The Hoop Scoop Online

First Team All-State
Position	Player	Height	Class	Hometown	High School	State	College
PF	Jared Jeffries	6'10	Senior	Bloomington	North	IN	Indiana
C	Zach Randolph	6'8	Senior	Marion	Marion	IN	Michigan State
PF	Brett Buscher	6'7	Senior	Chesterton	Chesterton	IN	Purdue
PG	Chris Thomas	6'1	Junior	Indianapolis	Pike	IN
PG	Brody Boyd	5'10	Senior	Dugger	Union	IN	Iowa
Second Team All-State
Position	Player	Height	Class	Hometown	High School	State	College
C	Ronald Dokes	6'8	Senior	South Bend	Riley	IN	Ball State
PF	Sean Kline	6'7	Junior	Huntington	North	IN
WF	Dennis Coutee	6'5	Junior	Jeffersonville	Jeffersonville	IN
2G	C.J. Hill	6'2	Senior	Indianapolis	Ben Davis	IN
2G	Andre Owens	6'2	Senior	Indianapolis	Perry Meridian	IN	Indiana
Third Team All-State
Position	Player	Height	Class	Hometown	High School	State	College
WF	Myron Hodge	6'6	Senior	Evansville	Bosse	IN
WF	Shane Power	6'4	Senior	Gary	Andrean	IN	Iowa State
2G	Kyle Hankins	6'1	Junior	Bloomington	South	IN
2G	Terry Collins	6'0	Senior	Fort Wayne	Snider	IN
PG	Austin Parkinson	6'0	Senior	Kokomo	Northwestern	IN	Purdue

Fourth Team All-State
Position	Player	Height	Class	Hometown	High School	State	College
C	Sean May	6'8	Sophomore	Bloomington	North	IN
WF	Brandon Webb	6'5	Senior	Knox	Knox	IN
2G	John Hamilton	6'3	Senior	Greenfield	Central	IN	Weber State
2G	Chris Hill	6'1	Junior	Indianapolis	Lawrence North	IN
PG	Chris Loveless	5'11	Senior	Mooresville	Mooresville	IN	Grand Valley State
Fifth Team All-State
Position	Player	Height	Class	Hometown	High School	State	College
PF	Matt Backs	6'6	Senior	Marion	Marion	IN	Elon College
PF	Blake English	6'5	Senior	Evansville	North	IN
2G	Aaron Patterson	6'4	Junior	Indianapolis	Ben Davis	IN
2G	David Hanger	6'0	Senior	Morocco	North Newton	IN
PG	Darryl Burnett	5'11	Senior	Fort Wayne	Hardin	IN
Sixth Team All-State
Position	Player	Height	Class	Hometown	High School	State	College
PF	Jake Howe	6'8	Junior	Evansville	Harrison	IN
PF	Justin Johnston	6'7	Sophomore	Merrillville	Merrillville	IN
WF	Tyler Best	6'7	Sophomore	Lafayette	Central Catholic	IN
PF	Cory Seeger	6'6	Senior	Columbus	North	IN	Morehead State
2G	Corey Stokes	6'2	Senior	East Chicago	Central	IN

INDIANA'S MOST INTRIGUING PROSPECT: DARTH VADEN
by Jim Kasberg, Indiana Editor of the HOOP SCOOP

            Not long ago, October was the time when Indiana high school basketball fans began debating about which teams would most likely be contending for the state championship in March. With practice beginning on October 15th and non-football schools starting to play the first week of November, the season seemed just around corner long before the hardwood forests performed their annual duty of coloring the landscape.
            The crown jewel of the season, of course, was the state tournament.
            Today, all of this appears as a faded memory. Practices begin November 1st, the start of the season has been kicked by the pigskin-heads into December, and the magnificence of March-mayhem has been relegated to class cookie-cutter status by the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
            Saddest of all, fewer and fewer fans can be found spinning their forecasts for the upcoming year.
            Let's face it. Indiana prep hoops is in a state of rapid decline.
            Under the leadership of former IHSAA commissioner Gene Cato the current decade began with over 80, 000 fans attending the old four- team, three-game, single-class state finals in March of 1990. Last season, a crowd of only 29,000 witnessed the eight-team, four-game state finals directed by present commissioner Bob Gardner and his multi-class creation. In dollars and cents, conservative estimates suggest that the new format has already cost the IHSAA well over a half million dollars in lost revenue.
            Fortunately, the level of talent on the court itself has not taken a such a beating. In fact, this year's senior class could produce two McDonald's All-American's in 6'10 Jared Jeffries (Committed to Indiana) and Marion's 6'8 center Zach Randolph (committed to Michigan State), both of whom are ranked among the nation's top 10 seniors. Don't be surprised if these two long-time rivals lead their respective teams to the 4-A championship game next spring at the breathtaking new Conseco Fieldhouse.
            Two other seniors not to be overlooked in the Class of 2000 are 5'10 pest Brody Boyd of Dugger (Union) IN, who has signed with Iowa, and 6'7 Purdue-recruit Brett Buscher of Chesterton (H.S.) IN. However, the state's fastest rising player is 6'8 senior center Ronald Dokes from South Bend (Riley) IN. Dokes, who has a size 22 shoe, stepped onto the court last month at the Spiece Top 32 Workout and played Buscher to a stand-off. That is why Dokes has vaulted from oblivion into our top 10 seniors in the state of Indiana.
            Indiana's juniors are led by 6'1combo-guard Chris Thomas of Indianapolis (Pike) IN, another top 10 nationally-ranked player. However, Thomas could be challenged for the 2001 "Mr. Basketball" title by a host of talented classmates, most noteably 6'5 wing forward Dennis Coutee of Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN and 6'7 power forward Sean Kline from Huntington (North) IN.
            A pair of imposing big men punctuate the sophomore class. Bloomington North's Sean May, the 6'8 son of former Indiana University All-American Scott May, currently tops the list. May is closely followed by 6'7 inside/outside threat Tyler Best of Lafayette (Central Catholic) IN. Also possessing good bloodlines, Best is the younger brother of current Purdue University guard Travis Best.
            The most promising freshman in Indiana is 6'5 power forward DeAndre Peyton of Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) IN. However, the state's most intriguing young player has not yet even entered high school. We're talking about 6'3 Robert "Darth" Vaden of Indianapolis (Lincoln Middle School) IN. He can destroy you inside and he can you destroy outside, which is why former Indiana All-Star and SMU standout Dave Gadis calls Vaden a young Kevin Garnett. If Vaden continues to progress at the same pace that he has thus far, he will easily become the best 8th grader we've ever seen come out of Indiana. This is why the HOOP SCOOP will rank Vaden as the #1 8th grader in America! And remember where you heard it first!!!

Editor's Note: Jim Kasberg has been the Indiana Editor of the HOOP SCOOP since the mid-1980's and nobody does a better job of ranking the top players and teams in the state of Indiana, which is something he also does for Indiana Basketball News. In doing so, Kasberg provides the perfect complement to Reggie Tisdale, the editor and publisher of Indiana Basketball News. You can get Indiana Basketball News, which includes 12 issues a year and is a steal at only $36, by sending a check or money order to Indiana Basketball News, 2158 45th Avenue, PMB #443, Highland, IN 46322-3742. Or you can call 1-219-392-1586. Speaking of the top teams in Indiana, Kasberg's pre-season top 10 teams in the state are: 1) Bloomington North, 2) Marion, 3) Merrillville, 4) Indianapolis Ben Davis, 5) Jeffersonville, 6) Evansville Bosse, 7) Warsaw, 8) Indianapolis Lawrence North, 9) Westview, and 10) Dugger Union.