November Review: Class of 2021
Over the first month of the season, I spent a great deal of time evaluating teams and prospects along I-69 Northeast of Indianapolis. Below is a look at 6 members of the 2021 class who I thought stood out in…
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Continue ReadingOver the first month of the season, I spent a great deal of time evaluating teams and prospects along I-69 Northeast of Indianapolis. Below is a look at 6 members of the 2021 class who I thought stood out in the action I was able to take in. I recently posted an article on 2020 prospects, and there will be one additional follow-up article with members of the 2022 and 2023 classes.
Lauren Bales, 2021, 5-4 G, Norwell H.S.
Lauren is the de facto point guard for Norwell, but she does a lot more than just run offense. She acts as their primary ball-handler most of the time, but she’s a very good perimeter shooter with some range, and she creates a real threat from the perimeter that opponents must specifically prepare for. She’s quick/fast, feisty, and she can also cause problems at the defensive end of the floor. She will occasionally attack the basket for scores, but she could definitely stand to be a bit more dynamic and creative off the bounce offensively. Otherwise, I think she’s a really nice small college point guard prospect.
Kaylee Fuelling, 2021, 5-6 G, Norwell H.S.
Kaylee is playing about as well as I can remember. She is a reasonably strong guard, tough-nosed, and versatile too. She handles it well-enough to occasionally run offense, she’s capable of knocking down open rhythm jumpers, but I think she’s most effective when she’s attacking the rim straight-line. She does a really nice job of getting defenders on her hip and earning repeated trips to the free throw line. She’s as efficient of a scorer as there is in Northeast Indiana. She plays with a good basketball IQ, defends hard, and does a lot of the “little things” that keep Norwell competitive each year.
Sayla McIntosh, 2021, 5-0 G, Muncie Central H.S.
Sayla is diminutive, without question, but she is a rather unassuming threat for the Bearcats who can really punish teams from the perimeter. Sayla is quick/fast, feisty, and she plays with a great motor. What she does best, though, is she shoots the ball well from outside. Her shooting mechanics are pure, and with added strength I think she can stretch her range well-beyond the arc. She has a short memory too, and she can wave off early misses to make big shots down the stretch in games. I like her effort at the defensive end of the floor, but she can get moved at times by bigger guards. I do think she can add some value to a small college program because of her shooting ability.
Maiah Shelton, 2021, 5-8 W, Norwell H.S.
Maiah is the third member of a pretty talented and effective perimeter group in this 2021 class for Norwell. Maiah is a long, wiry strong, and fairly fluid athlete. She glides around the floor, plays with a motor, and she can score it reasonably well at each level. Early on, she was great in the mid-range game, but as she’s aged, her perimeter shot has improved, and she’s finishing through contact much better. She’s also difficult to label as either a guard or a forward, because she possesses great versatility to where she can play several positions/roles at both ends of the floor, which is invaluable to small college programs.
Alivia Short, 2021, 5-9 F, Wabash H.S.
Alivia has come a long way throughout her high school career. She has a strong, powerful frame, and when she was younger she was more of a pure post. She has now added the ability to put it on the floor a little, she can knock down face-up jumpers as deep as 3-point range, and she’s a much better athlete than you might think. She plays with a motor and can still be incredibly physical around the rim, she rebounds it very well, but she is starting to be a really nice mid-post scorer who can stretch defenses or play on the block against smaller match-ups. I think she’s a kid small colleges would love.
Mariah Wyatt, 2021, 5-11 C, Wabash H.S.
Mariah is another big for Wabash who has improved a great deal over the years. She isn’t as powerful as Short (above), but she is a wiry strong kid who is a nice North/South athlete with a little bounce and a lot of length. She is playing much more physical this year, she is very good around the rim, and she’s starting to add some sort of a mid-post game. I think she’s still a bit of a work-in-progress prospect, but I think she has a nice ceiling for small college programs and could be a really effective collegian by her Sophomore year with added strength and more gym time.
Feature photo is of Sayla McIntosh of Muncie Central High School. Image is courtesy of Jordan Kartholl of the Muncie Star Press.