6’4 ’18 Rilee Epley of Evansville Harrison is having an outstanding start to the 2016-17 basketball season. Through 10 games, Rilee is averaging 16.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.2 BPG. He is shooting 56% from the floor and 77% from the free throw line. More importantly, he is doing this against tremendous competition at the 4A level in the basketball crazy state of Indiana.
First of all, Rilee has an excellent understanding and feel for the game. He has a tendency to be at the right place at the right time. His anticipation with offensive rebounding enables him to score without being the main clog in the offensive theme. More impressive is the fact that Rilee is going head to head most nights against legitimate “bigs” on teams ranked in the Top 10 in the state 4A. In marque match ups against 6’11 Jack Nunge (Iowa), Rilee grabbed 13 rebounds and against 6’11 Jaylen Butz (DePaul), Rilee had 10 points and five rebounds. However, Rilee’s best overall game came against 6’9 Sam Devault with 20 points and 13 rebounds. What makes these numbers impressive is Rilee is playing out of position at the center spot. Although Rilee is only 6’4, he does sport a lengthy 6’10 wingspan and an 8’3 standing reach. Simply put, he plays much bigger than his list height.
While these numbers are impressive, we at the Phenom Hoop Report are not surprised. Rilee is a two time participate in the Indy Top 80. Back in March 2015 we stated the following, “Consistency may just be his calling card. He plays at such a consistent pace and there are few downs in his overall game. He’s a high IQ player that will score from the framework of the offense. Rilee is one of those guys that do a lot of the little things well. He has a team first approach and plays well within the team structure.” This evaluation back in 2015 dovetails nicely with his success this season. Again, at the 2016 Indy Top 80, Rilee left another strong impression with his outstanding plays. We wrote the following, “Rilee is a great young man with a great attitude. He does what is asked and is an overall fantastic team player. He can hit the 3-pointer as well as the dribble drive pull up jumper. The next step in his development is to get physically stronger which will allow his recruitment take another level.
Schools that are looking for a fundamentally sound player that plays with a high IQ should take a look at Rilee Epley. He’s a low risk, high return player that makes simple but yet winning plays when it counts.