Heritage Hills' Trent Sisley, a top-50 recruit and IU, Purdue target, off to strong start
The competitor inside Trent Sisley was not happy with his team’s performance in the first half of Saturday’s Sneakers for Santa Shootout game. Sisley’s Heritage Hills team faced a 20-plus point deficit almost from the outset in a game that ended as a 73-50 loss to Class 4A fourth-ranked Brownsburg.
“It was a little rough,” Sisley said of the first half. “It’s the first time we’ve been down like that this season and we just didn’t come ready to play in the first quarter. Then the third quarter we turned it around and got used to the speed and physicality, but it was a little rough at first.”
The 6-7 Sisley, a four-star prospect ranked No. 50 in the country on the 247sports composite, finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds on 10-for-19 shooting, including 2-for-4 from the 3-point line. Heritage Hills (2-1), a 3A program, is playing three sophomores and two freshmen, along with two seniors, in its main rotation.
But Sisley, who has offers from Indiana, Purdue, Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State, does not play like a sophomore.
Day of hoops:Southport Fieldhouse. Full day of hoops. Matchups, players to watch at Tipoff Classic.
“It never feels like he’s forcing it,” Brownsburg coach Steve Lynch said. “He’s a hard kid to guard because he’s pretty willing to share when we double team. I thought our kids did a really nice job of trying to make things hard for him, but he’s a hard worker.”
Sisley, who is shooting 58% from the field and 16-for-18 from the free-throw line through three games, is clearly stronger and more assertive than he was as a freshman, when he averaged 19.9 points and 9.2 rebounds on a 14-10 team that lost to Gibson Southern in the first round of the sectional.
“I think his biggest thing has been maturity and he was very good as a freshman,” Heritage Hills coach Nate Hawkins said. “His decision-making has improved and he’s developing into the leader of our basketball team. He’s willing to speak up and be positive with our young kids and get on their rear ends when he has to. They obviously listen to him.”
Sisley called Saturday’s game “a learning experience for us.” But he took a glass half-full look at the game, calling the second half against Brownsburg “a good response.”
“We don’t play many 4A teams where we’re at,” Sisley said. “And they are a good 4A team up in here in Indy so to play against a good talented team is good for us heading into conference play and obviously going into March later in the year.”
Trent Sisley recruited by Indiana, Purdue
Though the high school basketball season is his first priority, Sisley has also been taking recruiting visits. He was at Indiana for its game against North Carolina and made the trip to Purdue for last Sunday’s game vs. Minnesota.
“It was really good,” Sisley said of the Indiana visit and prior to his trip to Purdue. “To be able to sit behind the bench and see all of it was behind the scenes, the atmosphere was pretty crazy.”
Sisley has visited the five schools that have offered him so far and said he is developing relationships with the coaching staffs of all five. Going to games and making visits this season will allow him to get a better idea of how each team plays.
“I’m nowhere near committing, that’s all I know,” he said. “We’ve talked a little bit about (recruiting with my family), but nothing too serious yet.”
Because of the personnel in high school, Sisley plays more of an interior role than he does on his AAU team or is likely to in college. He said he likes both roles, but probably projects more to a wing at the next level.
“Everything goes through No. 40 for us,” Hawkins said, referencing Sisley’s jersey number. “Trent was phenomenal (against Brownsburg), just like he always is. But I saw some other guys growing up out there, cutting off him and just learning. I think we learned a lot.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school basketball: Heritage Hills' Trent Sisley excels
