Event Recap: Indiana Wesleyan University Elite Camp
On Saturday, August 18th, Indiana Wesleyan University hosted its Fall Elite Camp. With more than 100 prospects in attendance, ranging in ages from 2019 all the way down to 2022, there were plenty of quality prospects to keep an eye…
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Continue ReadingOn Saturday, August 18th, Indiana Wesleyan University hosted its Fall Elite Camp. With more than 100 prospects in attendance, ranging in ages from 2019 all the way down to 2022, there were plenty of quality prospects to keep an eye on throughout the day. The Class of 2020 isn’t necessarily considered as the best class throughout the state, but the 2020 ladies in attendance at this camp were almost dominant at times. Below are ten prospects of different ages who really stood out when I had the opportunity to watch them.
Madison Whetro, 2019, 5-7 W, Noblesville H.S.
Madison is a strongly built wing forward who is passionate about the game and who plays with a tremendous motor every time she takes the floor. She is a solid athlete on the floor, but she could definitely stand to be a little more explosive in all directions. She’s tough-nosed, and she’s an “intangibles” kid who will do a lot of the little things it takes to help her teams win games. She has a decent handle, she shoots it reasonably well from the perimeter, and she’s usually pretty heady and just solid at both ends of the floor. If she can continue to show a good understanding of the game, and if she continues to display her passion for the game, I think some NAIA or Division III school is going to be thrilled to have her on their roster in the near future.
Addie Bayman – Woodlan H.S.
Photo courtesy of westbendnews.net.
Addison Bayman, 2020, 5-6 G, Woodlan H.S.
This was actually my first time ever seeing Addie play. She averaged 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.9 steals, and 2.4 assists during the 2017-2018 season, so I was anxious to watch her play, and she didn’t disappoint. She has good length, a wiry strong frame, and she’s a very nice athlete in all directions. She just has a natural smoothness to her game. She isn’t overly flashy, but if you watch her long enough, she’s just so fundamentally sound and does a nice job of taking what the defense gives her. She’s capable of hitting a perimeter jumper, she’s good attacking the rim, and she’ll finish with her proper hand on each side. She’s solid handling the ball and running offense when needed, and she’s a willing defender. For it being my first time seeing her, I was both impressed and intrigued with how much better she can get.
Kyrstin Bond, 2020, 5-7 G, South Dearborn H.S.
Kyrstin carried her strong play from July into this camp. She hit shot after shot at different levels, and she showed a really nice court savvy that made her stand out from most of the other girls. She is a strong combo guard, she plays physical, and she’ll play with a bit of a chip on her shoulder when necessary. She can handle it some and run point, she’s a willing and capable passer, and she just scores the ball consistently in a variety of ways. I wish she was maybe a little more explosive laterally and vertically, but she is a nice one-directional athlete who attacks the rim North / South with some authority. If she can continue improving her on-ball defense and her ball skill offensively, I think she’ll make a really nice Division II or NAIA recruit, and she could end up drawing some Division I interest as well.
Addie Gardner, 2020, 5-10 W, Frankton H.S.
Addie has come a long way over the last year and a half, and most of that has to do with the fact that she’s grown about four inches during that time span. She is still very slender, so she will definitely need to figure out a way to add strength for the next level. But she is a smooth and fluid athlete and has never suffered through any real robotic movements like most kids who grow fast. She is a skilled lefty, she is a very good perimeter shooter, so in the past Frankton always hid her on the wing and in the long-corner. However with their graduation losses, she’s going to take on a much bigger role this season. She has improved her handle, and now she’s looking to create offense off the dribble, and she’s becoming more of a scorer than just a shooter. I think she’s all upside right now, because she still hasn’t peaked physically.
Rylie Stephens, 2020, 5-10 W, Triton Central H.S.
