The Floor Slap is releasing a scouting report for every Freshmen player coming into the Big Ten. We are going to break down each player, project their first year impact, and categorize each school’s class from 1 to 5. In Part Three we have Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern & Purdue.
It is officially August. We are one month closer to College Basketball and just over a month away from College Football. The worst part of the sports calendar is almost over!
Let’s get through it together by analyzing hand picked highlights of 16-18 year old players in loosely organized high school and AAU basketball games.
You can read the full intro for the Scouting report here on what I can or can’t scout, what the excitement level for the class is, and the guidelines and whatnot.
In this article we have an exciting crop of Hoosiers, my favorite under-the-radar class in Iowa, another lackluster but typical Northwestern class, and a highlight reel monster for Purdue.
Indiana
3 Commits – 3rd Ranked Class in the Big Ten
Mackenzie Mgbako
- 6’8” Forward
- Roselle Catholic (Roselle, NJ)
- Originally committed to Duke and switched to IU after Kyle Filipowski came back
- Mgbako has a true NBA body. Tall, long and strong.
- The most impressive thing however is his touch.
- Guy is built like Paul George and shoots like Paul George.
- Comfortable hitting trays from the corner, wing, top of the key
- Scores off the dribble, catch and shoot, or stepbacks
- Elevates well. I think he will be a really good rebounder.
- He is going to score a bunch at IU
- 100% a one and done player
First Year Impact: Mgbako will start and be great. I think he has a good chance at 2nd Team All-Big Ten and if things really go well, First Team. Will his shooting let him play the 3? I think the best three players on IU might be Kel’el Ware, Malik Reneau and Mgbako. If all of them can shoot, IU could be horrifying to match up against. If they can’t, Mike Woodson will have a tough bench decision on which 2 of the 3 are out there in crunch time.
Jakai Newton
- 6’3” G
- Newton (Covington, GA)
- Quick twitch guard. Explodes to the hoop.
- Comfortable going right or left. Might even prefer driving left.
- Finishes with either hand.
- Strong like a bull. Just goes through defenders if he doesn’t get around them
- A “Jump out of the Gym” guy for sure
- Shows strong offensive rebounding instincts
- Has that floater and mid range game. Can catch and shoot threes too
- Active on D. Looks for steals.
- Loves the one foot inside the arc jumper aka worst shot in basketball.
First Year Impact: Assuming IU starts Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway at 1 and 2, Newton, Gabe Cupps and CJ Gunn will be in a battle for the backup guard minutes. I like Newton’s chances of earning a role as the backup 2. If he shows a little more connecting play in those minutes he could earn more. Still, I think this will be a setup year and he will have much more opportunity when the starting backcourt clears up.
Gabe Cupps
- 6’1” G
- Centerville (Dayton, OH)
- A “put a hole in the net” shooter
- Sets his feet well.
- Often dribbles into threes in order to do so. Better Big Ten defenders will take that away
- Pretty strong frame. Especially in the shoulders
- Drives with purpose. Doesn’t dribble just to dribble.
- Can finish with his left hand.
First Year Impact: Cupps is in the same boat as Newton. X and Trey will be the starters. How many minutes can Cupps, Newton and Gunn steal? With as many forwards as the Hoosiers have, will there ever be 3 guard lineups? Cupps could play a Miller Kopp style role as the shooter in lineups that need it. Again, Gabe might have to wait until next year to get major run.
Overall Class Excitement Level: 4
IU fans should be stoked for Mgbako. He has the potential to be a Top-5 pick if things go right for him. Woody will land even more 5-Stars if Mgbako and JHS are both 1st rounders. Newton and Cupps are exciting players who should be around for a few years and could be the backcourt of the future. This class offers both star power and a foundation.
Iowa
4 Commits – 6th Ranked Class in the Big Ten
Pryce Sandfort
- 6’7” Wing
- Northwest (Waukee, IA)
- Younger brother of Payton Sandfort. Classic Iowa, keeping it in the family.
- Right handed but comfortable dribbling with both hands.
- Will drive in either direction and finish with either hand.
- Quick release on catch and shoot jumpers.
