First Look: 15U & 14U
Last week Central Indiana played host to a number of grassroots events. For me, I attended the USJN Premier Showcase at Finch Creek in Noblesville, Indiana, and at the Pacers Athletic Complex in Westfield, Indiana, July 5 & 6, and…
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Continue ReadingLast week Central Indiana played host to a number of grassroots events. For me, I attended the USJN Premier Showcase at Finch Creek in Noblesville, Indiana, and at the Pacers Athletic Complex in Westfield, Indiana, July 5 & 6, and I attended the Tournament of Champions Session #1 at the Indianapolis Convention Center on July 7. Considering I spent a lot of time in recent articles highlighting teams I was seeing for the first time, I wanted to dedicate this article to pointing out the 15U and 14U teams I saw for the first time last week at those two great events.
Indiana Showcase BlueStar 15U – Eber
This 15U Showcase team has several very nice prospects. Someone I first noticed a year ago who continues to improve is 6-0 wing
Sydney Warran
Sydney
Warran
6'0" | SF
Cascade | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Cascade. At her size, she has put together a really nice skillset and is possibly still growing. She has great length, wiry strength, and fairly fluid athleticism. She handles the ball like a point forward and has the ability to score the ball at all levels. She still needs to gain more strength, and that could really help solidify her game. High School teammate, 5-8 forward
Abby Parsons
Abby
Parsons
5'8" | SF
Cascade | 2023
IN
(2023), kind of does a little of everything. She is tough-nosed, strong, and physical. She is willing to get inside, rebound, and post on occasion. However, she also has solid ball skill and the ability to make shots facing the basket to the 3-point line. She just produces wherever she is on the floor. 5-8 wing Autumn Rucker (2023) of Pike also stood out to me. She is tough-nosed, wiry strong, and very athletic. She plays with a lot of energy and a competitive fire, plus she makes several plays because of her athleticism. She can handle it a little in transition, she’s best scoring it going to the rim, but she’s also a willing and capable defender. I also thought 5-10 forward Paige Kirtz (2023) of Brownsburg stood out as someone with upside/potential. She has really good length, wiry strength, and she runs and jumps well. She can score it in the mid-post or by attacking the basket, but she just makes plays for her team.
Indiana Showcase 15U – Ransom
This Showcase group plays very hard at both ends of the floor, and they are quite gritty as well. 6-2 post
Kendal Bolen
Kendal
Bolen
6'3" | C
Cathedral | 2023
IN
(2023) of Cathedral continues to improve her game. She is extremely long, still a little thin, but she continues to grow. She looks like she has absorbed coaching well, as she attempts to play the right way, makes good decisions on the block, and defends the paint. I think adding strength over the next three years will change her game significantly for the better. This was my first time seeing 5-4 point guard Lily Howe (2023) of Center Grove, and I thought she did some really nice things last week. She has some strength at her size, good quickness, but I felt like what stood out to me was her balanced skillset and her understanding of the game. 5-5 combo guard Lindsey Walker (2023) of Center Grove is another really nice guard from the Lady Trojan program, and I felt like she played well when I was able to see this team. She is a solid athlete, she has length, wiry strength, and she plays with a good motor. She didn’t strike me as particularly strong in any one area…just nicely balanced skillfully. 5-6 guard Kaylinn Dugan (2023) of Plainfield was an additional prospect in this team’s backcourt who caught my attention. She is a really nice, wiry athlete, plus she played with a great motor when I saw them. She has some ball skill, but she struck me as more of a slasher/scorer who is looking to get to the basket. Knowing how past Plainfield perimeter players have developed, I’d look for her to become more of a combo guard over time.
Indiana Girls Basketball (IGB) 14U – Morse
Over the last few years, IGB has been synonymous with quality teams in the Junior High and Elementary age groups. This year is no different, and this 14U team has a wealth of talent. As I said in an article yesterday, I was very impressed with the play of 5-7 combo guard
Reagan Wilson
Reagan
Wilson
5'7" | PG
Noblesville | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Noblesville. She is a very nice athlete, with length, wiry strength, and a great motor. She talks nonstop, she has very good ball skill, vision, and understanding of the game, plus she can score it at all three levels. Pairing her with
Ashlynn Shade
Ashlynn
Shade
5'10" | SG
La Lumiere Prep | 2023
State
#33
Nation
IN
(2023) the next three years could be scary for opponents. I also thought 6-0 front-liner
Kate Thomas
Kate
Thomas
6'1" | PF
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Fishers played very well when I saw her. She is tall, long, lean, and athletic. She moves around the floor very well, chases down rebounds, and does a nice job of defending multiple types of players. I really like her energy for a taller player, and I think she’ll eventually become more of a face-up ’4’ than a traditional post. The third member of this group who played well was 5-10 wing Kori Dues (2024) of Carmel. She too is extremely long, still thin and growing, but fluid and somewhat smooth in her movements. She has some ball skill, she can shoot it a little outside, plus she can glide to the basket off the bounce. She’s the type of kid whose best years are ahead of her, because she might still add 2-3 more inches and a lot more strength, changing her game completely.
Northwest Indiana Thunder Grey 14U – Gates
As stated in a previous article, the NWI Thunder program does a great job of finding some of the best talent in Porter County (Valparaiso area) and surrounding counties. This group has the makings of another nice Thunder squad, but they were a bit overwhelmed by a deep and talented opponent who ran through all of their competition last week. Regardless, there were two girls who specifically stood out for them. 6-0 post Genna Hayes (2024) of Kankakee Valley looks like she’ll step in and play right away for a really good KV program, and she’ll possibly be a dominant force for them in the years to come. She has height, a broad, athletic frame, and a lot of strength for her age. Not only that, but she’s a solid athlete who runs the floor well. She showed skill and understanding, good hands, and decent footwork. I could see her possibly stepping away from the basket a lot in the future. The other young lady who was impressive is 5-8 wing Sadie Marks (2024) of South Central (Union Mills). Sadie enters a talented and successful small school program, yet she should see solid playing time, if not start for the Satellites. She is a really nice athlete in all directions, she has wiry strength, but more importantly, she can handle the ball and make plays. She’s kind of a point forward, if you will, and she was relied on heavily to handle pressure and to score in the game I saw. Both of these young ladies have really bright futures ahead of them.