Rankings Review: 2022 Sleepers
Year after year there are a number of prospects who fly under the radar for one reason or another. Whether it’s location, lack of grassroots play, or being buried on a deep roster, there are always players who need attention…
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Continue ReadingYear after year there are a number of prospects who fly under the radar for one reason or another. Whether it’s location, lack of grassroots play, or being buried on a deep roster, there are always players who need attention and don’t necessarily get it. Below I have identified five 2022 prospects who for one reason or another are “sleeping” a bit. Sure, there are probably several more, but these five stood out to me when I scoured through our 2022 list.
Lauryn Bates, 5-8 W, Frankton H.S.
Lauryn can’t really be defined by a position; she’s just a basketball player, and possibly the most important piece on a very good Frankton team. She has an athletically strong frame, she is a nice downhill driver, but she can also make open rhythm jumpers on occasion. She acts as their primary ball-handler at times, and she just contributes in so many different ways that she is almost always going to have an impact on the game. She is averaging 7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists this year for the Eagles, and I think she will be under-recruited because she hasn’t been a big grassroots participant in years past.
Carly Bolser, 6-1 F/C, Mississinewa H.S.
Carly is the younger sister of 2020 University of Toledo commit Caily Bolser. Carly is actually built more like their 2019 sister Cailyn, who is playing volleyball at Ball State University. Carly is extremely long, very bouncy, and she moves well in most directions. She has improved a great deal since last season, especially at developing a nice array of post moves and counter moves. She explodes to the basket, finishes high, and can almost always get a shot away. She is also a tremendous presence at the defensive end, blocking a number of shots and altering even more. She may or may not play grassroots basketball this Summer, as she is deciding between that and travel volleyball.
Lauren Leach, 5-10 W, Angola H.S.
Lauren really caught my eye during the July stretch last Summer, and she has put together a really nice 2019-2020 high school season for the Hornets. She is an extremely long, fluid, and smooth wing who does a little of everything well. She can handle the ball and run offense like a point forward, she can knock down open jumpers from the perimeter, she plays with a great motor and pursues rebounds, and she can defend multiple positions because of her height and length. She has a chance to develop into the next star at Angola, but she will need to gain more strength and develop her somewhat slender frame. I do really like her potential, though, and I think she’s primed for a big Spring.
Haley Thomas, 6-0 C/F, West Lafayette Harrison H.S.
Haley is “sleeping” because she plays for a very deep and Senior-laden Harrison team right now. She showed a tremendous amount of skill, ability, and upside at the Prep Girls Hoops Top-250 Expo back in the Fall. She has a strong frame, but she’s much more active and athletic than she might look. She plays with a great motor, likes physicality, but she’s also solid playing out on the floor. She can knock down the mid-post jumper, put it on the floor 2-3 dribbles and get somewhere, but she’s also strong and skilled around the low-block. I think once this six-member Senior class graduates, she’ll see a much bigger role for the Lady Raiders.
Kennedy Wenger, 6-0 F, Evansville Mater Dei H.S.
Kennedy hasn’t been a big grassroots kid in the past, so not many people outside of Evansville know about her yet. She is extremely long, somewhat slender, but fairly fluid and skilled. She can face the basket to the 3-point line and knock down perimeter shots consistently. She can put it on the floor 2-3 dribbles and glide to the basket. She isn’t a back-to-the-basket kid, but she’s really effective in the mid-post. As she finishes growing and developing strength, I anticipate her being a much more impactful shooter/scorer, and increasing her current scoring (7.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg) numbers. She reminds me a little stylistically of an Abby Stoddard (2020) from Crown Point, who is committed to Butler University.
The feature image is of Lauren Leach of Angola High School. The image is courtesy of Hannah Holstein of KPC Media Group.