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Noah Vonleh may be rising up the 2013 rankings and he already sits at #7 nationally after reclassifying from 2014 to 2013. I'm not saying he will because of the talent listed in front of him, but he's sure putting up the numbers to maybe inch up a slot or two if some national scouts see fit to do so. The point being, Vonleh has been an absolute beast to start the season and is playing as well as anyone in the nation.
The 6'9" forward out of New Hampton Prep has been showcasing above all, his ability to rebound the basketball in any situation. This past week he went up against Brewster Academy, home of 2014 #8 big man and Syracuse commit Chris McCullough, 2013 #99 NC State commit Nate Washington and 2012 #45 ranked Elijah Macon (and Buss Patterson). So to summarize he was facing some of the best post competition on one team that he's likely to ever see at this level. Vonleh proceeded to grab 15 rebounds and score 14 points against said elite competition. The kid is really good at basketball.
On the season Vonleh averages just a shade over 16 points and nearly 15 rebounds a game. The only better average stat line that I've seen this season is from Kentucky commit and former IU target Marcus Lee. Who is allegedly averaging 19 pts 19 reb and 7 blocks a game. Outside of those two I'm seeing a lot of large point totals but not hearing of the well rounded games that these two are displaying. It doesn't mean they aren't out there, but I haven't found them.
Vonleh has the potential to come right in and fill the void that Cody Zeller is likely to leave. He won't be the exclusive post player that Zeller currently is, but he'll be able to bang down low on the defensive end. Unlike Zeller, Vonleh can handle the rock on the outside. He's going to shoot a larger volume of threes and he's going to try and take his man off the dribble. Vonleh is capable of all those things and I think it will add a new wrinkle to Crean's offense that we haven't seen.
Vonleh openly fashions himself after Kevin Durant. He isn't there yet, but the styles do resemble each other. If everything works out how I think it will, the only unfortunate thing about Vonleh is he won't be around for a second year. This does allow for more recruiting fun in 2014 but on the downside we're just a stepping stone for him. In the end, everyone should be very happy that Vonleh will be hitting IU's campus. He's the type of player that is going to keep us in the top 5 or so in national relevance as his elite talent teams up with a core of sophomores and upperclassmen leadership who have made this trek before.