AAU: Indiana Big Men to Watch

With AAU season almost underway, I wanted to briefly overview some of the state's top big men, and what they can do to improve this summer. Scout.Com Recruiting Analyst Evan Daniels shared some of his thoughts with me on the Indiana big men.

A.J. Hammons (2012) Center- This Carmel High School big man has a high reputation to live up to this summer. The sophomore center has earned scholarship offers from IU, Xavier, and Illinois while averaging over 5 blocks per game this season. Hammons has slimmed down some since last summer, and with a big AAU season, could receive more offers. The sky is the limit for Hammons who could really help himself with an assertive effort on both ends of the floor. "I think the biggest thing holding Hammons back is Agression," said Daniels. "He's got the size, hands and touch around the basket, I'm just waiting for him to turn it up a notch and be more aggressive."

Michael Chandler (2011) Center- The next great Lawrence North big man made a name for himself on the AAU circuit last summer. The rising senior looks to maintain and legitimize his lofty top 15 national ranking. Chandler has shown that he can play solid defense and pull down rebounds, but can he add a more potent offense game to his weaponry? "Michael Chandler has made tremendous strides since he first hit the scene," Daniels said of the highly touted big man. "As far as improvements, I think he needs to continue to develop his moves on the block, make them more crisp and add a few more to his arsenal."

Cody Zeller (2011) Power Forward/Center- Zeller really impressed onlookers in the state tournament, leading his team to the 3A IHSAA Championship. He had a barrage of coaches watching him throughout the tournament, gearing up for what should be an interesting recruitment. Zeller ended last summer with a top 50 national ranking, establishing himself as one of the better big men in the 2011 class. During the season Zeller showed great versatility on the offensive end, knocking down long range jump shots, taking opponents off the dribble, and scoring in the post. If Zeller could improve his overall strength, who knows how good he could be? "With Zeller I think it's clear that strength is certainly something that he can work on," Daniels said. "But he's got the size, hands, post moves and ability to move that can often times make up for his lack of strength."

Evan Daniels is a national scout/recruiting analyst for Scout.com. You can check out his work at http://scouthoops.scout.com/.