Top Forwards & Posts In North Central & Northeast Indiana
In selecting the five regional areas for my regional articles, I used the Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association’s (ICGSA) five districts. Schools are evenly distributed by county and somewhat geographical, though not exact. Counties included in the “North Central…
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Continue ReadingIn selecting the five regional areas for my regional articles, I used the Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association’s (ICGSA) five districts. Schools are evenly distributed by county and somewhat geographical, though not exact. Counties included in the “North Central & Northeastern” articles include: Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Elkhart, Grant, Howard, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Miami, Noble, Saint Joseph, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley.
Across the entire Prep Hoops Network, we are exploring ways to bring you different types of content in each of the states we cover. One idea we’ve come up with is “city rankings”, where we highlight some of the better players in each metropolitan area. I felt like in Indiana, however, there are talented kids spread all over the state, so it wouldn’t be fair to solely focus on Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Evansville, for example. Instead, I have divided the state into five regions based on a fairly even distribution of the 400+ high schools available to choose from. It isn’t exact, but it seemed like the best way to make sure all prospects from the Hoosier state were considered. (Please see the italicized fine print above for a more specific breakdown of the counties used in this article.) Without further ado, below is a look at some of the top returning forwards & posts in “North Central & Northeastern” Indiana, arranged alphabetically within their graduating classes.
Addi Baker
Addi
Baker
5'11" | PF
Northfield | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-11 PF/SF, Northfield H.S.
Addi is one of four talented 2021 forwards at Northfield High School. While it’s debatable as to who is the most talented, Addi has been the most productive throughout her career. She is wiry strong, athletic, and she plays with a great motor. She’s an aggressive rebounder, a versatile defender, and a really nice mid-post scorer. She certainly has the athleticism to play around the perimeter full-time at both ends of the floor, but I don’t know that she’s necessarily skilled like a wing offensively. Addi has already committed to play softball at Southern Illinois University.
Chanteese Craig
Chanteese
Craig
6'1" | C
Fort Wayne Concordia | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 6-1 C, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran H.S.
In college coaching circles, Chanteese is known as being a sister to 2021 University of Cincinnati commit Clarissa Craig (Clarissa attends high school in Cincinnati). Chanteese is a strong, physical, back-to-the-basket post who has long arms, good hands, and solid footwork. She can step out to 15-feet and knock down a shot, plus she’s a very good high-post passer. She’ll take up space and block shots defensively, but she could stand to defend the perimeter a little better. She has a lot of potential, she just needs to consistently string together great games in front of college coaches.
Destiny Jackson
Destiny
Jackson
5'10" | SF
Fort Wayne Snider | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-10 SF/PF, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S.
Destiny is a really nice athlete in all directions, she has a wiry strong frame, and she plays with a very good motor. She has developed her skillset over the years, and I think there is still more to come. After playing almost exclusively in the paint early on, she is now a tremendous mid-post scorer who can knock down a 17-footer consistently or get to the rim in one dribble and finish. She has worked on her handle and perimeter shot as well, and she should transition to being a full-time perimeter player very soon. Destiny has seen her recruiting interest grow significantly over the last two months.
Brynn Shoup-Hill
Brynn
Shoup-Hill
6'3" | C
Goshen | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 6-3 C, Goshen Community H.S.
Brynn possesses a really nice combination of size, strength, skill, and athleticism. She can certainly go to the block, sit down and seal, and finish in a variety of ways inside. However, she moves well North/South, plus she has really nice touch on her jump-shot. She is probably most effective shooting it around 17-feet, but she also has the ability to knock down the occasional 3-pointer. Additionally, she is an 83% free throw shooter for her career. I feel like just about every school in the MAC, Missouri Valley, and Horizon League has been recruiting her for the last year or two.
Kendal Swartout
Kendal
Swartout
6'0" | PF
Concord | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-11 PF, Concord H.S.
When I first saw Kendal as a Freshman, I thought she had the chance to be a really nice post prospect, because she had good size and strength, plus she played with physicality and a good motor. But after watching her a lot last Spring and Summer, she has really transformed her game into that of a pick-and-pop ’4’. She will still get physical on the boards and she’ll defend the interior, but offensively she is much more dynamic and explosive, plus she has turned herself into a consistent 3-point shooting threat. Kendal has already committed to Division-II Davenport University.
TiAuna White
TiAuna
White
5'9" | PF
Fort Wayne Northrop | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-9 PF/SF, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S.
