'He's very underrated.' Lafayette Jeff's Javan Buchanan makes early impression on All-Stars
Javan Buchanan might be the least-known player among the Indiana All-Stars as they arrived for camp Tuesday at Marian University. But the Lafayette Jeff standout might be the most appreciative – and he is quickly making an impression on his teammates.
The 6-7 Buchanan, an Indiana Wesleyan recruit, was shopping with his family, fittingly at Party City, when All-Star director Mike Broughton called him with the news of making the All-Star team.
“I told my mom that there’s a lot of stuff that goes into it and I probably wasn’t going to get picked,” Buchanan said. “To be honest, I thought it was kind of out of reach. Then I was just shocked when (Broughton) called. That was my initial reaction.”
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Buchanan and his teammates get started on the court Wednesday when the All-Stars play the Junior All-Stars at Mt. Vernon. The girls game begins at 6 p.m. with the boys to follow. The All-Stars play the Kentucky All-Stars Friday at Owensboro, Ky., before returning home Saturday to play Kentucky at Southport Fieldhouse.
Buchanan was on Broughton’s radar during a senior season that saw him average 20.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 2.2 assists and 1.8 blocked shots for a Lafayette Jeff team that was 21-5 and played in a sectional final. He shot better than 50% from the field and was 35.7% (41-for-115) from the 3-point line.
Buchanan, who played junior varsity for the Bronchos as a sophomore before transferring to a school in Wichita, Kan., as a junior, knew the deck was stacked against him making the team. But an outstanding performance at the Hoosier Basketball Magazine’s Top 60 senior workout at Marian University after the season solidified his spot.
“As a high school player, he doesn’t have any real holes in his game,” Broughton said. “He can shoot it. He can take it to the hole. He has excellent jumping ability. And what I noticed about him in high school was that he can also guard the best player. I was sold on him even before the Top 60, but then at the Top 60 he went out and played really well.”
Though Buchanan does not have a lot of familiarity playing with any of the All-Stars, he has played against some of them in travel ball. At the first practice Tuesday at Speedway High School, he quickly made an impact with his versatile game.
“I think he’s very much underrated,” said Cathedral guard Tayshawn Comer. “He’s athletic and he plays with a motor. I’ve never met him before but we chatted a little bit. He fits with our style because we’re littler than most All-Star teams. We’re going to have to rebound and push the pace and make the other team’s bigs have to run and guard us.”
The Lafayette Jeff star said he appreciates being a part of the “whole tradition” of the week.
“I’m impressed with his attitude No. 1,” said All-Star coach Chad Johnston of South Bend Adams. “And No. 2, he’s so versatile. He’s really good around the basket. He’s willing to go down low and mix it up with the bigger guys. He’s very impressive. I watched him pretty much the whole Top 60 workout and he was great all the way through.”
Braden Smith about four weeks away
IndyStar Mr. Basketball Braden Smith of Westfield was suited up for practice and able to shoot, but will not be fully cleared to play for about four weeks as he returns from surgery on his left foot.
“I’m working out and starting to get back into the flow of things,” he said. “I’m starting to run and jump and get up and down again.”
Smith, who averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game for the Shamrocks, who went 22-7 and won the first sectional championship in program history, said being part of the All-Star week was still important to him even if he could not participate.
“It’s still an unbelievable experience to be part of something like this,” he said. “I’m still going to be here and support the guys. I can’t play but it’s still a fun experience. It kills me because I want to be out here and be able to play and compete. But you have to think about the bigger picture and it’s still an unbelievable experience and I’m still getting ready for a bigger experience at Purdue.”
Odds and ends …
Broughton said Lawrence North’s CJ Gunn will miss the Junior All-Star game Wednesday due to his school’s graduation at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. That will leave the All-Stars with 10 available players in Buchanan, Comer, Cathedral’s Jaxon Edwards, Carmel’s Pete Suder, Mt. Vernon’s Amhad Jarrard, Chesterton’s Travis Grayson, Central Noble’s Connor Essegian, Pike’s Ryan Conwell, Fort Wayne Northrop’s Jalen Jackson and Silver Creek’s Branden Northern. Warren Central’s Tae Davis is already on campus at Seton Hall and Gary West Side’s Jalen Washington was named to the team but unable to play after missing his senior year due to a knee injury. … The girls team was missing Miss Basketball Ayanna Patterson of Homestead and Crown Point’s Jessica Carrothers, though Broughton said both are expected at camp by Wednesday.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana All- Stars 2022: Lafayette Jeff's Javan Buchanan impresses
