ANDERSON — Some of the top high school basketball players in the state took part in the 10th Annual Indiana Class Basketball All-Star Classic this past weekend.
More than 140 players put their talents on display during the two-day event inside Anderson University’s Kardatzke Wellness Center.
Two Lapel High School basketball players were invited to show their skills: Austin Lyons, who played with the senior boys Red Team, and Luke Richardson, who played with the junior boys Red 1 Team.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Lyons scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds and two assists, helping the senior boys Red Team defeat the senior boys White Team by a score of 93 to 70.
Lyons, who plans to attend Anderson University and play college basketball, was a First Team All County, Honorable Mention Small School All-State, and a Honorable Mention Academic All-State, averaging 15.9 points a game for the Bulldogs this past season.
In the junior boys games, Richardson scored 22 points, had eight rebounds and two assists for the junior boys Red 1 Team in a 95-80 loss to the junior boys White 1 Team.
The eight-game showcase for boys and girls was the idea of Kent Benson, founder of Indiana Basketball All-Star Classic Inc., and Steven Stremming, founder of Excel High School Sports Publications.
The event was specifically designed to provide players with collegiate exposure, a mission that continues to evolve since the event’s inaugural launch in 2008.
As a former national champion with the 1975-76 undefeated Indiana Hoosiers, Benson’s aim is to open doors for high school players searching for a potential path to further their basketball careers.
“The college coaches love it because they get an opportunity to see these kids more than just once or twice a year. They get to see them early in their careers and follow them to see how they may fit into their systems,” Benson, a 1973 Indiana Mr. Basketball at New Castle High School, wrote in a press release.
In its fifth year at Anderson University, the Indiana Basketball All-Star Classic was first conducted at New Castle Chrysler Fieldhouse and has grown in popularity with hoops fans and its participants, who are invited to compete at the NCAA venue free of charge.
The showcase’s future games returned for a second year, with several talented underclassmen taking part. The inclusion of two games focused on freshmen and sophomore boys and girls has made a positive impact on the Indiana Class Basketball All-Star Classic’s unique brand, officials said.
The games tipped-off Friday, June 15, with the senior girls game, followed by the senior boys contest and the Future Girls game, before concluding with the Future Boys.
The event’s second day, Saturday, June 16, started with a junior girls games then the junior boys games.
Six players represented four of the state’s eight recently crowned Indiana High School Athletic Association’s 2017-18 state championship basketball programs, including Class 2A Northwestern and 4A Warren Central for the girls and Class A Southwood, 3A Culver Academies and 4A Warren Central for the boys.