End Of Summer Wrap-Up
As I’ve said in past articles, my focus is primarily Indiana, but with many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in…
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Continue ReadingAs I’ve said in past articles, my focus is primarily Indiana, but with many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield, Indiana, July 21st & 22nd, and then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, for Certified Basketball’s The Finale on July 23rd and 24th. I saw a handful of teams from Illinois, and below is a look at eight various prospects specifically from Illinois who had nice performances when I was able to watch them.
Anna Burrus, 2020, 5-11 F, Triopia H.S., Central Illinois Predators 17U
When I was able to see Anna, she stood out to me because while she was somewhat slender, she had good length, she flashed some bounce in her step, and she played with a good motor. She possesses enough skill to be comfortable around the perimeter or occasionally post up inside, but ideally I thought she would make a really nice mid-post prospect. She also plays almost a little too fast at times, so if she can slow down and make the simple play more often than not, I think she can become a really nice small college player.
Lindsey Hahn, 2021, 5-8 G, Lyons Township H.S., The Truth-Porter 16U
Lindsey is a really nice perimeter player for this Truth team, and while she handles the ball and runs offense for them a great deal, I feel like she’s probably better suited as a 2-guard at the next level. She has a great frame, good strength, she seems very tough, and she plays with a great motor. In the game I saw, a lot of her scoring came from attacking the basket aggressively, so I haven’t seen her shoot it enough from the perimeter to gauge that skill, but otherwise I thought she was a fairly complete guard who should draw a great deal of small college interest.
Talia Pellegrini, 2021, 5-7 G, Saint Charles North H.S., The Truth-Porter 16U
Talia first came across my radar when she attended an uncommitted showcase we ran in mid-June in Indianapolis, and she had a really good day then. She is a well-rounded guard who does a little of everything fairly well. She has a wiry strong frame, she plays with a tremendous motor and leaves it all out on the floor, and she has a quiet toughness about her and absorbs contact well. I like that she doesn’t force the action, but she can score by attacking the basket, knocking down mid-range jumpers, or consistently making perimeter shots as well.
Anna Blank, 2022, 5-10 W, Richland County H.S., Illinois Flight West 15U
Anna has already begun making somewhat of a name for herself in her graduating class, so I was anxious to get a first look at her. She has a wiry strong frame, she’s a solid on-the-floor athlete, and she plays with a good motor. Right now, her skill level is advanced for her age. She handles the ball and can create like a point forward, and when she attacks the basket, she absorbs contact very well. Her shooting mechanics are a little different, but she knocks down just about everything if she has any space and is in rhythm. I really like her style of play, but she will need to continue working on her explosiveness.
Mallory Ramage, 2022, 5-9 G, Mattoon H.S., Illinois Flight West 15U
One of the younger players I was most impressed with at the USJN event was Mallory. She is a somewhat slender, extremely long, fluidly athletic combo guard who plays with a good motor. She moves around the floor effortlessly, and whenever she is handling the ball, she’s always looking to make a play, whether it’s for herself or teammates. She has good ball skill and can handle or create, she can attack the basket for scores, but she’s also a capable perimeter shooter, making her a legit triple threat offensively. I also think she can become an elite defender, because of her combination of length and athleticism. She’ll be one to watch in this class moving forward.
Evyn Carrier, 2023, 6-2 C, Sycamore H.S., The Truth-Porter 16U
Illinois seems to have several intriguing incoming freshmen with size. Evyn is one of them, and she might have the best combination of “good now” while still flashing major upside for the future. She has great length, a wiry strong frame, and she looks like she (1) might still grow, and she (2) can put on good muscle-weight as she grows. I think I was most impressed with how easily she moves around the floor at her age/size, and the fact that she’s somewhat instinctual skillfully when she catches the ball, and she doesn’t necessarily look weak or robotic, especially playing against girls a couple of years older than her.
Ciara Gentle, 2023, 6-2 C, Evanston H.S., Illinois Lady Lightning Bronze 14U
Ciara is what I like to call a “wait-and-see” kid, because she’s just so thin right now and obviously young as a prospect. She has a great deal of upside, she is incredibly long, and she looks like she might get to 6-4. She runs the floor North/South well, and she can create quite a presence in the lane defensively against her peers. Offensively, she looks most comfortable right next to the rim, and she scores mostly on put-backs and drop-off passes from teammates when her defender slides over to help. As she gets stronger and learns to absorb contact better, I think her skillset will come along, and she’ll be much more consistent.
Gracie Roland, 2023, 6-0 C, Timothy Christian School, Illinois Lady Lightning Bronze 14U
Gracie is an impressive young big, because she’s already very strong for her age, she has broad shoulders, and she plays extremely hard for a true post. She could stand to become more explosive in all directions as she gets older, but she does a really nice job of seeking out contact inside, establishing position, demanding the ball, and then overpowering her peers. If she can continue working on her skillset and extending her offensive possibilities to the mid-post, I think that will really help her recruiting, but she needs to continue using her bread & butter and knock people around inside.