Team Intros: Additional 15U Teams
I wanted to take the time to circle back and touch on some additional 15U grassroots teams who I hadn’t yet addressed for one reason or another. Each of these teams have stood out to me throughout the Spring season,…
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Continue ReadingI wanted to take the time to circle back and touch on some additional 15U grassroots teams who I hadn’t yet addressed for one reason or another. Each of these teams have stood out to me throughout the Spring season, whether it be their strong play as a group, or they might have an individual or two who have played really well all Spring. Either way, below is a look at some remaining 15U squads from Indiana.
First Lady’s Green 15U: Coached by Jeremy Anderson – This is a competitive, scrappy, fast and athletic group that plays with a lot of flexibility/versatility. A few of these girls even fill in from time-to-time with the First Lady’s Black 17U team. Atiana Smith (2022) and Montasia McAllister (2022) are a pair of really nice Lawrence North youngsters who could have a bright future. Smith is a little taller, a little stronger, and she’s more of a mid-post to interior forward who plays with a good motor and athleticism. McAllister is a long, slender wing who can hit a perimeter shot or glide to the basket. Another girl already drawing a little buzz is Darryn Hood (2022), who put up good numbers this past Winter for a high-octane Tindley group.
Grand Park Premier UA Rise 15U: Coached by Scott Bowen – This is one of those teams that isn’t going to overwhelm you in warm-ups, they aren’t going to impress you with size, but once the ball gets thrown up, they run offense, execute with precision, knock down shots, and give good effort at the defensive end of the floor. The best prospect right now is probably Taylor Bowen (2022) of Culver Academy. She has good size, some strength, some length, and she can play with skill in the mid-post or around the perimeter. She is going to be a really nice face-up ‘4’ type of kid who can shoot and handle it a little. The guard depth on this team is a collective strength. Annika Marlow (2022) of Rushville is a quick little lead guard who does a really nice job of valuing the basketball, plus she can hit open shots outside. Tressa Senesac (2022) of Benton Central is a wiry and quick/fast combo guard who can create offense or manage a team, plus she’s really gritty defensively. Olivia Robey (2022) of Westfield is another wiry, quick/fast combo guard with a balanced skillset. And Olivia Yager (2022) of Rushville is a really nice wing athlete with the ability to attack the basket or knock down shots from the perimeter.
IGB 15U: Coached by Leo Buehler – There are several solid, lesser-known 2022 prospects on this group, and I wanted to point out three of them specifically. Lilly Maple (2022) of Maconaquah is a solid, strong-for-her-age combo guard who had a really nice start to her career this past season. She is a good athlete in most directions, she can get to the basket and finish, and she can hit open shots from the perimeter. Alexandra Merritt (2022), also of Maconaquah, helps form a nice 1-2 punch for them. Alexandra is also fairly strong, versatile, and skilled. She can play in the mid-post and score it affectively there, plus she’s somewhat comfortable around the perimeter. Karsen Morgan (2022) of New Castle is another nice, young guard. She has solid strength, but she’s known more as a knockdown shooter who you must locate each possession.
Indiana’s Best Red 15U: Coached by Travis Best – The Indiana’s Best teams are constructed of kids primarily in and around the Lafayette area. This 15U group does have solid guard play. Olivia Lowry (2022) and Morgan Desenfants (2022) form a nice backcourt duo from West Lafayette’s Harrison High School. Lowry is a traditional point guard, while Desenfants can play either guard spot. Hannah Cosgray (2022) is another solid perimeter player, and she should keep up a recent tradition of good guard play at North White High School. Another intriguing prospect on this team is Hadlee Cook (2023), a 6-2ish big-bodied true post from Logansport. She’ll need to continue developing her game, but you certainly can’t teach size, plus she plays with good effort.
