Top Wings 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 wings in “North Central & Northeastern” Indiana, arranged alphabetically within their graduating classes.
Trinity Clinton
Trinity
Clinton
5'7" | SG
Penn | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-7 SG/SF, Penn H.S.
Trinity is a really nice power wing who has put together an outstanding high school career so far, scoring more than 1100 points in a program deep with talent. She is strong, tough-nosed, and plays with an incredible motor. She is as physical of a downhill driver as there is in Indiana, and she does a nice job of finishing inside the paint and earning repeated trips to the free throw line. Defensively, she shows some versatility as well, taking on different types of guards and wings. She has already earned interest/offers from Division-I schools and some of the area’s best small colleges.
Emma Hoover
Emma
Hoover
5'10" | SF
Northfield | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-10 SF, Northfield H.S.
Emma could be one of the better sleepers in this class right now. She is long, wiry strong, fluid, and skilled around the perimeter. For the Norse, she often handles the ball and initiates offense, she can glide to the basket for scores, and she can consistently knock down the perimeter jumper when in rhythm. I think she could stand to use her physical gifts and be a little more assertive inside the arc, but she is skilled outside of it too. Rumor has it that she has already given a verbal commitment to Trine University…a steal for them if it’s true.
Maiah Shelton
Maiah
Shelton
5'9" | SF
Norwell | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-8 SF, Norwell H.S.
Maiah is a really nice athlete who plays with some fluidity, a little bounce, and she moves well in most directions. She is a typical Norwell kid…hard-working, quietly tough-nosed, versatile skillfully, and she plays with a good understanding of the game. She is much more physical than she might look, she can handle the ball and attack the basket, plus she’s a capable perimeter shooter. Defensively, she’ll battle bigger players on occasion, out-working them most of the time, and she doesn’t mind scrapping for rebounds and loose balls. She is an “intangibles” kid with skill and talent.
Kelsi Langley
Kelsi
Langley
5'10" | SF
Taylor | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-9 SF, Taylor H.S.
Kelsi is a prospect who has noticeable talent, and I’m just waiting for her to have that breakout moment/season. She is extremely long, athletic in all directions, and she possesses good perimeter skill. She can put it on the floor and attack the basket, but she is known primarily as an outside shooter with range well-beyond the 3-point line. She could become a tremendous prospect if she can get a little more assertive towards the basket, become a multilevel scorer, and lose the “just a jump-shooter” moniker. She also has the physical tools to become a very good defender.
Lauren Leach
Lauren
Leach
5'10" | SF
Angola | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-10 SF/SG. Angola H.S.
I’m not sure if Lauren is done growing yet. I feel like last Summer when I saw her, she was about 5’8, plus she looks like she still has a couple of inches to add to her somewhat thin frame. She is extremely long, fluid, and skilled with the ball. She can play a point forward role and get teammates involved. She does some nice one and two-dribble pull-up stuff, plus she can knock down the occasional 3-pointer, though I think that will become a bigger part of her game as she gets stronger. I really like her upside, and she hasn’t even come close to her ceiling yet.
Ayanna Patterson
Ayanna
Patterson
6'3" | SF
Homestead | 2022
State
#5
Nation
IN
, 2022, 6-3 SF, Homestead H.S.
I know I’ve touched on Ayanna several times in the past, but she is undoubtedly one of the most talented wings in the entire country, let alone in Northeast Indiana. If her previous 40+ Division-I offers weren’t enough, the most recent ones include Baylor, Mississippi State, UCLA, and Notre Dame. Her physical talent is unmatched in-state, however now is the time for her to continue building that consistent perimeter shot, plus she could stand to work on playing lower and wider, especially when absorbing contact or defending the basketball. For as talented as she is, there is still a high ceiling for her to improve.
Bailey Kelham
Bailey
Kelham
5'10" | SF
Garrett | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-8 SF, Garrett H.S.
