What Texas is to high school football, Indiana is to high school basketball. While you may not see the five star prospects and NBA legends coming out of the Hoosier state every year, there isn’t anywhere in America that you’ll see more fans at your average high school basketball game than in Indiana. In fact, Indiana is home to 10 of the 12 largest high school basketball arenas, a testament to the sheer love their residents have for scholastic sports. That same aforementioned love is carrying over to the prep level, as seen at the La Porte Invitational.
Hosted by national power La Lumiere, the La Porte Invitational brought basketball fans, teams, and scouts from across the nation to the La Porte Civic Auditorium. What I found just as fascinating as the plethora of national talent that was in the building was the turnout that Northwest Indiana had to see the talent. In today’s era where you can watch any player that you want on your phone or on YouTube, the La Porte locals definitely made their presence known in the gym, creating an atmosphere unlike the vast majority of prep school events nationally.
With all games being streamed between NBA TV and League Ready along with stats being readily accessible, the La Porte Invitational was a great event for those in the stands and those watching from home.
With that being said, here are five things that we took away from the 2026 La Pore Invitational:
1. There’s a New Number One
Given the immense level of competition that there is in the EYBL Scholastic League, it’s going to be very rare that you see anyone run the gauntlet and complete an undefeated regular season. Talent is too spread out throughout the league and given the fact that many of the rosters have been together for only around six months or so, they are still finding themselves. We witnessed this with previously unbeaten and Ballislife FAB 50 No. 1 Link Academy (Branson, M.) falling to FAB 50 No. 5 Brewster Academy (Brewster, NH) in a thrilling 61-60 game that was loaded with D-1 talent.
Brewster coach Jason Smith has long been a staple in the Northeast at the NEPSAC power, and is now showing that the traditional boarding school can hang with anyone in the country. While they may not have as many prospects loaded with stars next to their names as other EYBL Scholastic squads, Brewster brought two things that are exceptionally hard to teach: Defensive chemistry and team continuity.
The zone that Smith imposed gave Brewster a chance in the paint due to their lack of size and the massive front line that Link offered. Furthermore, the plethora of shot creating guards and wings that Brewster brings are tough to handle for anyone in the nation. There may not be a better three guard lineup in the country than 6’2 senior Darien Moore (Seton Hall), 6’1 junior Antonio Pemberton, and 6’1 sophomore Michai White. Toss in 6’6 Charlotte native Marcus Kerr on the wing as an athletic 3 and D wing, and you have a team that can compete with anyone in the country.
WOW
What a game. Michai White finds Brayden Jones rolling to the win to give Brewster a big win over Link Academy at the buzzer here at @LaPorteInvite
61-60 Final pic.twitter.com/fwrb8bxVBG
— Aaron Proia (@pr0ia) January 11, 2026
2. Miles Sadler is 2026’s Best Point Guard..Today
If you need a lead guard to win you a game today, there isn’t a player better in the senior class than Miles Sadler of FAB 50 No. 7 CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.). While others may have more size and athleticism than the 5-foot-10 Canadian playmaker, there isn’t a better playmaker in the high school ranks today. Having played at a high level since arriving in the States as a middle schooler and playing up two years with Team Harden on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit, Sadler has shown that he is far more than just a scoring lead guard. While he can still put points on the board, West Virgnia’s top recruit is currently leading the EYBL Scholastic in assists at 6.8 per game while still maintaining his presence as a scorer (he sits at 11th in scoring at 16.9 PPG). The continual improvement that Miles has shown as a playmaker throughout his high school career with his pace, high level passes, and overall game should allow him to make an immediate impact from the day that he steps foot on campus in Morgantown.
Photo: Courtesy of Hoophall West
3. Aziz Olajuwon is More Than Just the Family Name
The son of NBA Hall of Famer and one of the five greatest centers ever, Aziz Olajuwon is continuing to show that he’s more than just Hakeem’s son. Given The Dream’s decision to have children later in life, many questioned whether Aziz was his son or his grandson. The angular 6-foot-7 forward brought defensive versatility, impacted the game without needing plays ran for him, and hit two absolutely essential 3-pointers in IMG Academy’s 63-58 win over a loaded in-state foe of Southeastern Prep of Orlando (featuring top-15 juniors CJ Rosser, Obinna Ekezie Jr., and Beckham Black). The Houston native has carried on lineage as well in a number of facets during the non scholastic season. He ran with JL3 (ran by former NBA PG John Lucas III, son of Hakeem’s former teammate John Lucas) in the Nike EYBL and paid homage to his mother’s homeland of Canada during the FIBA U-19 World Cup this past summer. Heading to Stanford next season, Aziz has the versatile game to make an impact in some capacity while getting an education that most cannot even fathom attaining.
4. Not All The Talent Resides Among EYBL Scholastic Teams
While the bulk of the La Porte Invitational centered around the EYBL Scholastic games, two of Florida’s current pillars (IMG Academy and Southeastern Prep) had a spirited matchup in the middle of the country rather than in the Sunshine State. IMG (an Under Armour flagship program) topped Southeastern Prep (one of the elite programs in the Grind Session Power Conference) 63-58 to tie the season series at 1-1. The two programs had previously matched up at the John Wall Holiday Invitational with Southeastern Prep walking away the victor in Raleigh. In this contest, however, SEPA’s missed fourth quarter free throws down the stretch ultimately allowed IMG to even things up for the year.
5. Brewster Academy’s 3-Guard Lineup Does Major Damage
In today’s era of positionless basketball, you aren’t seeing many teams run three lead guards on the floor at the same time, much less three who stand 6-foot-2 or under. Well, Brewster Academy does and just knocked off the top-ranked high school team in the nation. Six-foot-1 Jersey sophomore Machai White thrives playing through contact when he gets to the paint and always brings infectious energy. Six-foot-1 junior Antonio Pemberton is great getting to his shot off of the bounce and knows how to get to his sweet spots with pull up jumper. Six-foot-2 senior Darien Moore is headed for Seton Hall next year, but showed that he can play either guard spot and will finish over the top of you for Brewster Academy. The high school version of Villanova’s vaunted lineup of 2005-2006 (with Mike Nardi, Allan Ray, Randy Foye, and Kyle Lowry) has the ability to keep Brewster in just about any game that they step foot on the court in.
Editor’s Pick
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