LouisvilleCatholicSports.com

Trinity, St. Xavier players showcased at Inivitational

Special to LouisvilleCatholicSports.com by Mike Gandolfo

The Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis is one of the premier events of the summer high school basketball recruitment period. The Invitational provides college coaches from all over an opportunity to evaluate some of the top high school basketball talent in the country. 

The NCAA permits college coaches three 4-day periods in July to evaluate high school talent at NCAA certified events and the first one of those 4-day periods ended Sunday. Closing ceremonies included the awards for champion teams from each division. 

Three Louisville teams won their pool. Here is a recap of how several local Catholic high school student athletes performed at the Invitiational.

--The Louisville Magic, coached by former University of Louisville star Ellis Myles, not only won their pool but they won the 16U championship.  Widely regarded as one of the top teams in the country, Trinity’s Craig Owens (6’2” G) is a role player on the team.

--The Ville 2013 won their pool with a 2-1 record and upset New Orleans Elite in the first round of the tournament. Darryl Hicks (6’3” G – Trinity) was one of the top two primary scoring options for The Ville.  Hicks recently received scholarship offers from the University of Arizona and Indiana University among others.

--Kentucky Elite went 3-0 to win their pool but drew a tough match-up with Urban DFW Elite in the first round of the tournament. St. Xavier’s Justin Moody (6’ G) and Brock Kiesler (6’9” Post) both started and played well. Kiesler is a strong rebounder and defender. He had to battle two of the nation’s best big men, Karviar Shepherd and Jordan Mickey, in their tournament game. Kiesler held his own but picked up three early fouls.  Moody was a consistent outside scorer all week long.