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Hill, Evans to play in Indiana Basketball All-Star Classic Friday
Two Putnam County athletes will hit the hardwood with a collection of some of the state’s best talent Friday.
South Putnam senior Drew Hill and Greencastle sophomore Cody Evans will both participate in the Indiana Basketball All-Star Classic held at Anderson University’s Kardatzke Wellness Center June 16 and 17 with boys playing on Friday and girls on Saturday.
The event, organized by Steven Stremming, executive director of the event and owner of excelhsports.com, is in its 15th year, featuring four games, two of which are played by incoming seniors and two additional games played by an incoming mix of sophomores and juniors.
Hill will play in the 1 p.m. game while Evans will play in the 6:30 p.m. game. Two other games will take place at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Attendees were invited to the event and divided into groups of 10 with coaches working with each group for the game.
With no formal practices beforehand, Evans said the event would have a bit of an AAU feel, noting that the players will meet for a little bit before each game before getting out on the court and getting into the swing of things.
“There will be a lot of guys there that can score and do stuff with the ball,” Evans said. “We’ll be figuring out everyone’s strengths and weaknesses as we go.
“We’ll figure out how to play as a team. Hopefully it won’t just be a lot of one-one-one type stuff.”
Evans is not a stranger to competitions like Friday, having been to invitationals before while also participating in similar events at team camps.
“I’ve been out to two invitationals, one that had (current NBA player) Chet Holmgren and some other really good guys attending,” Evans said. “There was a lot of really good competition out there.
“I was also at a team camp at Purdue where they randomly picked teams and had us play, which was really good. I like to go to camps where I can and have looked at places like Indiana Wesleyan, Marian, Indiana and even as far as Michigan or Michigan State to see if they have camps. I like to keep my options open and get as much exposure as I can while doing my best each time.”
While the crowds aren’t particularly large, Evans noted that scouts, high school coaches and anyone interested in watching made for a fun experience.
“The competition is intense and it’s a really fun environment,” Evans said. “It’s fun to compete and meet some cool guys that can do some cool things.
“It also shows me where I’m at against some of the best guys in Indiana. It shows me who I am better than and what I need to work on. That way, I always have an edge on me.”
Tickets for the event cost $10, $7 for those 55 and older with a family cost of $30 for up to five members. Children under five and coaches may attend for free. All sales are cash only.
The games will all be streamed on indianasportsnetwork.net
Hill will be playing with Jaelyn Johnson of Portage, Kane Wilsey of Evansville Day School, Tillman Ethcison of Hamilton Heights, Jacob Scruggs of South Decatur, Devon Kelley of Liberty Christian, Julian Gish of Pike Central, Gavin Kelich of Madison-Grant, AJ Demick of Shenandoah and Shane Sims Jr. of Evansville Harrison.
Evans will be playing with Bryson Cardinal of Guerin Catholic, Deandre Lott-Hancock of Crispus Attucks, Lonte Ward of Indianapolis Lutheran, Dezhon Hall of Charles A. Tindley, Bryce Mathis of Perry Meridian, Hudson Horvath of Park Tudor, Clay Tharp of Monrovia and Joey Wright of Frankton.