Week four of the 2023 Summit Summer League, ran by Flow Hoop, takes place this Wednesday, August 30.
Where: 07 Complex (formerly Events at the Summit) on Rudisill
When: Three total games start at 6:30 with a five minute break between games.
Price: $5 entry fee with a concession stand available.
Info: Click here for Week 4’s schedule and rosters
Now, onto the important stuff…what should you expect in the final week of action in this league? We’ve got the details.
THE FINAL CHANCE TO BREAK OUT
This is one of the most fun parts of the league. I have said it before, I say it here and I will say it again in the next week, a pro-am style league like this is fun for a multitude of reasons but getting to see some players establish themselves on a higher level is arguably the best part.
In many instances, players are going to be filling different roles than they did last winter on their school team or even than they did over the summer with AAU. This is a standout chance to really put one last push against other high quality players before school ball begins.
We’ve seen Kyle Hartsough (Lakeland) sneak into our minds with consistent and heady play while a guy like Makhi Davis (Northrop) has shown extraordinary athleticism that the common fan probably didn’t know about. Guys like Owen Prater (Rochester) and the Mississinewa duo of Preston McCann and Gannon Smith have been able to show off to a Northeast Indiana area that doesn’t get to see them much come winter and even a few freshmen have shown flashes as they get some real high school level challenges. Last week, Ayden Moore (Leo) averaged nine points per game after scoring just eight total in the first two weeks combined. It just goes to show that a lot of faces are on the cusp of a breakout league performance.
So who has the last chance to break out? My eyes and money lean toward Homestead, where quite frankly there have been a lot of questions about hierarchy behind their superstar Will Jamison come this fall. While Michael Raudenbush was the top player in week one and freshman Jake Coolman has shown some flashes including last week, Owen Smith has really been someone who’s game I have felt has transformed during this league.
Smith is a lights out shooter and everyone should know that about him. But his second effort rebounding and his change of directions near the rim to get a defender in the air for a layup or floater have been impressive. While Smith hasn’t been the top guy any week yet, he still has averaged a very solid 8.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while having a league fourth best 10 offensive rebounds in total.
SURPASSING 100
For some of the players in the Summit Summer League, scoring 100 points over eight games isn’t exactly a massive challenge. It is, after all, just 12.5 points per game and some of these guys have done that during school ball or AAU season.
But this league has been super balanced with its scoring. Even if someone isn’t scoring a ton, they are still scoring with 28 of the 30 players in double digit scoring for the first three weeks and one of those who isn’t has only played in basically three games due to an injury in week two.
Going into the last week, Leo’s Jackson McGee leads all scorers with 79 total points scored (13.2 per game) and is coming off an absolutely stellar week three where he averaged 22.5 points per game and led his team to victory in both games. Jevon Lewis (Wayne) leads in points per game of 15.3 but is down in total points as he did not play in week one.
McGee sits the most likely candidate to hit the 100 point mark for the league, with Ryker Quake (32 points away), Joey Taylor (33), Qualyn Clopton (35) and Lewis (39) not quite out of the race yet either.
While so many other things make up what matters in this balanced league this season, scoring at a high rate consistently because of the scoring depth remains impressive.
STOPPING TEAM DURNELL
While the rosters change weekly, one thing that hasn’t has been Team Durnell’s success. Led by East Noble varsity coach Brandon Durnell, these teams are 5-1 overall and have back to back 2-0 weeks.
Team Durnell will play at the 6:15 and 7:30 times this final week and it will be interesting to see if his new roster will take pride in the winning streak, even if some of them were on the losing end of some of those games.
This week, Team Durnell is led by two of the most prolific scorers in the league in Jevon Lewis (Wayne) and Joey Taylor (Churubusco), who are averaging 26.5 points per game between the two of them. He also has multi-talented guard Preston McCann (Mississinewa), who is eighth in points per game in the league, but also leads the entire league in total assists as he has upped his style in this year’s league to showcase his lead guard abilities.
Team Durnell will also boast, among its roster, Week 1’s official league Player of the Week Michael Raudenbush (Homestead) and one of the Summit Summer League’s breakout performers Kyle Hartsough (Lakeland).
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