Team Intros: Nike Lady Gym Rats 16U & 15U
The Nike Lady Gym Rats have once again assembled a couple of really nice teams in each age group, all the way down through the middle school ranks. The younger teams have players from Fort Wayne to Vincennes, and everywhere…
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Continue ReadingThe Nike Lady Gym Rats have once again assembled a couple of really nice teams in each age group, all the way down through the middle school ranks. The younger teams have players from Fort Wayne to Vincennes, and everywhere in between, with the biggest presence still being from the Indianapolis area. They have also built a strong foundation in Louisville, and they have a player or two from Ohio. The talent varies from High-Major Division-I prospects to really nice small college prospects, so they have a little of everything for college coaches to follow.
Nike Lady Gym Rats Gold EYBL 16U: This group is their younger EYBL group, and it is coached by J.R. Shelt. They don’t have a great deal of size, but they have strong guard and wing play throughout their roster. The Freshmen backcourt duo of Teresa Maggio (2022) of McCutcheon and Tanyuel Welch (2022) of Indianapolis North Central has helped them to several victories already this Spring. Maggio is a smaller, water-bug type of point guard with feistiness and a nice perimeter stroke, while Welch is a long, fluid slasher who can get to the basket or create for others. Both are very good defenders. Halle Shelt (2022) of Park Tudor is a strong, physical wing who plays with a good motor and toughness, and she has solid perimeter skill. Mary Wilson (2021) of Center Grove is all motor, she’s tough, and she is skilled around the perimeter and in the mid-post. Rayah Kincer (2022) of Franklin Central is a long, fluid wing who does some really nice things around the perimeter and off the bounce. Jaya McClure (2022) from the Christian Academy of Louisville is a quick/fast little guard with some toughness and a nice defensive presence. Ariel Helm (2022) of Indianapolis North Central and Joslynn Spears (2021) of Pike are both newer to the team. Helm is a strong, physical, energetic forward who gives them at least a little size and battles on the boards. Spears is another long, fluid, athletic slashing guard. The other two on Gold are Dynastee White (2021) from Louisville Butler Traditional and Nia Gandolfo (2022) from Louisville Assumption, but I’m still not terribly familiar with them right now. This group will draw a variety of interest from Division-I schools and some of the best small college programs.
Nike Lady Gym Rats Maroon 15U: This Gym Rats group is coached by Michael Smiley, and it features a mixture of kids from different parts of the state. The best prospect on the team might be their biggest player, and that is Meredith Weiss (2022) of Vincennes Rivet. She’s a wiry strong, somewhat physical, and fluidly athletic mid-post power forward who has a nice combination of skill and awareness. I’ve been impressed with Ky Swope (2022) of Castle each time I’ve seen them. She’s a quick/fast little water-bug who can create offense for herself or others. Tori Smiley (2022) of Lawrence Central is another quick/fast little guard, but she has a little more strength and a real scorer’s mentality. Emma Good (2022) of Taylor can also handle the ball and run offense. She too has good speed and quickness. Her high school teammate, Kelsi Langley (2022), is an intriguing young wing with a lot of upside and a deep 3-point shot. She’s a long, fluid athlete. Caitlin Dineen (2022) of Lafayette Central Catholic is another long and fluid wing, and she has some versatility, as she can shoot it or slash to the basket. Alyssa McCarthy (2022) and Gabby Gay (2022) are a pair of Zionsville Community guards who are solidly skilled and seem to understand the game well. This group is still young, so I can see them drawing a little Division-I interest right now, but certainly they’ll have a lot of small college interest as well.
Additional Notes: There are a pair of really nice 14U squads in the Gym Rats program this year as well. Nike Lady Gym Rats Turquoise coached by James Banks is probably the better of the two, and they have won their share of games. Chloe Spreen (2024) of Bedford North Lawrence has drawn her share of media attention, as she’s a talented, skilled, and high IQ basketball player who projects well. I really like Laila Hull (2023) of Zionsville Community as one of the better prospects in the incoming Freshmen class. She is long, wiry strong, and very athletic, plus she has good skill at about 6-feet tall. Mallory Heerdt (2023), also of Zionsville Community, is another sizeable player at about 5-11, who plays with physicality, toughness, but also with some skill and touch inside. And Kristen Clark (2023) of Crispus Attucks has a lot of upside as well on the perimeter. She is a solid shooter/scorer and the younger sister of former Ben Davis star Nia Clark. The other group is the Nike Lady Gym Rats Platinum 14U team coached by Katie Jackson. Her twin daughters Saniya and Nevaeh Jackson, both incoming Freshmen at Fort Wayne Carroll, are long, fluid, and talented 5-10ish wings who can play inside-out. I also kind of like the physicality and athleticism of post Breanna Jones (2023) from Louisville’s Pleasure Ridge Park. These two 14U groups are sure to draw a lot of college attention moving forward.