Mid-America Challenge Review (Part 1)
This past weekend was an incredibly busy time for me, as I travelled to Louisville Friday, back to Westfield for Saturday’s action, only to return to Louisville again Sunday. I spent my time watching Indiana teams and prospects I had…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend was an incredibly busy time for me, as I travelled to Louisville Friday, back to Westfield for Saturday’s action, only to return to Louisville again Sunday. I spent my time watching Indiana teams and prospects I had yet to see, plus I checked in on some kids I felt like I needed to view one more time. Below is a look at eight such prospects who I thought played well Saturday at the USJN Mid-America Challenge in Westfield, Indiana, when I was able to see them in action.
Allison Bosse, 2020, 5-7 G, Brownsburg H.S., Indy Magic-Scott
This Indy Magic team played just the one BlueStar League game Saturday morning before heading to Jeffersonville for the remainder of the weekend, and they had a tough matchup with a much bigger Illinois Elite squad. I thought Allison was one player for the Magic who stood out because she did a nice job of playing through contact and adjusting well to the size of the Illinois Elite team. She is a very good perimeter shooter, a great mid-range shooter, and she’s an underappreciated athlete who moves well in most directions. She is a versatile combo guard who can handle point guard duties full-time if necessary, but she can also play effectively off the ball and make shots. I really think she’s a nice all-around basketball player who is still a little under-recruited.
Kaitlyn Davidson, 2020, 5-10 W, Lawrence North H.S., Nike Lady Gym Rats Silver EYBL
Katie is continuing to have a strong Spring, and I think she’s another kid who is a little underappreciated for what she brings to a team. She is a strong, physical, tough-nosed wing who doesn’t mind mixing it up. She’s an aggressive straight-line driver, she rebounds well for a perimeter player, and she can even post smaller defenders a little bit. But this Spring she has really shot the basketball extremely well, and I think that’s something missed by most onlookers. She doesn’t take a ton of jumpers, but when she shoots it outside, it is usually accurate. She could ultimately be more of a ‘3’ defensively at the next level, but she possesses guard skills offensively.
Jordan Reid, 2020, 5-10 F, New Palestine H.S., Indy Magic-Scott
Jordan is another member of the Magic team who I thought performed really well in their matchup with the Illinois Elite squad. She is a wiry strong, lengthy, fluid, and bouncy athlete who plays with a tremendous motor. She’s a tough-nosed kid who plays much bigger than she is, but she also possesses solid perimeter skill, and she is difficult to stop once she drops her shoulders and attacks the basket. If she doesn’t score it, she usually earns repeated trips to the free throw line. Jordan gave a verbal commitment this Spring to Indiana Wesleyan University, and she could end up being an immediate contributor at that level.
Claire Tanner, 2020, 5-6 G, Plymouth H.S., Hoosier Elite
Claire is a really nice high school guard, and while she has always played travel ball, I believe this is her first time playing at the 17U level in front of several college coaches, so hopefully she’ll see some interest start coming her way. She is a wiry strong, tough-nosed, and high-motor combo guard. She is probably more of a shooter/scorer right now, but she does possess ball skills and can occasionally slide over and play point guard from time to time. She is a driver first, and she absorbs contact well, but she also has some touch around the arc if people play off of her. She’s also one of those kids who doesn’t say a lot; she just goes to work at both ends of the floor.
Trinity Clinton, 2021, 5-7 W, Penn H.S., MBA Select Gold Gauntlet 17U
Trinity has always been a really nice basketball player, and she has been an impact player for Penn since her first day of high school ball, but this was the most impressed I’ve ever been with her. She maintains her strong, rugged frame, she is very tough-nosed, and she has always played with a motor. But her feet look much quicker, she’s changing directions a lot better, and she’s just all-around more explosive. She has also worked on her handle and her shot, and instead of being a slashing small forward, she has transformed herself into a more than capable 2-guard who picked up her first Division-I offer after her play this past weekend. After seeing her probably 15 times or so the last couple of years, I can honestly say she’s a completely different player/prospect now.
Kaitlyn Costner, 2021, 5-6 G, Elkhart Central H.S., MBA Select Gold Gauntlet 17U
College coaches are instantly drawn to Kaitlyn when they first see her, because she is a tremendous athlete…she might be the most athletic basketball player in Indiana, regardless of class. She is extremely quick/fast, wiry strong, and she has really good bounce to her. I don’t know if she runs track or not, but if she doesn’t, she could probably compete in the variety of sprints, plus high jump and long jump. On the hardwood, though, she is a blur and is phenomenal in transition. She just goes by defenders, collapses the defense, and either finishes at the basket or makes plays to open up teammates. She will need to continue learning how to play in a more stationary game, like against zone, learning how to change speeds, and working on her perimeter shot. But she has elite physical talent, and if the skillset ever catches up to her ability, she could see Division-I offers pour in.
Danielle Jenkins, 2021, 5-6 PG, Wawasee H.S., Hoosier Elite 17U
Danielle is a really nice prospect not many people have heard about. She is a wiry and quick/fast pure point guard who just hasn’t played consistently at the Varsity level yet (injuries have played a part). She has outstanding ball skills, a natural feel for the game/position, but she is almost too creative at times and looks for the big play over the high-percentage play. She can hit shots outside, and with range, but she is still somewhat inconsistent out there. If she can really work on cutting down on her turnovers and shooting in the 40 percentile this season, I think she has good enough ball skills and physical talent to warrant Division-I interest.
Gracie McCullars, 2021, 5-5 G, Whiteland Community H.S., Kentucky Premier-McClain 16U
Gracie is another player who looks a lot different to me this Spring versus last Summer. She looks stronger, more explosive in all directions, and she has really worked on her ball skill and is more of a point guard now. Last year she was more of a shooter, but this year she is handling the ball, dictating offense, and finding open teammates while still being able to score herself when the opportunity presents itself. She is tough-nosed/feisty, she scrambles around defensively and is solid on the ball, and all-in-all she just brings a lot of energy to her team. If she can continue to prove to be an efficient pure point guard, I think she’ll start to see a lot of the better small colleges show interest in her over the next few months.