Film Review: Hamilton Southeastern vs. Carmel (Part 1)
This season, with all of the social media and internet streaming sites available, I will start reviewing games from earlier in the season, making notes on prospects and teams. One great resource right now is the partnership that IHSAA TV…
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Continue ReadingThis season, with all of the social media and internet streaming sites available, I will start reviewing games from earlier in the season, making notes on prospects and teams. One great resource right now is the partnership that IHSAA TV has formed with several statewide web streaming affiliates. You can go online, search the ihsaatv.com website, and typically find a game from most of your favorite high schools.
In this article, I wanted to focus on four players from each school who stood out to me for one reason or another. Hamilton Southeastern ended up winning the game, 52-36, but throughout most of the game, it seemed a lot closer than the final margin of 16 points. Below is a look at those eight prospects. I will have a follow-up article from this game with eight more “lesser-known” kids I saw from that evening.
Sydney Parrish, 2020, 6-2 W, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
The University of Oregon signee had stretches of brilliance in this game, and she did so playing with as much versatility as she ever has. Last season she played similarly, but she was able to focus more on scoring with all of the 2019 graduates they had on the roster. This year, she’s looking to create and facilitate more, she’s diving to the post and trying to get easy buckets inside, and she’s defending multiple types of players because she’s the tallest rotation player on the Varsity roster. In this game, she still hit shots with range and showed off that elite ability to score the ball, but her overall contributions in other parts of the game have improved as well.
Jackie Maulucci, 2020, 5-8 G, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
This combo guard has been a favorite of mine to watch since I first saw her in the Summer between her Freshman and Sophomore years. Her length, wiry strength, and fluid athleticism are a great place to start in describing her game, but her ability to handle and run offense, coupled with the fact that she’s more aggressive to the basket and more consistent shooting it outside, make her an attractive late addition to a college program. She was originally committed to Indiana Wesleyan University, but she reopened her commitment at the end of September and hasn’t settled on a new school as of yet. She has drawn a variety of Division-I, Division-II, and NAIA interest recently.
Lauren Morris, 2020, 5-4 PG, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Lauren spent the majority of her first three seasons waiting her turn, and this year she has seen a significant increase in opportunity. I think she’s more natural as a point guard, and she has played that role well in the grassroots seasons. But at HSE, she plays off the ball more than on it. She is strong at her size, very quick/fast, and tough-nosed. She has a real gritty feistiness to her game, and she can be an absolute pest at the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, she’s shooting it consistently outside, she doesn’t turn it over often, and she can get into gaps and create opportunities for others. She has already signed with Holy Cross College at Notre Dame.
Makayla Hinshaw, 2022, 5-8 W, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Makayla is seeing a lot of playing time in a Senior-dominated starting lineup. She is a long, fast, and athletic wing guard who plays with a tremendous motor. She does a nice job defending the ball, she’s great in passing lanes with her length, and I think she’ll develop into a versatile, “full-denial” defender as she continues to gain strength. Offensively, she’s best slicing to the basket, but she can shoot it a little outside. I think her offensive game will continue to develop, but she also fulfills a role right now in Hamilton Southeastern’s lineup, and she isn’t asked to score big numbers at this time.
Fatima Valiente, 2020, 5-8 G, Carmel H.S.
Fatima and her sister Lara (2022) moved into Carmel from Spain at the beginning of the school year, and while they’re continuing to adapt to life in the States, they are contributing more and more each week on the hardwood for the Greyhounds. Fatima is a Varsity starter, and the combo guard has nice potential for the next level. She has a fairly strong and athletic frame, good length, and she plays with a motor. She looks to have great instincts for the game, she is versatile skillfully, and she seems like more of a creator than a pure shooter/scorer. Her gliding athleticism and ability to get to the basket should help her develop into a bigger scorer at the next level, plus she defends with effort and understanding as well.
Kiara Gill, 2020, 5-4 PG, Carmel H.S.
Kiara is the daughter of former Indiana Pacer and current Fox Sports Indiana Pacer analyst Eddie Gill. Like her dad, she is a really nice athlete who plays defense with toughness and grit. Kiara has really good length at her size, she has really improved her frame over the course of the past year, and she’s playing much more confidently each time I see her. She is starting to shoot it better, she can create opportunities for herself or teammates, but it’s her ability to be a shut-down defender that has impressed me the most about her game. Kiara has signed to play at Grace College next season.
Bridget Dunn, 2021, 6-2 F, Carmel H.S.
I have always been intrigued by Bridget’s game. She grew up as more of a wing/guard, and she still possesses a lot of that skillset. But she grew so rapidly early in high school, that she’s been relegated to more of a mid-post forward’s role. She isn’t a post, but she has worked on her low-post game. But I like the fact that at 6-2, she can play at all three levels. She shoots it well outside and can handle it some, she’s great in the mid-post, and now she’s playing more physical and scoring it around the rim. She could still stand to be a bit quicker laterally, especially defensively, but she has a lot of similarities to 2018 graduate Blake Smith (Ball State University), but I think Bridget is maybe a little farther along in her developmental than Blake was when compared at the same age.
Kate Clarke, 2022, 6-0 W, Carmel H.S.
Kate is a cerebral player who does a really nice job of figuring out her weaknesses and addressing them in the offseason. This year, she is more explosive in all directions, her handle is much tighter, and she has sped up her shooting process and is getting shots away much quicker while maintaining her accuracy. She has continued to gain strength, so she’s battling inside more, plus she has worked on being more of a presence at the defensive end of the floor. Kate currently sits with a number of Division-I offers, including several from Big Ten schools, and that list will likely only continue to grow throughout the Spring and Summer of 2020.
The feature image is of Jackie Maulucci of Hamilton Southeastern High School. The image is courtesy of Jackie’s own Twitter account.