TiAuna pairs very nicely with
Destiny Jackson
Destiny
Jackson
5'10" | SF
Fort Wayne Snider | 2021
State
IN
(above). TiAuna is also skilled at all levels, she can knock down the occasional 3-pointer and play around the perimeter a little, she too is great in the mid-post, but she is probably a little more physical and can work some on the block as well. TiAuna is a solid North/South athlete who can get out in transition a little bit, but I think she could show a little more sense of urgency at times, especially at the defensive end of the floor. Still, though, she is a really nice all-around ballplayer, and a versatile prospect for the next level.
Lamyia Woodson
Lamyia
Woodson
6'0" | PF
Fort Wayne South Side | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-11 PF, Fort Wayne South Side H.S.
Next to Homestead, Fort Wayne South Side has been as dominant of a team in Northeast Indiana as anyone recently, producing college prospects year after year. Lamiya is a great example, as she is a strong, athletic, and somewhat skillful power forward who can be a real problem in the mid-post. As a youngster, she was more of a defender/rebounder who made plays on sheer athleticism. But now, she plays with a good motor, rebounds the ball very well, and has developed a nice mid-range jumper. Lamiya committed a while ago to Division-I Youngstown State University.
Mila Reynolds
Mila
Reynolds
6'2" | PF
South Bend Washington | 2022
State
#32
Nation
IN
, 2022, 6-2 SF/PF, South Bend Washington H.S.
Mila really is a position-less basketball player who just performs night-in and night-out. She has a wiry strong frame and looks like a power forward, she can go to the block and dominate smaller defenders, plus she’s a tremendously active rebounder with a nose for the ball. However, she also possesses good ball skill and can create off the bounce or handle it some in transition. She is working to become a more consistent perimeter shooter, plus she can defend multiple positions as well. Her total package as a versatile inside-out player has drawn her multiple Big Ten offers already, among others.
Jazmyn Smith
Jazmyn
Smith
5'11" | PF
West Noble | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-10 SF/PF, West Noble H.S.
Jazmyn is another very intriguing player who continues to trend up. She has a wiry strong frame, broad shoulders, and solid athleticism in all directions. As a Freshman, she struggled to find time on a solid West Noble team, but this past season she was one of their focal points. She has a solid handle and can pass the ball like a wing, but she is strong enough to play some inside, plus she just looks much more comfortable scoring it in the mid-post or off the bounce attacking the basket. The next step for her to become a full-time wing is to develop a consistent perimeter jumper, but she’s close.
MaKaya Porter
MaKaya
Porter
5'11" | PF
Mishawaka Marian | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-9 SF/PF, Elkhart Central H.S.
In the wake of
Kaitlyn Costner
Kaitlyn
Costner
5'7" | CG
Penn | 2021
State
IN
transferring to Penn, not many people were sure what to think of Elkhart Central entering the 2019-2020 season. Makaya enters the fold, and she was an absolute monster for the Blue Blazers, averaging a robust 20.5 points per game, to go along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game. Makaya is a strong, physical, and athletic forward who plays with a tremendous motor. She can run and jump, she can be overpowering on the block, but she’s also great in the mid-post. As she learns the game and develops her jumper, look for her to become more of a power wing in time.
Other Noteworthy Forwards & Posts:
Amber Austin
Amber
Austin
6'0" | C
Homestead | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, Homestead H.S.
Delaney Bailey, 2021, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers H.S.
Zoe Barger, 2021, Bluffton H.S.
Haley Scott, 2021, Western H.S.
Alivia Short, 2021, Wabash H.S.
Jaci Walker
Jaci
Walker
5'9" | PF
Northridge | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, Northridge H.S.
Mariah Wyatt, 2021, Wabash H.S.
Niesha Anderson, 2022, Fort Wayne Snider H.S.
Carly Bolser, 2022, Mississinewa H.S.
Mia Catey
Mia
Catey
5'11" | PF
Mississinewa | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, Mississinewa H.S.
Kennedy Kugler, 2022, Prairie Heights H.S.
Morgan Ostrowski
Morgan
Ostrowski
6'1" | PF
Garrett | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, Garrett H.S.
Jada Patton
Jada
Patton
5'11" | PF
Penn | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, Penn H.S.
Abby Sanner
Abby
Sanner
6'2" | C
Warsaw | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, Warsaw Community H.S.
De’Mour Watson, 2022, Elkhart Memorial H.S.
Annaka Nelson
Annaka
Nelson
6'0" | PF
Fort Wayne Concordia | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran H.S.
Shabrea O’Quinn
Shabrea
O’Quinn
6'1" | C
Fort Wayne Wayne | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Fort Wayne Wayne H.S.