Rankings Review: 2022 Newcomers
The Prep Girls Hoops Indiana rankings are updated quarterly, and at least two of the four times we update them each year, we expand those rankings to include additional prospects who have either just now popped onto our radar, or who have improved their game significantly since our last viewing of them. When we updated our 2022 rankings in late-December, we added over 25 new names to our list, so I wanted to point out five of those girls below.
Kencia Levasseur
Kencia
Levasseur
5'7" | SF
Washington | 2022
State
IN
, 5-7 F, Washington H.S.
I had never seen Kencia until this past Fall, but I was able to watch her at the Pocket City League in Evansville, and at the PGH Indiana Top-250 Expo in Noblesville. She has a very unique style of play, and she has continued her strong play throughout this Winter. Kencia is a strong, powerful forward who is built like a post. But she has good athleticism, quick feet, and she can play at all levels offensively. She handles it well in transition, is always on the lookout for teammates, and is a really nice passer off the dribble. She can still use her strong frame to post up, rebound, and defend, but she’s also a nice mid-range shooter.
Julia Mantyla
Julia
Mantyla
5'11" | SF
Northridge | 2022
State
IN
, 5-10 W, Northridge H.S.
Julia is a highly intriguing prospect whose best days are certainly in front of her. She has grown rapidly over the last couple of years, she is still growing, she’s extremely long, but she’s somewhat thin right now and needs to gain strength once she finishes growing. She is a fairly smooth and fluid athlete, she has a decent handle, but she has really nice shooting mechanics and a solid jump-shot from the perimeter. She’s definitely a wait-and-see kid because of a lack of strength, and I think building her frame will continue to change her game as she ages. She is already playing good minutes for Northridge, but I can see her transforming into a go-to type of player down the road.
Kaliah Neighbors
Kaliah
Neighbors
5'11" | PF
Evansville North | 2022
State
IN
, 5-11 F, Evansville North H.S.
The Evansville North Huskies continue to put together competitive teams, and the development of Kaliah over the past year and a half has helped them to a 16-5 record already this season. Last year, she saw the Varsity floor a little, but this time around she is an 11.7 point-per-game scorer and a 7.3 rebound-per-game glass cleaner. She has a wiry strong frame, good length, and she’s a nice athlete in most directions. She plays with a good motor, but if she ever gets to having a relentless motor, she could be a 20 & 12 type of ballplayer. She is most comfortable around the low-post, but as she adds a more consistent mid-post game, I think it will really help her offensively as well.
Emily Roper
Emily
Roper
6'0" | PF
Carmel | 2022
State
IN
, 6-0 F/C, Carmel H.S.
I am a big fan of Emily’s, and while she isn’t going to stand out on any stat sheet, she does a lot of really good things for a front-liner. Emily has a strong frame, some length, and very good feet for a “big”. She runs the floor hard, moves well in most directions, and is an “intangibles” kid who coaches appreciate. She makes first contact often, she sits down and seals, and she then holds her seal in the post. And she’s a great position rebounder who gets inside of her matchup and holds position for boards as well. She can get out on the floor and defend guards off ball-screens, and as soon as she learns how to score it, she’ll be a coveted front-liner.
Alaina Thorne
Alaina
Thorne
6'0" | PF
Washington | 2022
State
IN
, 5-11 F, Washington H.S.
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Kencia Levasseur
Kencia
Levasseur
5'7" | SF
Washington | 2022
State
IN
(above), I first saw Alaina at the same two 2019 Fall events. Alaina is a quiet, even-keeled, unassuming forward who plays with a stealth toughness. She always plays with a good motor, she seeks physicality despite her slender frame, and she has a real nose for the ball. She has tremendous length, fluid athleticism, and some bounce. Right now, she’s most comfortable around the block and in the mid-post. She can get out on the floor and defend most wings and some guards, but offensively she’s best inside of 12-feet. She doesn’t attempt perimeter jumpers, and she’s just a 58% free throw shooter this season, so she could stand to be more of a threat facing the basket, considering her athletic ability.
The feature image is of Kencia Levasseur Kencia Levasseur 5'7" | SF Washington | 2022 State IN (center) of Washington High School. The image is courtesy of Eric Gardner, boys’ Senior Contributor of Prep Hoops Indiana.