INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and the Indiana High School Athletic Association conducted their 15th annual Top 100 Boys workout and basketball showcase Wednesday, July 12, at Ben Davis High School, offering high school players a chance to show their abilities in a series of games that were high-paced, high-scoring, full of freelancing and plenty of fun.
All of that is right in Pendleton Heights junior Karsten Windlan’s wheelhouse.
After averaging 12 points and three assists per game as a sophomore, Windlan is enjoying a solid summer, which includes a pair of AAU tournament wins and scoring better than 19 points per game at the showcase.
He said it’s nice to have a solid day to catch the eyes of the dozens of college scouts on hand, but he also uses the event as an opportunity to test himself against some of the best players in the state.
“It’s an honor to be here; there’s a lot of good players here,” Windlan said. “It’s make-or-break here, and you’ve got to see what you can do against the top levels of competition. That’s what the scouts look for.”
Windlan opened the day with 26 points in the first game and said it did not take him long to get comfortable.
“I felt really good,” he said. “I felt loose and played under control. I played really well. My goals at an event like this is to play hard and have fun.”
With deep range and plenty of quickness, Windlan can score in a number of ways. He’s not afraid to drive to the basket, attacking the much bigger defenders, or if he is given enough room, he’s willing to launch 3-point shots from 25 feet out or farther. He said showcases, which spotlight offensive skills, are in his comfort zone.
“I’m probably a better scorer than people think,” he said. “So, when I come out here, people think I’m undersized, but I like scoring. That’s what I like to do, put the ball in the basket.”
Windlan has had limited contacts with college scouts, including Anderson University and Hanover. While some scouts may indeed look at the 5-foot-10 Windlan and consider him undersized, he feels he has the talent and the toughness to offset that perceived weakness.
“I don’t really care what people say about me,” he said. “At the end of the day, I know what I can do, and that’s all that matters.”