RECRUITING

Update on Lawrence North freshman Kevin Easley

Kyle Neddenriep
Lawrence North High School freshman Kevin Easley, Jr. (34) puts up a shot during the second half of action. Lawrence North High School hosted North Central High School in a first-round game of the 2015 Marion County Boys Basketball Tournament, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Lawrence North defeated North Central 61-57 to advance in the tournament.

Any conversation of the top freshman in the state must include Lawrence North's Kevin Easley Jr., a major contributor to the Wildcats' 14-4 start.

Easley, who is leading Lawrence North in rebounding, doesn't play like a freshman. He stepped to the line with 16 seconds left against Class 4A fourth-ranked Carmel on Friday and drilled both free throws to tie the game (Carmel won on the following possession when Ryan Cline hit a 3-pointer).

"He hits big shots," Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said of Easley. "He's going to be a player, that's for sure."

Easley, at 6-6 and 210 pounds, is a versatile threat who is already strong enough to throw is weight around on the block and battle for rebounds with experienced, physical Class 4A players. But Easley can also step out and hit make opponents respect his mid-range jump shot.

"The biggest adjustment has been the speed of the game," said Easley, who scored 28 points in a win over then-No. 3 Southport last month. "From eighth grade to varsity, that's been pretty crazy."

Butler, Indiana and Purdue have all been in recently to see Easley and he picked up his first high-major offer, from Purdue, during a visit to West Lafayette for the Indiana game. IUPUI, which offered him back in September, is his other offer.

Easley said the Purdue coaching staff sees him as player who can fill multiple roles.

"They said they see me as an in-between player," Easley said. "I loved (the Purdue visit). I was there for the IU-Purdue game and loved the spirit. The school pride is crazy. I loved it. The environment is nice and the coaches and players were great."

In addition to Butler, Indiana, IUPUI and Purdue, Easley is attracting plenty of attention from other schools as well. Illinois, New Mexico and Saint Louis have shown the most interest, while Dayton, Eastern Michigan, IPFW, Michigan, Ohio State and Xavier have also been in contact.

Easley attended the Indiana game on Sunday against Michigan and coach Tom Crean offered a scholarship.

At this point, he has no plans of making an early commitment.

"Not until my senior year," he said.

*Butler offered a pair of highly-regarded in-state 2017 recruits on Saturday – North Central forward Kris Wilkes and Park Tudor forward Jaren Jackson Jr. Wilkes also has offers from Kansas, Indiana, Purdue and Xavier, while Jackson Jr. also has offers from Indiana, Purdue and IUPUI. Wilkes visited Butler on Saturday and will visit Indiana for its game vs. Michigan today, along with Southport guard Paul Scruggs (2017).