July 5th-12th Recap: Classes of 2021 & 2022
As we take a little time to relax between the two July “live” periods, I wanted to reflect upon a few prospects I saw July 5th through July 12th. While my focus is primarily Indiana, I saw several talented ladies…
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Continue ReadingAs we take a little time to relax between the two July “live” periods, I wanted to reflect upon a few prospects I saw July 5th through July 12th. While my focus is primarily Indiana, I saw several talented ladies from Michigan as well, as I attended the Run 4 Roses Classic, the USJN Premier Showcase, the Adidas Gauntlet Finale, and Under Armour’s Session II. Below is a look at members of the Classes of 2021 & 2022 who I thought stood out when I was able to see them.
Kenzie Bowers, 2021, 5-9 G, Kent City H.S., West Michigan Drive 17U BlueStar
Kenzie was an enjoyable player to watch because she has skill, she has talent, but she also played steadily and with poise, and she looked in complete control throughout the game I watched. She is a really nice athlete with a solid frame, she has some length, and she plays with a good motor. She has solid strength and should be able to continue getting stronger, and she seems to be a fairly tough kid as well. Skillfully she was versatile, as she can handle the ball and run offense, she’s good in the open floor, and she can knock down shots at each level. She saw a nice uptick in college interest following the first evaluation period.
Allison “A.J.” Ediger, 2021, 6-2 F/C, Hamilton H.S., West Michigan Drive 17U BlueStar
This was my first time watching A.J. play, and she has a very unique and interesting style. First, she has a solid/strong frame, she can get extremely physical at times, she has good hands and feet, and she has solid post skill with her back to the basket. But as the game wore on, I noticed that she’s a much better athlete than I assumed, and she’s just as effective facing the basket and playing around the perimeter as she is inside. She has an accurate jump-shot that extends to ‘3’, and she has a solid handle against pressure. She’s a matchup problem because she can screen and roll to the post, or she can screen, pop, and bury jumpers. A.J. has already given a verbal commitment to the University of Iowa.
Mikyah Finley, 2021, 5-9 G, Detroit Renaissance H.S., Michigan Storm UAA
I only saw about quarter of Mikyah’s game, so I would like to see her play another time in more length, but she did show several nice qualities that made her stand out to me. She is somewhat slender/thin, but she has extremely long arms, good speed/quickness, and she’s a really nice athlete in all directions. She has a solid handle and nice touch shooting it as well. I think she can play either guard spot fairly effectively, but I also think added strength will help her game a great deal, especially being able to absorb contact and go by defenders better. She is a nice talent with a good ceiling to continue improving.
Damiya Hagemann, 2021, 5-8 PG, Detroit Edison Public School Academy, MI Crossover 17U EYBL
I saw “DeDe” a couple of times in her EYBL games in Westfield July 7th & 8th. She was very good both times, and it’s fairly obvious why so many schools are interested in her. She is a strong, tough-nosed, and physical point guard prospect. She is a solid on-the-floor athlete who has good quickness/shiftiness to her. She is crafty with the basketball, she can find open teammates all over the floor, but she’s also a very capable scorer herself who can put it in from the perimeter or attack the basket and finish through contact. I also think her natural feel for the game and basketball IQ are right up there.
Symone King, 2021, 6-0 F, Saint Joseph H.S., Michigan Force 17U
I’m not sure that Symone is a big name in recruiting circles right now, but she struck me as having nice upside and being someone small colleges everywhere would be interested in. She is a solid athlete with an athletic frame, some length, and wiry strength. I feel like she can continue to add muscle weight to her frame as well. What stood out the most, though, is that she plays extremely hard and does a lot of the “intangible” things that don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet. Symone wasn’t terribly aggressive offensively, but I’m not sure that is her role on this team. I like her all-around upside as a prospect, though.
Alana Micheaux, 2021, 6-1 F, Wayne Memorial H.S., 1 Nation 17U UAA
From what I understand, Alana has really just popped up on the radar of colleges over about the last six to eight months. She is a strong, very physical, and tough-nosed power forward who looks like she is transitioning from having been more of a traditional post in the past. She has some length, and she is a very nice athlete who moves all over the floor well. She seems to have good hands, and she’ll pursue rebounds outside of her area, plus she gets a lot of “scraps” baskets around the paint. In the game I saw, I didn’t see her as a primary offensive option for this team, so I would like to see more of her skill in the mid-post, and even some back-to-the-basket moves from her as well, but it’s easy to see she possesses talent and upside.
Shannon Wheeler, 2021, 6-1 F, Detroit Renaissance H.S., Michigan Crossover EYBL
Shannon is yet another frontline prospect who has seen a major growth in her recruiting since the Spring recruiting periods. She is an extremely long, bouncy, and tremendously active and athletic forward. In the half-court, she is probably more of a mid-post forward right now, because she can hit a 15-footer, but she can also get to the rim with ease and finish above taller defenders. In transition, however, she can push the ball a bit and enter it to the wing. She is a very good rebounder, and I think she can become an elite defender because her athleticism affords her the versatility to defend multiple positions well. She already has some solid Division-I offers/interest.
Madisen Wardell, 2022, 6-0 F, Detroit Edison Public School Academy, Michigan Crossover
This was my second time seeing Madisen this year, and I think she has a lot of upside. She is a long, wiry strong, and somewhat bouncy athlete. She plays with a lot of energy, and she pursues rebounds outside of her area. She still needs some skill work offensively, but she can score it inside the paint by just being a better athlete than most girls she matches up against. Defensively, she can block shots from help-side, but she’s also versatile and can defend the perimeter some as well. Right now she is probably more of a physical talent than pure basketball player, but as that skill develops, she could be a really nice recruit.
Ruby Whitehorn, 2022, 5-11 PG, Detroit Edison Public School Academy, Michigan Crossover 16U EYBL
Ruby is a really nice talent, and she’s the most talented 2022 prospect I’ve seen from Michigan so far this Spring and Summer. She is extremely long, somewhat slender, but fluid, smooth, and bouncy. She is quite a playmaker with the ball in her hands, and she can score off the drive or attack and create opportunities for teammates. I think what impressed me the most last week, is that she played with as much of a sense of urgency, and she was as assertive and physical as I’ve ever seen her play. I would like to see Ruby shoot it from the perimeter more consistently, but she is a creator first and foremost, and she’s a matchup nightmare at 5-11.
Feature image is of Kenzie Bowers of Kent City High School. Image is courtesy of the Kent City Hudl.com account.