The Hoosiers have offered another class of 2021 small forward Bryce Hopkins. Recruiting rankings have yet to catch up as Hopkins is currently unranked in the 247Composite rankings, despite receiving numerous offers from high major schools including Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern, Minnesota, Xavier, and more recently Indiana and Iowa State. Joe Henricksen, who covers high school sports for the Chicago Sun-Times, has him ranked as the number two player in the state of Illinois for 2021.
Who is the number one player in the state of Illinois? The Hoosiers have already offered him: five-star Max Christie from Rolling Meadows, Ill. You can find the latest class of 2021 Indiana Basketball recruiting board here.
Hopkins plays for MOKAN Elite (Missouri) on the Nike EYBL Circuit, which happens to be the same team that had former Indiana forward Juwan Morgan. As we all know now, Juwan Morgan signed an unrestricted free agent deal with the Utah Jazz.
Bryce Hopkins: Game Breakdown
At 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Bryce Hopkins already has the size to play at the next level. However, by no means is he a forward that stays planted on the floor. Hopkins is light on his feet and is more of a face-up wing, rather than a back-to-the-basket post. In terms of ball-handling, Bryce has the ability to put the rock on the floor, but he will need to work on his speed during his remaining high school years.
Among his arsenal of offensive weapons, Bryce Hopkins has a fast dribble-jab that enables him to quickly change direction and confuse defenders. Additionally he has a controlled spin-move that he likes to showcase when he catches the ball closer to the rim.
Hopkins is an effective scorer and understands how to get to the basket in multiple ways. He prefers to be a rim-slasher and he is most effective when he catches the ball about 10-feet out and attacks the rim with one or two quick dribbles. When properly squared-up, Bryce has a smooth stroke that let’s him hit shots from deep.
Hopkins also has a knack for passing, which is a large reason he plays outside of the perimeter at times. There is no doubt that he is an above-average passer and his ability to find open players with protected passes makes him an effective player to use outside of the perimeter. He is comfortable initiating the offense and can both shoot threes or dribble-drive if there are no open teammates. In order to maintain his deep threat, Bryce Hopkins has a tendency to live outside of the arc, at least in the early phase of offensive sets.