Indy Magic 15U: Coached by Justin Blanding – This younger Indy Magic group definitely has some ladies who can develop into really nice prospects long-term. Kelsey Dubois (2023) of University stands out from the jump. She is around 6-feet tall, she has a fairly strong frame with some length, and she has really good skill in both the mid-post and around the perimeter. A girl who was new to me this Spring, and incredibly interesting, is Lizzie Nichols (2022) of Carmel. She is about 6-2, somewhat slender, but extremely long, fluid, and she has good face-up skill in the mid-post. I think strength-gain would go a long way for her. The backcourt includes a pair of Freshmen-to-be in Kamryn Washington (2023) of Warren Central and Payton Seay (2023) of University. Washington is a diminutive, quick/fast water-bug who is a creator with the ball in her hands, while Seay is a strong, tough, physical guard who is good attacking the basket and finishing through contact.
Lady Team Teague 15U: Coached by Stephanie Roach – This Team Teague group comes strong with some nice ballplayers spread over four different age groups. London Brooks (2022) and Darryn Ely (2022), both of Cathedral, are the two traditional 15U kids on this squad. Brooks is a strong and physical point forward type, while Ely is a long, athletic, mid-post forward. Monica Williams (2023) of Lawrence North is a really nice, versatile, long and bouncy forward. The backcourt includes three really dynamic playmakers. Talia Harris (2024) is a long, fluid, and skilled point guard with a lot of upside. She is one of Tyasha Harris’ (Heritage Christian/South Carolina) younger sisters. Jocelyn Davis (2023) and Joirdan Smith (2024) are a pair of undersized, but quick, fast, and athletic creators who put a lot of pressure on opposing ball-handlers at the defensive end of the floor.
NuVision Sportz 15U: Coached by Phil Taylor – The one big draw on this team is Ally Madden (2022) of Blue River Valley. The 6-1 front-liner averaged nearly a double-double as a Freshman this season, scoring 11.8 points per game, while grabbing 9.6 rebounds. She also blocked 2.5 shots per game. She has good length, a nice frame that should add strength, and she moves around the floor fairly well for a post. Malerie Ross (2022) of Brookville (OH) will need some work, but she flashes potential and has size at 6-0. Johwen McKim (2022) of Eastbrook and Lexi Morris (2022) of Rushville are a solid pair of guards for this group.
NWI Thunder Yellow 15U: Coached by Jeremie Oelling – This program does a really nice job of finding some of the better Northwest Indiana prospects who are somewhat under the radar, and this team has a few of those. I have really been impressed with Bolanle Ayangade (2022) of Valparaiso. She is a long, fluid, bouncy power forward who plays with a tremendous motor. She needs to work on scoring the ball a little more efficiently, but she definitely has talent and is productive because of her motor. I also think South Central-Union Mills has a bright future ahead, even though Amber Wolf (2020) will be graduating next year. The backcourt combination of Abigail Tomblin (2022) and Lillian Tolmen (2023) will definitely be fun to watch the next three years together. Tomblin had a really nice Freshman year, averaging nearly ten points per game, but she also contributed in many other ways. She’s a versatile combo guard with good length and athleticism. Tolmen will likely end up being more of the primary ball-handler and creator, and she has a real crafty approach to the game.
Sky Digg Elite South 15U: Coached by Keith Phillips – When I was able to see them in Louisville a couple of weeks back, they didn’t have their full compliment of players in uniform. From what I did see, though, there are some really interesting pieces on this squad. Delaney Gardner (2021) from the Christian Academy of Louisville (KY) is a strong, physical, hard-working forward who can play inside or in the mid-post. Maleea Roland (2022) of New Albany is a really smooth and talented combo guard who just needs to continue tightening up her all-around skillset. Mackenzie Fountain (2022) of Jeffersonville is a lightning quick/fast combo guard who plays with a lot of energy. And Cadence Singleton (2023) of Jeffersonville is a big, strong, physical true post who likes contact and plays with a lot of passion inside. I was looking forward to also seeing guard Kiela Phillips (2023) of Jeffersonville, but she wasn’t in uniform when I saw this group.