There were some nice things said about Justin on Twitter. I've retweeted them all, so check it out.
http://www.twitter.com/sycamorepride
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And finally to those of you who thought that he might go to Xavier or any place else in the country over Indiana State - wake the heck up! This is a Sycamores message board and we talk Sycamore hoops around here - why anyone thought Gant was not coming to Indiana State in the first place is beyond me. I rest on that note!:sycamores:
Terre Haute North has all the pieces to win the state championship.
I don't know what gives you the right to make a statement like that at this point... .
I know these ratings don't really mean too much, but Justin's rating has been raised by ESPN.com. With a rating of 91, he is the MVC's highest rated recruit!!!
We can't let this spawn unreasonable expectations for Justin, but it's nice to see our prize recruit get some love!!!
:sycamores::sycamores::sycamores:
considering it's the mic that would be pretty good. isn't the defending state champ from the mic and didn't they finish second in the conference last year? doesn't the conference have four players in the nba?
Kind of rare that a commit to a Valley team's stock raises after commitment...normally that is like the kiss of death (they'll go from a 3 star to a 2...etc). So this is rare and nice to see...
Do you remember how they finished in the conference or how they did against North Central?
What was their overall record last year?
Terre Haute North was 17-7 last season and got upset in the second round of Sectionals. They finished 3-4 in conference play and were beat at North Central 41-60. However, from what I've heard North was in the game to start the 4th. One of the 3 conference wins was a convincing one over conference champion Center Grove toward the end of season.
As for this coming season, if the results from this summer have any meaning North will be a very tough team to play. In 30-some games all summer North only suffered 3 losses - by 8 at Avon, a team with multiple D1 signees; and single digit losses to a good Louisville team and good Cincinnati team.
The team does lose an inside presence with the graduation of Thomas Anderson (Olney Central JC) and loses two very good athletes, competitors, and lock-down defenders in Chris O'Leary (redshirt quarterback for the ISU football team) and Andrew Guaer (Vincennes University baseball).
However, there is still plenty of talent to go around (and don't forget, North's JV team won the MIC last year):
- Obviously, we all know what Justin Gant can do.
- Point Guard play has been a question mark the last few years; however, Senior Chase Jones will be running the point for the 4th year and showed vast improvement last year over his first two years on the varsity. Senior Tommie Bolden led the JV team in assists and steals last year and came on strong for the varsity team the second half of last season, earning significant minutes for the team.
- An abundance of shooters will live on the perimeter for North this year. Junior Ross Sponsler and Senior Logan Shipley split starting duties last year and both return. Sponsler had a strong summer in AAU and drew some recognition for his shooting ability; if the kid's on his is hard to stop. Shipley had some huge games scoring wise for North last year (i.e. 25+ at Vincennes), and other games he disappeared. As a senior I look for him to be more consistent. 6'5" Senior Jake Newton gives the team another outside threat off the bench. He is a tall, athletic guard with a nice stroke.
- 6'7" Junior Matt O'Leary should pick up some of the scoring lost to graduation. He was the leader scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker on the JV team last season and saw limited varsity minutes. However, he started every game for the team this summer, leading them in scoring multiple times. After a strong summer in AAU he has attracted interest from a host of D1 schools, notably Evansville (invited to their Elite camp) and Ball State (who will be attending North's open gym tomorrow to watch him play).
- As has been discussed in other threads, 6'5" Sophomore Calvin Blank is a physical specimen. He will fill the void that Anderson is leaving under the basket with his physical play. Calvin is a talented player and is consider by many to be a Top 20 recruit in the state.
- Other potential contributors:
- Senior Daniel Gabbard and Sophomore Sydney Moore: Both great athletes and have been discussed in a few threads on the Sycamore Football forum
- Senior Kalen Alexander: Another athlete with some shooting ability
- Sophomore Nate Jahn: Started at PG on last year's JV team as a freshman. True competitor, leader, and point guard. Size and quickness could be an issue, but I think he could provide some valuable minutes in a backup role (and with his work ethic I wouldn't doubt that he has worked to improve his quickness).
-Sophomore AJ Grady: Big, athletic body (6'2" - 262 lbs.) that could fill in if Gant, Blank, or O'Leary get in foul trouble.
I may be missing some of the other sophomores and I'm not sure if there are any incoming freshmen that could contribute, but based on the above I feel that North will be very formidable this season and could make a deep run in the state tournament.