, a weapon he’ll often use in transition. Patterson’s rugged and physical play helps him on the offensive end and he’s able to finish against opponents after contact and get to the foul line.
Defensively, Patterson is great on the perimeter, using his length, strength, quickness and great instincts to lock down opponents. One area where Patterson could improve is his ability to handle the ball. Tightening up his handle a little bit would help Patterson become more dangerous off the bounce, and increase his productivity. Once Patterson begins his career at Indiana, fans will quickly appreciate his hard working attitude.
Around the Hall is recommended reading from the Inside the Hall crew. So go ahead, get your read on. Photo by Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports.
– 2012 Broad Ripple junior guard and IU commit Ron Patterson was named Indianapolis City Player of the Year. Patterson is averaging 18 points, six rebounds, three steals, three assists and 2.5 blocked shots for the 20-2 Rockets, according to Kyle Neddenriep of The Indianapolis Star.
– The Hoosier Scoop has notes from Steve McClain’s appearance on the Big Ten coaches teleconference on Monday morning.
– Nathan Hart of The Indiana Student asks the question: Is there any chance for another Hoosier win?
– Don Fischer joined Dan Dakich for his weekly appearance on the Dan Dakich Show. You can listen here.
– Thad Matta reached out to Bob Knight, also known as “The Master”, for help on a drill to help improve the Buckeyes’ half court defense. Eamonn breaks down the whole situation and how it could relate to Indiana over at ESPN.com.
– Eric Gordon could return to the Clippers on Wednesday and wouldn’t mind a venue separate from the Lakers, according to Lisa Dillman of The Los Angeles Times.
– UMHoops.com has its weekly Big Ten roundup and the Hoosiers continue their slide to the bottom of the conference from an efficiency standpoint.
– A stellar breakdown of the four factors and defense in the Big Ten by The Only Colors, a Michigan State blog.
– Cody Zeller joined Twitter. You can follow him here.
Throughout the season, Inside the Hall will keep you posted on how 2011 signees Austin Etherington and Cody Zeller, IU’s eight verbal commitments and other notable prospects with interest in the Hoosiers, are performing at their respective schools.
You can send us stats or results for this report at insidethehall@gmail.com. Here’s our latest update:
2011 SIGNEES
+ Austin Etherington (Hamilton Heights): Twenty points in a 58-56 win at Peru on Feb. 26 to clinch the Mid-Indiana Conference title.
+ Cody Zeller (Washington): Twenty-five points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and four assists in a 69-50 win over Evansville Memorial on Feb. 25. Final regular season stats: 24.6 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.8 bpg, 66.4 percent from the field, 68 percent from the foul line.
2012 COMMITMENTS
+ Hanner Perea (La Porte La Lumiere): Twenty-five points and 19 rebounds in a 95-43 win over the Croatian U17 National team on Feb. 21.
+ Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell (Park Tudor): Eleven points and nine assists in a 67-55 win over Indianapolis Cathedral on Feb. 22.
