Pike towers over Penn, Silver Creek at Charlie Hughes Showcase

Pike turned back Penn 72-62 and Silver Creek 64-57 on the first day of the Charlie Hughes Showcase. The seventh IBCA/IHSAA Boys Team Showcase in Memory of Charlie Hughes drew 208 teams to Carmel High School, Westfield High School and Westfield Intermediate School, with college coaches in the gym during the final June evaluation period. The event honors Charlie Hughes, a longtime basketball coach and educator.

What made Pike look sustainable was not just the margin, but the construction. The Red Devils could put a 7-foot player, 6-8, 6-7 and 6-6 on the floor together, and the front line was skilled enough to do more than block sight lines. Landon Lampley, a junior ranked No. 34 nationally by 247Sports, scored 16 points against Penn. Ryan Gold Jr., a sophomore guard who transferred from Cathedral, led Pike with 17 against Silver Creek. Bles’sed Thomas, another transfer from Crispus Attucks, handled the offense against Penn and kept the ball moving to the right spots, while Isaiah Hill blocked shots and knocked down a couple of 3-pointers. MaxPreps lists Hill as a junior center/power forward on Pike’s 2025-26 roster, and 6-8 junior Vanden Garner, who previously played with Overtime Elite, added another perimeter-shooting big to a lineup that already looked unusually deep. Senior guard Jahari Miller was not expected to play that weekend.

Cooper Zachary provided the loudest individual burst from the showcase. He made 16 three-pointers over two Friday games. With Indiana assistant coaches Kenny Johnson and Drew Adams in attendance Friday, Zachary’s run stood out in a gym full of Division I eyes.

Pike’s opening sweep did not last unchallenged. Homestead beat the Red Devils 57-56 on Saturday when Mack Welker finished a last-second putback, and the 6-8 senior scored 22 points against Pike before later adding offers from Wright State and Eastern Michigan.