I’m sure Coach Lapadot knew he had a pretty nice incoming Freshman last Fall, but I would guess even he would admit he wasn’t sure he get exactly what Bailey brought on a nightly basis. This wiry strong and very athletic wing impressed from beginning to end, averaging 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game, while also making 129 free throws as a Freshman. She also posted a whopping 45 points in a game against New Haven right before Christmas. She handles it solidly, and she can shoot it a little outside, but as her game matures, look for her to be a much bigger 3-point threat in the future.
McKenna Layden
McKenna
Layden
6'2" | SF
Northwestern | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 6-1 SF, Northwestern H.S.
Now that an impressive 2020 class at Northwestern graduates, look for McKenna to step into a key scoring role for the Tigers. She is extremely long, likely still growing a little, and she has a natural instinct and feel for the game. She can handle the ball in transition, she’s a very good passer in the half-court, and she is a consistent perimeter shooter, but somewhat unassuming at times outside. What I’ve always liked about her, is that even though she is still slender, she tries to be physical and tough inside and will battle bigger players without fear. She just plays the game the right way.
Amiyah Reynolds
Amiyah
Reynolds
6'0" | PG
South Bend Washington | 2023
State
#35
Nation
IN
, 2023, 6-0 SF/PG, South Bend Washington H.S.
When the general public talks about 2023s in Indiana, for whatever reason Amiyah’s name is often mentioned, but not necessarily known as well outside of Northern Indiana. Trust me, her opponents and college coaches know exactly who she is, and she might end up being the best 2023 to come out of Indiana when it’s all said and done. Amiyah is an extremely long, fluid, and smooth point forward prospect. She handles the ball well, she’s a tremendous passer, and she is a versatile scorer and defender. She has already earned multiple high-major Division-I offers, and she still has a lot of room left to develop her game.
Olivia Waters
Olivia
Waters
5'11" | SF
Blackford | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-10 SF/PG, Blackford H.S.
“Liv”, as she’s known around Hartford City, is another really nice point forward type who did some good things as a Freshman. She has grown consistently the last few years, she has gotten stronger, but she has also maintained her guard skill and ability to handle and create offense. She brings the ball up for the Bruins, she is a solid straight-line attacker to the basket, plus she can knock down the occasional jumper when her feet are set and she’s in rhythm. Unfortunately, she has to patrol the paint a lot on a shorter high school team, so she will need to prove she can sit down and defend guards/wings consistently.
Other Noteworthy Wings:
Emme Boots
Emme
Boots
5'8" | SF
Bluffton | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, Bluffton H.S.
C.C. Calloway, 2021, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran H.S.
Kyra Kennedy
Kyra
Kennedy
5'8" | SF
Northfield | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, Northfield H.S.
Makena Knepp
Makena
Knepp
5'8" | SF
Northridge | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, Northridge H.S.
Alea Minnich
Alea
Minnich
5'9" | SF
NorthWood | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, NorthWood H.S.
Delane Sheets
Delane
Sheets
5'7" | SF
Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, Carroll H.S. (Fort Wayne)
Kearston Stout
Kearston
Stout
5'9" | SF
Northfield | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, Northfield H.S.
Hailee Kline, 2022, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian School
Kacilyn Krebs
Kacilyn
Krebs
5'9" | SF
Warsaw | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, Warsaw Community H.S.
Rebekah Marshall
Rebekah
Marshall
5'10" | SF
Columbia City | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, Columbia City H.S.
Jada Rhonehouse, 2022, Fremont H.S.
Laney Creech, 2023, Penn H.S.
Julia Economou
Julia
Economou
5'11" | SF
Penn | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Penn H.S.
Brea Garber
Brea
Garber
6'0" | PF
Fairfield | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Fairfield H.S.
Saniya Jackson
Saniya
Jackson
6'0" | SF
Fort Wayne Northrop | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Carroll H.S. (Fort Wayne)