- Will pass and cut to get to a scoring position
- Comfortable shooting off the bounce too.
- Gets after it on Defense. Active hands. (Much needed on Iowa)
- Just like his brother will have some hot scoring stretches.
- Big bodied, long arms, and strong.
First Year Impact: I love Pryce, just like I love Payton. They both know how to play basketball. Shout out Mr. and Mrs. Sandfort. I think Pryce will compete for a starting role. If not, I think he could play a 6 man role like his brother did last year. A lineup of Tony Perkins, Patrick McCaffery, Pryce, Payton, and insert a big is super exciting to think about. All those dudes are long as all hell and can score. Mismatches everywhere against smaller Big Ten guards. Sandfort will be an impact freshman and a candidate for the All-Freshman team.
Ladji Dembele
- 6’8” Big
- St. Benedict’s Preparatory School (Newark, NJ)
- I have no notes.
- This guy has like no tape on youtube.
- Below is the only for sure video of him and he makes one basket all game.
- Yeah. He, uh, just exists I guess.
First Year Impact: Ladji Dembele will indeed be on the Hawkeyes team next season. Krikke, Brauns, and Freeman all figure to be ahead of him in the depth chart. If he works hard enough maybe he can be the next Josh Ogundele.
Owen Freeman
- 6’10” Big
- Moline Sr (Moline, IL)
- Transferred to Moline Senior year to play with fellow Iowa commit Brock Harding
- Mobile. Runs back on the break and beats his man down the floor.
- Has a traditional back to the basket game to him.
- Not predictable. Will go baseline or to the paint. Plays off feel not just fine tuning one move.
- Great passing out of the post. Might even look to pass too much.
- Has good big guy skills but against dudes his size, he seems to struggle.
- A lot of his highlights are in transition or against small dudes.
- Not a lot of blocks for a guy his size
First Year Impact: Freeman comes into Iowa City behind two veteran transfers in Ben Krikke and Even Brauns. He likely will be learning, building muscle, and gaining reps in 2023-24. How much can he absorb without playing much? He has the unteachable attributes. Can McCaffery work with Freeman and get him ready to be a starting center by his sophomore year? He should be a great Hawkeye, but maybe not in year one.
Brock Harding
- 6’ Point Guard
- Moline Sr (Moline, IL)
- Mr. Basketball in Illinois
- Undersized but quick as hell
- Has a quick twitch dribble and a lightning quick release on his three
- Brock can flat out score.
- He dropped 28 points in the state championship and brought Moline its first ever State Title.
- Keeps his head up all the time.
- His handle is a whirlwind but finds his open teammates.
- Has a flare to him.
- His shots don’t seem to touch rim. Exclusively swishes.
- Reminds me of Braden Smith. Undersized, True PG, competitor, etc but a better shooter
First Year Impact: Harding will not start in year 1. One of Iowa’s best players is Tony Perkins who will eat a significant amount of minutes at the PG spot. Harding needs to get stronger. Still, I think it would be a disservice to not get Harding some minutes. McCaffery is usually good about getting plenty of guys minutes, but it will be hard figuring out all the guard play. I like Harding, but he might need all four years to live up to his potential.
Overall Excitement Level: 3
Iowa has a fun class. There is reason for excitement for Pryce Sandfort, Brock Harding, and the big guys. However, there are reasons to be concerned about each recruit translating. Iowa fans should be excited for this class, but they also likely won’t shine in 2023-24 but later years.
Northwestern
3 Commits – 9th Ranked Class in Big Ten
Jordan Clayton
- 6’2” G
- Bradford Christian Academy (Haverhill, MA)
- Quick first step
- Will go right or left and finish with either hand.
- Crafty finisher.
- Stops and changes direction devastatingly well.
- Reluctant shooter, but will shoot when left open.
- Keeps his head up. Finds open teammates.
First Year Impact: Clayton has 0% chance to start. None of the freshmen really do. Clayton will get to sit in wait behind Boo Buie and soak up all the lessons Buie can give him. Clayton could come in and grab a few minutes off the bench especially in the non-conference.
