RECRUITING

High school basketball Preseason Fab 15: No. 6 Park Tudor

Kyle Neddenriep
IndyStar
Park Tudor's  Jaren Jackson Jr., dunks on Frankton's Maurice Knight,right, during their ISHAA 2A State Championship game. The Park Tudor Panther defeated the Frankton Eagles 73-46 to win the IHSAA 2A Boys Basketball State Final Saturday, March 28, 2015, afternoon at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

From now until the beginning of the high school boys basketball season we'll be counting down the Preseason Fab 15, a ranking of the top teams in Central Indiana. We started with No. 7 Carmel, No. 8 Lawrence Central, No. 9 Fishers, No. 10 Tech, No. 11 Ben Davis, No. 12 Hamilton Southeastern, No. 13 Martinsville, No. 14 Mt. Vernon and No. 15 Pendleton Heights. Next on our list:

No. 6 – Park Tudor

The scenery is different this year for Park Tudor, but don't expect much else to change.

After back-to-back Class 2A state titles and four in the past five years, the Panthers move up to 3A this season under the Indiana High School Athletic Association's tournament success factor. The route to Bankers Life Fieldhouse takes a new path this year

"We're excited," said Park Tudor coach Kyle Cox, who is 50-6 in two seasons. "I think it's a breath of fresh air for our guys and our coaches. We're going to be out scouting different teams than we have in the past. We're going to get used to this 3A landscape for a couple years and see what happens."

Park Tudor will play in Class 3A Sectional 28 this season alongside Beech Grove, Danville, Indian Creek, Northwest, Cardinal Ritter and Washington. The Panthers will do it without graduated seniors Bryce Moore (19.3 ppg), Evan Frank (10.1 ppg, 9.2 rebounds) and Dwayne Gibson (9.4 ppg, 4.8 rebounds). But the cupboard isn't exactly bare.

Cox will rely on experienced juniors Jaren Jackson Jr. (9.1 ppg, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocked shots) and Kobe Webster (9.7 ppg, 2.0 assists). Jackson Jr., ranked No. 61 in the 2017 class by Rivals, is a legitimate 6-10 and appears poised for a big season. So does Webster, who shot 48 percent (62-for-128) from the 3-point line last season.

"Those two have played 56 games in two years," Cox said. "They've played so much ball together that they know each other like the back of one another's hand. They've seen what Bryce and Trevon (Bluiett) accomplished and how it's their turn to take the torch. The maturity level of those two is off the charts."

Ex-Park Tudor star Bluiett improves physique for sophomore season at Xavier

While those two juniors are the headliners, Park Tudor also brings back experienced junior guards Isaiah Rice (2.9 ppg, 1.3 rebounds) and Brent Brimmage (1.8 ppg, 1.7 rebounds). Richard Wilson, a 6-foot senior, returns after missing all of last season with a knee injury. Trace Arbuckle, a 6-foot junior, Sam Dattilo, a 6-3 junior, and Zach Hale, a 6-2 junior, all played primarily on the junior varsity team last year and should fill roles.

Park Tudor also added transfers in 6-2 junior Leonard Mitchell (Shortridge), 6-2 junior Kyle Hart (Bishop Chatard) and 6-5 senior Sterling Satterfield (Lawrence North).

"He's a missing piece we didn't know we were going to have," Cox said. "He's a big body and pretty skilled and another anchor in the middle of our defense along with Jaren."

Another missing piece is 5-10 freshman Isiah Moore, who figures to factor in immediately.

"We're really excited about him," Cox said. "He's one of the best freshmen in the Midwest and another point guard that can fill it up. People draw a lot of comparisons between him and Yogi (Ferrell, the former Park Tudor star). He's probably a little bit better shooter at this age than Yogi was. He's really quick with the ball and has a high basketball IQ."

Cox said a strength of this year's team should be its ability to shoot from the perimeter. The Panthers could play three point guards on the court at once.

"We have a chance to be a really good ballhandling group," Cox said. "Defensively, we should be able to pressure the ball and have Jaren in the back (of the defense). He's kind of like having Anthony Davis back there to block shots. We feel like we can play fast and dictate tempo with those ballhandlers."

Why Park Tudor could be higher: Webster and Jackson were key to Park Tudor's state title run last year and both are capable of having big seasons. Webster is a knockdown shooter but he'll show more of an all-round game as a guard this year. Jackson can be dominant on the defensive end and his offense is coming along. The supporting cast is solid. If Moore is as good as advertised, the Panthers shouldn't skip a beat in 3A.

Why Park Tudor could be lower: Can Park Tudor be as good defensively as it was a year ago? Moore, Gibson and Frank were physical players.

Circle the date: Jan. 12, Marion County tournament. Park Tudor plays a few 4A opponents – Roncalli, Hamilton Southeastern and Lawrence Central – prior to the Marion County tournament, but this is always a good test. The Panthers play at Franklin Central in a first-round game.