July Day-3 Headlines
I apologize for playing a little catch-up here, but being in gyms nearly all day every day provides little opportunity to pump out reports. On Sunday my July continued in Westfield, Indiana, at USJN’s 16th Annual Premier Showcase. While I…
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Continue ReadingI apologize for playing a little catch-up here, but being in gyms nearly all day every day provides little opportunity to pump out reports. On Sunday my July continued in Westfield, Indiana, at USJN’s 16th Annual Premier Showcase. While I obviously was not able to see each of the teams in attendance, I did manage to get a look at several really nice teams and prospects throughout the day. Below is a look at three things that stood out to me from my Day-3 of July.
POINT GUARD PLAY ON DISPLAY
From the outset of my day Sunday, there were some strong point guard performances by Indiana prospects. Right out of the gate, Bayleigh Runner (2020) of Hamilton Heights was key to Indiana Flight-Duke’s 8:00 a.m. win over Idaho’s Tree of Hope. She is long, fast, and skilled with the ball, but what I like the most is that even though she’s slender, she is a tough kid and seeks contact instead of shying away from it. Next it was Allison Bosse (2020) of Brownsburg putting up a tremendous performance against a talented Michigan Mystics squad with good size and several Division-I commits. While Allison’s Indy Magic lost a close one, she was outstanding, playing physical and tough, grabbing rebounds, defending hard, and making shots from different spots on the floor. Then a couple of younger prospects stepped up, as Kaitlyn Costner (2021) of Elkhart Central & MBA Select Gold 17U and Courtney Blakely (2021) of Bishop Noll & Midwest Elite EYBL 17U took the floor. Costner is an elite physical talent who continues to improve her skillset month after month. She can control a game defensively, and she’s tough to stop when attacking the basket. Blakely is more of a highly skilled point guard with a natural feel for the game, and she can go on streaks where she buries several jumpers in a row, and with range. All-in-all it was a good day for Indiana point guards.
INCONSPICUOUS
Every year there are a number of prospects trying to make a name for themselves who somehow manage to still “fly under the radar”. I saw a few on Sunday, but the three who stood out the most were Brielle Harrison (2020) of Warsaw & MBA Select Gold, Tyranny Brown (2021) of Heritage Christian & Midwest Elite EYBL, and Rayah Kincer (2022) of Franklin Central & NLGR Gold EYBL 16U. Harrison is a long, athletic, soft-spoken power forward who is tremendous rebounding the basketball outside of her area, and she’s good scoring it around the basket. She isn’t going to overwhelm you offensively, but she often scores big baskets, and she’s a versatile defender as well. Brown is a powerfully strong, physical, and very athletic wing. She is a freight train attacking the basket, and she has really improved her handle to the point that she is often the primary ball-handler for her MWE team. Kincer is another soft-spoken kid who just handles her business. She is a skillful wing with a solid frame that will get stronger, she’s a good athlete in all directions, and she is a threat to make shots from just about everywhere on the floor.
NON-INDIANA HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY
Like with the Louisville event, this event also hosted four courts with EYBL games. The team that stood out to me on Sunday was Exodus, centered in New York City. For you Notre Dame fans out there, Exodus is home to Natalija Marshall (2020) of Christ The King (NY). The 6’4 Irish commit was really good at both ends of the floor, and the Indy Gym Rats just didn’t have anyone on the interior who could defend her height and length around the rim or keep her off the boards. But I thought a pair of nationally ranked wings stood out the most in the game I saw. 6-2 Destiny Adams (2021) of Manchester Township (NJ) and 6-1 Caroline Ducharme (2021) of Noble and Greenough (MA) are a pair of strong, athletic, high-motor small forwards who each can do a lot of different things skillfully. I also thought the backcourt of Dominique Darius (2021) of the Blair Academy (NJ) and Caroline Lau (2022) of St. Luke’s (CT) were good. Darius is a long, very athletic kid who looks more like a ‘2’ but plays like a point guard. She can really defend the ball 84-feet as well. Lau is a nice, young prospect, with length, speed & quickness, and a nice toughness to her game. She’s a very good perimeter shooter with a quick release, and she can play either guard spot equally well.