Rankings Review: 2020 Power Forwards
Last week we updated our Class of 2020 rankings, so I wanted to follow-up and offer a look at the top prospects by position. This time around, I separated the “frontline” position group into two articles…power forwards and centers…in order…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingLast week we updated our Class of 2020 rankings, so I wanted to follow-up and offer a look at the top prospects by position. This time around, I separated the “frontline” position group into two articles…power forwards and centers…in order to include an additional 15 ladies. This has been a “sneaky” good group of power forwards over the years, with a lot of talent that probably isn’t discussed enough, and my gut tells me there will be several of them who will be better collegians than high school players. With that said, below is a look at the Top-25 power forward prospects in Indiana’s Class of 2020, with additional comments to follow.
Overall |
Prospect |
Ht. |
Pos. |
High School |
Commitment |
5 |
Nan Garcia |
6-0 |
F |
Jeffersonville |
|
8 |
Sydney Graber |
6-0 |
F |
Homestead | Central Michigan |
10 |
Rachel Loobie |
6-0 |
F |
Franklin Central | Central Michigan |
13 |
Caily Bolser |
6-4 |
F/C |
Mississinewa | Toledo |
14 |
Abby Stoddard |
6-0 |
F |
Crown Point | Butler |
15 |
Antreese Shelton |
6-2 |
F |
Penn | Purdue-Northwest |
16 |
Lindsey Syrek |
6-2 |
F |
University |
NJIT |
27 |
Alaysia Davis |
6-0 |
F |
Warren Central | |
36 |
Taylor Westgate |
6-1 |
F/C |
Oak Hill | Taylor |
37 |
Meredith Raley |
6-0 |
F |
Gibson Southern |
Southern Indiana |
39 |
Haley Nichols |
5-11 |
F |
Avon | UT-Martin |
44 |
Madeline Lawrence |
6-0 |
F |
Winchester | Indiana Wesleyan |
45 |
Kiara Lewis |
5-11 |
F/C |
Lafayette Jefferson | |
49 |
Natalie Boesing |
5-10 |
F |
Providence | |
55 |
Toree Jackson |
6-0 |
F |
Indy North Central |
|
60 |
Alaya Chapman |
5-10 |
F |
FW South Side | |
62 |
MacKenzie McMahon |
5-11 |
F |
Bellmont |
Grace |
65 |
Megan Mills |
5-10 |
F |
Pendleton Heights | |
71 |
Aliyah Evans |
5-9 |
F |
Greensburg | Marian |
72 |
Amber Wolf |
5-10 |
F |
South Central-UM | |
83 |
Katie Davis |
5-11 |
F |
Danville Community | |
84 | Paige Dorsett |
5-11 |
F |
Martinsville | Ball State (Softball) |
92 |
Anna Kiser |
5-11 |
F |
Noblesville | IU-Kokomo |
93 |
Audrey Strawsma |
5-10 |
F |
Benton Central | |
99 |
Caroline Morris |
5-10 |
F |
Penn | Indiana Tech |
Now that I’ve divided the original “frontline” group into two articles, there is a new #1 in this position group, with Nan Garcia of Jeffersonville High School on top. She has a very unique combination of size, power, and skill that has drawn interest/offers from ACC, SEC, and Big Ten schools, plus many others. She is built like a true post, she possesses a nice interior game as well, but she’s a very good North/South athlete, she can handle the ball some around the perimeter, and she has a really nice mid-range jumper that can occasionally stretch to 3-point range. I enjoy her complete game, especially when she takes what the defense gives her, but occasionally she can get caught floating around hunting jumpers. Look for her to have another strong season and possibly be in the conversation for Miss Basketball finalists.
One of the most physically talented kids in this 2020 class who gets little publicity, is Alaysia Davis of Warren Central High School. Now, she has played on very good high school teams behind talented individuals, but she showed in July that she has the chance to become a high-level prospect as well. She has a great frame, broad shoulders, and long arms, plus she runs North/South well, and she can bounce off the floor. In fact, she gets in the air on her second jump as most players are still landing from their first jump. Additionally, she made several post-moves/spin-moves where she displayed incredibly quick feet and tore through “arm tackles” from defenders who had no other choice than to grab hold and hang on. She does have some skill in the mid-post as well, but I love her ability on the block and on the boards.
Another player with a great deal of upside who has had limited minutes to this point for her high school team, is Toree Jackson from Indianapolis’ North Central High School. Let’s face it, the Panthers are always loaded, and Toree might be a 3-year letter-winner elsewhere, so I appreciate her competing for an opportunity each season. Regardless, she is skilled and talented both. She has a long, tall, wiry strong frame, she’s a nice North/South athlete, and she has good face-up skill. She doesn’t really play much around the block, but she could become an effective inside-out player. Instead, she likes to shoot or attack from the mid-post, and she can step out and knock down the occasional 3-pointer. She’ll need to continue tightening her skillset, but she has a nice ceiling for growing her game.
The last few years, Bellmont High School has seen a resurgence in their girls’ basketball program. A lot of that was due to the career of Grace Hunter, no question, but some of it should also be credited to girls like MacKenzie McMahon working on their games and contributing in a variety of ways. MacKenzie is a strong, long, and very athletic forward who seemed to fly under the radar until this Summer. After strong performances at our June uncommitted showcase event and at grassroots tournaments, she picked up a ton of interest from some of the better small colleges in the Midwest. Her skillset has come a long way, and she’s great in the mid-post, but I don’t know that there is a prospect in Indiana who truly plays to exhaustion the way MacKenzie does every single game.
One player who has done a really nice job of developing her game over the years, is Katie Davis of Danville Community High School. She is an extremely long, somewhat slender, but fluid and smooth combo forward who does a little of everything well. She can handle the ball in transition on occasion, she can attack the basket straight-line from the perimeter, and she’s a solid passer as well. I don’t know that she’s strong enough to play around the block much, but she does play with a motor and is a nice pursuing rebounder. She seems most effective in the mid-post, where she can bury 15-footers regularly or attack and create. She can make an occasional 3-pointer, but I think her range will be more consistent as she adds more strength to her frame. I think she’ll be an even better collegian than high school player too.
Feature image of Nan Garcia of Jeffersonville High School. Image courtesy of the newsandtribune.com.