High School Basketball: Breaking Down 10 of Indiana's Top 2012 Recruits

For those who don't know, high school basketball in the state of Indiana is flat out awesome, and is currently enjoying a period of unrivaled high-profile talent in comparison to any other state.

2012 stands out as a year with unbelievable talent, featuring at least 10 in-state players ranked in the national top 100 by either the ESPN, Rivals or Scout recruiting services. In the following slideshow, I will analyze the talents of 10 of the best players in the 2012 class.

Now I want to make it clear that this is not my ranking of the players, but rather a look at the 10 best that I've had the opportunity to give a fair look to, rather than just watching a few highlight clips.

So here they are. Hope you enjoy.

Antonio Drummond

5'10" PG

La Lumiere School, La Porte, Indiana

Southern Illinois Verbal

A couple of years ago, the Southern Illinois program appeared on its way to being a Midwest version of Gonzaga as a perennial mid major powerhouse. Now, after a couple of forgettable years, the Salukis will look to build back towards their strong recent past, and Drummond could play a major role in that.

Despite being a generous 5'10", he seems like a player destined to be a recruiting steal going forward. Playing for a prep school stocked with D-1 talent, Drummond stands out with his command and confidence at the point guard position. He fits the mold of former SIU guards with his quickness, toughness and potential on the defensive end. He gets in the paint with ease and will make nice dishes when he does. He can score from anywhere and plays with no fear, which will rub off on his teammates

Drummond's height will always be a setback, and although he can hit the perimeter shot, continued consistency will be a key, especially since he'll be the smallest guy on the court most nights in college. He also doesn't seem to have the same untapped upside of many higher ranked players. Nevertheless, what you see is what you get, and that's a dependable point guard who can do everything and will contribute from day one for the Salukis.

Yogi Ferrell

5'10" PG

Park Tudor High School, Indianapolis, IN

Indiana Verbal

When it's all said and done, Yogi Ferrell will have a significant place in Indiana University's basketball history as the likely floor general for what should be the "turnaround" years for one of the nation's most storied programs. How significant that place is will depend on his performance, and there is a strong chance he could be a special player.

He has all the tools to be as good as he wants. Ferrell combines a true point guard's mentality with explosive quickness and a strong body as well as an excellent feel for the game. He has great knowledge of when to stop and go and keeps a great balance between scoring and distributing. His shot has continued to improve and is becoming a great weapon in his arsenal, especially the mid range pull up. There is also a swagger and confidence to his game, one that won't let him settle for losing in Bloomington.

Yogi just needs continued progression. His skill set is fairly complete, but being on the shorter side, he will need to be one of the smartest players on the floor at all times in college, and therefore has to keep improving with his decision-making. As Jordan Hulls develops, it'll be interesting to see them battle it out for the starting position in 2012-13.

Gary Harris

6'5" SG

Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, Indiana

Considering Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State, Louisville and Notre Dame, among others

This kid is special. Considered by many to be the best player in the state, Gary Harris has the tools to be as good as he chooses. He shows the potential to be a great player at the highest level, and likely won't spend four years under the tutelage of whatever lucky coach he chooses to play for.

Harris has the look and physical tools of a high level NBA guard. He's a top notch athlete, an ever-improving shooter with a smooth stroke and potentially a lock-down defender in college. What separates him from many other 2-guard prospects with his athleticism is the fact that he already shows great ball skills. Many guys with his athletic gifts would simply rely on them to dominate high school competition, but instead, Harris shows the ability to handle the ball comfortably and make plays for others. Effort is never a question, and he shows no signs of an ego despite a growing reputation nationally.

He has star qualities and will play immediately wherever he goes.

Jeremy Hollowell

6'7" SF

Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana

Indiana Verbal

A smooth operator with an effortless game, Hollowell combines great size with a dependable perimeter game and quiet confidence. He shoots with ease from three and has the tools to be a go-to scorer in college with his great size. He can create his own offense off the dribble and finish inside.

The next move for Hollowell in order to go from good to great is consistently giving the effort to match his great talent. He's shown a tendency to disappear in games, although he's come a long way in that department this summer, at times carrying his Indiana Elite AAU squad offensively. It'd also be nice to see him keep rounding out athletically, continuing to improve his leaping ability and quickness defensively.

His name will be known around the Big Ten before it's over.

RJ Hunter

6'5" SG

Pike High Schoo, Indianapolis, IN

Georgia State Verbal

Hunter has basketball in his bloodlines, with a dad who will coach him in college at Georgia State. There's a good chance he could be the top dog for that program considering he held several high-major offers before pledging to the Panthers.

Hunter is skilled and smart. It's easy to believe he's a coach's son. He's a great outside shooter with a smooth stroke. He seems to keep growing and could end up being a major mismatch on the perimeter. He desperately needs to improve his strength, though.