Parker Strauss
- 6’4” G
- Pacifica Christian (Newport Beach, CA)
- Parker is skinny but his arms are so long his hands reach his ankles.
- Guard with good shooting form.
- Hits jumpers off dribble or catch and shoot.
- Strong passing skills.
- Lots of hustle plays on his film
First Year Impact: Strauss fits the Northwestern mold. He is a guy with a lot of heart who shows abilities in valuable basketball skills. It is easy to pass over him, but Collins can make this guy into a great role player. Will that be in year one? Probably not. Strauss is looking at being behind Ty Berry, Brooks Barnhizer, Justin Mullins, and Ryan Langborg for the 2&3 spot next season. He could get minutes occassionally, but I think year one will be one where he learns from the bench.
Blake Barkley
- 6’8” F
- Putnam Science Academy (Putnam, CT)
- Tall forward with some ball skills.
- Has a good handle and loves to drive hard.
- Sets up in the corner and drives baseline constantly.
- Almost always finishes right handed.
- Another crafty finisher for Chris Collins
- Not a shooter. Wants to drive.
- Good cutter
- Feasts on slow footed bigs
First Year Impact: Barkley will not start next year but he has an outside chance to get some minutes. Nicholson, Martinelli, Hunger, and Liberty transfer Blake Preston will soak up most of the minutes in the frontcourt. However if Hunger or Martinelli don’t improve, or Barkley impresses in practice, he could sneak in and earn some minutes at the 4. Most likely, Barkley will wait and develop off the court in year one.
Overall Class Excitement Level: 1
Listen, this is extremely Northwestern. Grab a couple of guys who are lower recruits with certain traits. Maybe these guys are underrecruited. Maybe they fit the mold of what Collins looks for athletically, academically, work ethic wise, etc. Northwestern recruiting isn’t a hype machine. It is one built on values and development. In a few years, all three of these guys could be valuable starters for the Wildcats. For now, I don’t think Big Ten fans need to learn their names yet.
Purdue
1 Commit – 11th Ranked Class in Big Ten
Myles Colvin
- 6’5” Wing
- Heritage Christian School (Indianapolis, IN)
- Son of Rosevelt Colvin, Purdue grad and 2x Super Bowl winning linebacker
- Just like his dad, Myles is a freak athlete.
- Freak athlete, Jump out of the gym, Bounce, etc. are lazy and don’t describe how cool it is to watch Myles Colvin dunk a basketball
- I think the term “Hang time” was invented to describe him.
- Check out this tweet ( or is it this X now?) Purdue’s twitter posted yesterday:
- 3 of the 4 photos feature Colvin (#5) either above the rim or contesting at the rim. This guy gets up there I’m telling you.
- If you only watch one of the videos in the article watch his.
- Beyond his ferocious attacks on the rim, Colvin shows a true shooting form.
- He is comfortable draining threes from all over the court. Including DEEP range.
- He has a good midrange game, especially from the freethrow line area.
- Colvin has a good enough handle with both hands and will nail shots off the dribble
- Drives right or left.
- When he goes left, he will usually finish underhanded with his right hand. College players might block this.
- Uses his vertical to swat away plenty of weak shots.
- Good anticipation leading to steals and when he gets on the break…
- Has represented Team USA multiple times. Including this summer on the U19 team.
First Year Impact: Colvin’s first year impact could be an X factor for Purdue next year. Coach Matt Painter has talked about how the Boilermakers need to be more athletic and mentioned Colvin specifically. Colvin could start at the three next to Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. If Purdue can harness his athleticism, Colvin might not be at West Lafayette long before going pro. There is also a scenario where as a Freshman the dunks don’t come as easy against Big Ten players and he becomes more of a 3 & D role player. I tend to think dudes who can jump and have their head above the rim translate to College.
Overall Excitement Level: 2
Colvin is awesome and Purdue fans can’t wait to see him. I am just knocking the “class” because there is only one guy. I am ignoring Redshirts Cam Heide and Will Berg by the way. If Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn was still committed to Purdue this might be a 4 with just two dudes. Boiler fans are probably more excited to give the ‘22 class another summer of development and run things back with NPOY Zach Edey.