Rylie is an intriguing wing talent, and she is someone who is gaining steam in terms of her recruiting. She has grown a couple of inches in the last year, she’s a fluid athlete with vertical athleticism, plus she has really good length. She’s a pure scorer at heart, and she can attack the basket and finish at odd angles, but she’s also starting to shoot it much more consistently from the perimeter. She’s figuring out how to score it at a high level, but now she needs to understand shot selection a little better. If she can continue improving her efficiency, she can certainly draw some Division I interest, because she has noticeable talent and skill. I also like the fact that she’s committing more energy to the defensive end of the floor, and she is starting to handle the ball a lot more and facilitate offense for others.
Jordan Reid – New Palestine H.S.
Photo courtesy of greenfieldreporter.com.
Jordan Reid, 2020, 5-10 F, New Palestine H.S.
When I saw New Palestine play back in November, I heard how one of their best players wasn’t even playing. I did not see Jordan play at that time, and I did not see her play during the Spring grassroots season, because she unfortunately tore her ACL during a soccer contest back in early September of 2017. She returned this July and looked like she hadn’t missed a beat. But for as well as she played in July, she looked even better and more explosive at IWU’s camp. She is a long, wiry strong, and bouncy athlete. She moves fairly well in all directions and plays with a good motor. Early in July she was mostly just a straight-line driver, but as the month progressed, and at this camp, she showed a really nice perimeter jumper. She picked up a couple of Division II offers over the Summer, but as she continues to regain her explosiveness, and as she develops into a pure wing, she will likely draw solid Division I interest.
Chloe Jolloff, 2021, 5-6 PG, Lakewood Park Christian Academy
Chloe is a long, fluid athlete with really good speed and quickness. During the training portion of the camp, she might have been the most consistent athlete to hit each station. Whether it was running, jumping, or lateral movement drills, nothing really phased her. As a skillful player, she does have a very nice feel for the game, good overall basketball instincts, she sees passing angles well, and she has a solid handle. She’s just a little weak right now because she’s young and somewhat thin, so at times she’ll turn it over because her passes aren’t hard enough or she gets contacted without a whistle. I think as she matures and gains the necessary strength, she should really elevate her game. She’s also a good-enough perimeter shooter, but again I think that will improve with added strength.
Tally Seitz, 2021, 5-8 W, Carmel H.S.
Tally is a strong kid for her age, she plays physical as a wing, and she has a very balanced skillset. She can handle it some and run offense for her teams, but she’s also a nice perimeter shooter. While she is a fairly tough kid, she will need to improve upon her consistency. There are times when she pours in the points, but then there are also times where she’s just comfortable being one of the five on the floor. I attribute a lot of that to her age and inexperience, and I can definitely see her growing out of that sooner rather than later. I really like her as a basketball player, and she’s likely going to play a significant role for a good Carmel team this season. I don’t know how much she’s going to grow, but she does possess a nice perimeter skillset. If she can defend the ball a little better, I’d consider her more of a guard.
Bailie Stephens, 2022, 5-6 PG, Warsaw Community H.S.
I saw Bailie briefly in the Spring grassroots season, so this camp was a great opportunity to familiarize myself with her game a little more. She’s definitely a strong kid for her age, she has really good length considering her frame, and she shows an obvious skillset like she’s been in the gym working on a regular basis. She can go left or right off the bounce, she’s a nice one-directional athlete to the basket, and she isn’t a bad perimeter shooter, she just needs to raise her shot-pocket a bit. She has some flash to her game, but she also takes care of the ball at the same time. I have her on the 2022 Top-50 watchlist because she does have a nice all-around feel for the game and a real basketball savvy to her.
Madison Kerrigan, 2022, 5-11 F, Westfield H.S.
I have seen Madi several times over the past two Summers, and she has really transformed her body and her game over that span. This camp was probably the best I’ve seen her play. One year ago, she was much thinner and often struggled taking contact, so it was hard to tell how truly skilled she was. I don’t know that she’s grown any since then, but she definitely looks stronger and more physical, she’s absorbing contact a lot better, she’s battling inside of the arc more, but she’s also becoming a much more consistent perimeter shooter. She will likely develop into more of a ‘3’ than a ‘4’ in the next six months, so I look for her to be a nice wing prospect who should have an opportunity to get some minutes early on for a young but talented Westfield squad.
Header photo of IWU Head Coach Ethan Whaley speaking to the campers.