He's earned great experience playing alongside All-American Marquis Teague at Pike the last few years and is the type of player who may benefit more playing at a the mid major level than for a larger program. At a larger school, there's a good chance he would be relegated to being a spot up shooter, and his lack of strength could have him playing catchup his first few years. At a school like Georgia State, however, he will be an immediate contributor and will have a chance to create for himself and others with the ball.

Could have intriguing pro potential down the line if he gains a few more inches and puts up good numbers in college.

Ronnie Johnson

5'10" PG

North Central High School, Indianapolis, IN

Purdue Verbal

Solid in every way, Johnson will close out a great career at North Central before joining his older brother Terone at Purdue. He does everything well that you'd want from a point guard and comes from a winning program.

His game is not overly flashy, and there are more talented distributors, but Johnson is a floor general and the type who could lead a team deep into the tournament. He'll be capable of meeting any challenge Matt Painter throws in front of him and seems like a player who will improve in every season before blossoming into a very good starter.

Ron Patterson

6'3" SG

Broad Ripple High School, Indianapolis, IN

Indiana Verbal

Patterson is incredibly explosive and shows the potential to be a lockdown defender at the college level. With a potential logjam at IU on the wing, his defense could be his way of standing out, as he shows the body and quickness to defend three positions. He also has a beautiful jump shot with great lift. He could potentially be a dangerous spot up shooter.

He is pretty much everything you look for in a high level college prospect. He has or could potentially develop every tool needed to be an all-conference player, but adding a middle game and more of a scorer's presence will amplify his chances of doing so. There are players ranked higher because they simply shoot more, and with his talent, there is no reason for him not to return to being a top 100 national prospect before finishing high school.

Hanner Perea

6'8" PF

La Lumiere School, La Porte, Indiana

Indiana Verbal

Perea can hang with any human being athletically, which will make him an immediate presence when he gets to IU in the fall of 2012. He has scary leaping ability and quickness for a big man.

Still relatively new to the game after coming to the U.S. from Colombia, his skill set is coming along but is not dependable for a Big Ten player yet. He does show a decent form on his jump shot which will only get better and will use a nice turnaround hook shot from time to time, but needs continued reps and game experience.

He needs to become a more efficient player and learn how to stay out of foul trouble. As that happens, he could really become a special rebounder and shot blocker. He even has the tools to eventually guard on the perimeter from time to time. Playing alongside Cody Zeller will be a great help to him.

Perea will likely be brought along year after year and may never be much of a scorer, but the opportunity will be there for him to clean the glass and dunk everything in sight the first day he arrives on campus.

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera

6'3" SG

Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA

Considering Louisville, UCLA, Texas, Georgetown, Kansas State, and Xavier

A former teammate of Ronnie Johnson's at North Central, Smith-Rivera will transfer to the top program in the country for his senior season.

He's a very unique guard with a big body and an aggressive scorer's mentality. He almost plays in slow motion but can still get places on the court. Missing a few in a row will not deter him from being aggressive the next time down. He showed great improvement, shooting the ball from his sophomore to junior seasons, and continues to get his body into better shape.

The concern with Smith-Rivera is in tracking how good he will be at the next level. He lacks the upside of players like Ron Patterson and Gary Harris because he is not on their level athletically. I am personally not as high on him as some of the recruiting services because I question how effective he will be playing against players of similar size and strength who are even more athletic, which will happen often in college. He also had a seemingly limitless green light at North Central, making his great numbers a little less impressive.

The good thing is, he will have the chance to prove all of these things next year at Oak Hill. He will play with and against the best competition in the nation, which will force him to be a more efficient player and give him a bigger stage to prove himself on.

Glenn Robinson III

6'6" SG/SF

Lake Central High School, St. John, Indiana

Michigan Verbal

This kid has All-Big Ten written all over him and is a perfect fit at Michigan. Robinson is a solid athlete who scores from all three levels. He has continued to climb up the recruiting rankings this summer and could make a push for five-star status before all is said and done.

He is cut from the same mold as Tim Hardaway, Jr., and the potential thought of seeing those two together on the wing in two years (if Hardaway sticks around) is scary for the rest of the conference. Robinson may not yet be quite the shooter Hardaway is but he shows the potential to be a go to guy for the Wolverines someday. He has instincts that make him an easy player to run an offense through and contains a great deal of room to improve.

Continuing to fill out his frame should be an area of focus, which he appears to be addressing. He's another player whose ceiling is not visible right now and is blessed with all the tools to start as a freshman. Michigan did a great job to snatch him up early.

There You Have It

Those are 10 of the better prospects in the nation for 2012 and all names to look out for down the line. Every one of these players should make a serious impact at their respective schools, and I have no doubt several of them will eventually make a nice living playing the game they love.