IU’s first class of 2016 men’s basketball commit guard Grant Gelon possesses an ability to shoot the ball better than any other player his high school coach has tutored, Crown Point (Ind.) High School coach Clint Swan said.
“He can really shoot the basketball,” Swan said. “He’s very good not just from behind the arc, but from well beyond the 3-point line.”
Gelon, who verbally committed to the Hoosiers during an unofficial visit to Bloomington on Wednesday, set a Crown Point school record by making 102 3-pointers last season. He knocked down 43 percent of his attempts from behind the arc.
Swan said IU received a commitment from a player with a “very specific skill” — shooting the basketball. But even the best shooters have off nights, so what else can Gelon bring to the table?
“Well two years ago, the answer would’ve been ‘Not much,’” Swan said.
As a sophomore, Gelon played on Crown Point’s varsity team. He stood beyond the arc and made a lot of threes, but that was essentially the extent of his on-court contributions, Swan said.
Gelon’s high school coach recalled Crown Point’s run in the Class 4A tournament last season when describing the IU commit’s development as a player. In the morning game of the regional, Crown Point defeated Munster as Gelon carried his team in the second half, scoring 15 of his 19 points.
In a game that night, Gelon’s legs were tired from being chased all over the court. His shots weren’t falling, but Swan couldn’t afford to take him off the court.
“We couldn’t take him off the floor because of everything else he was bringing to us,” Swan said of Gelon, who grabbed 11 rebounds in the game. “He’s really grown a lot.”
Swan noted that Gelon is a good rebounder for his position and “deceptively athletic” for someone his size. Gelon’s size is an aspect of his game that has been subject to debate since he committed to IU. He has been reported as being anywhere from 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-5.
However, every one of those reports could be wrong, according to Swan.
“That’s probably been the biggest debate of anything since Grant committed,” he said. “He was measured at 6-5 before the season started last year. Now that being said, if I had to produce a roster right now without getting to measure him, I would list him at 6-6.”
Even as Gelon continues to grow in size, Swan said the 3-point shooter will need to round out his game. Every college-bound high school basketball player has to focus on two things, Swan said, and Gelon is no different.
His high school coach said he must get stronger and improve defensively. Swan also highlighted Gelon’s dribbling ability and mid-range game as areas the rising high school senior will need to improve upon.
“The great thing about Grant is he’s definitely committed to getting better,” Swan said, “and he will continue to grow as a player, not just in a team concept, but in terms of his individual skill set as well.”
