First Look: 16U
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 16U teams I saw for the first time last week at those two great events.
Indiana Elite Prime – Marlin
The Prime team is essentially one of the best 15U teams playing in the 16U division, but they do have one 2022 on their roster. Regardless, they are a tough matchup with size, skill, and talent. That one 2022, 5-6 point guard
Koryn Greiwe
Koryn
Greiwe
5'7" | PG
Columbus East | 2022
State
IN
of Columbus East, has been outstanding so far this Summer. She is a high-level scorer who has always been able to make shots from anywhere on the floor, but I really like her transition into the traditional point guard role, as she’s playing much more efficiently and doing a nice job of finding teammates in positions to score. Four players 6-0 or taller show a lot of promise as well. 6-1 small forward
McKenna Layden
McKenna
Layden
6'2" | SF
Northwestern | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Northwestern is always a “quiet” triple-double waiting to happen. She has a solid handle, she can score the ball in a variety of ways, including knocking down the 3-pointer, but she is also an underrated passer who willingly finds teammates in all spots on the floor. 6-4 post Gabrielle Dean (2023) of Columbus East has as much upside as anyone in the 2023 class. She has good size, an athletic frame, great length, plus she moves around the floor very well and has a nice skillset for a young post. As she gets stronger and continues to be more and more instinctual, she could see big-time Division-I interest. However, she is also one of the best volleyball prospects in the state. 6-0 forward
Josie Trabel
Josie
Trabel
6'0" | PF
East Central | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of East Central is a nice combination of strength, skill, and versatility. She can battle, post, and rebound inside, but she also has some ball skill and the ability to knock down face-up jumpers. She’s not a post player, but she is great in the mid-post and solid around the perimeter. Then there is 6-3 post
Brooklyn Smitherman
Brooklyn
Smitherman
6'4" | C
Noblesville | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Noblesville. She has tremendous length, wiry strength, and she runs the floor well North/South. She just doesn’t have the experience of these other girls, but she plays with a motor and continues to improve each time out.
Indiana Elite Venom – Burgher
The Venom are an impressive collection of Southern Indiana girls, ranging from just North of Louisville, all the way over to Evansville. The backcourt is certainly an area of strength, and it all starts with 5-9 point guard Ali Saunders (2022) of North Harrison. She looks taller, stronger, and more explosive. She handles it well and can run offense, but she’s also a shot-maker and a nice downhill driver. Long-time grassroots running mate
Emme Rooney
Emme
Rooney
5'8" | SG
Silver Creek | 2022
State
IN
(2022), a 5-7 guard from Silver Creek, brings a nice motor and some physicality to the perimeter. She is a drive-first kid, but she is also a nice shooter who can almost manufacture offense at times, using the free throw line as a weapon. Last week was my first time seeing 5-9 guard
Keegan Kaiser
Keegan
Kaiser
5'9" | PG
Floyd Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Floyd Central. She is extremely long, fluid, and quick/fast. I really like her upside to play either guard spot, she has a solid handle and feel, but she can get to the rim in a hurry, plus she can defend different types of players. 5-10 wing
Natalie Noel
Natalie
Noel
5'10" | SF
Salem | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Salem is someone who continues to impress me with her improvement. She is playing stronger, more confident and aggressive, but she understands tempo and situations, and she picks her spots well to shoot/score. 6-0 forward
Diana Burgher
Diana
Burgher
6'0" | PF
North Harrison | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of North Harrison looked stronger and much more assertive in the paint. She was very active on the boards, and she did some nice things as an interior defender as well. The thing is, though, she’s more of a face-up ’4’ who is great in the mid-post and solid around the perimeter. That versatility and athleticism has drawn her a lot of Division-I interest.
Indiana Flight UAA – Kincer
This Flight group flexed their muscles and had a nice start to July at the USJN Premier Showcase. One player who wowed many observers was 6-0 power forward
Jozee Rhodes
Jozee
Rhodes
6'0" | PF
Plainfield | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Plainfield. She finally looked as fluid and athletic as she did pre-injury, she was tough, physical, and assertive, plus she was making a variety of shots from the low-block to the mid-post. She was simply dominant at times. 6-0 power forward
Alaina Thorne
Alaina
Thorne
6'0" | PF
Washington | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Washington also outplayed expectations. She is a seemingly quiet player, but she was as aggressive as I’ve ever seen her. She was very active at both ends of the floor, but it was her decisiveness in attacking the basket and scoring it and/or drawing fouls that stood out to me the most. 5-8 guard
Kenna Kirby
Kenna
Kirby
5'8" | SG
Tri-West | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Tri-West has been one of my favorites to watch over the last couple of Summers. She is strong, fairly athletic, and she can shoot/score the ball from just about anywhere on the floor. She is an absolute threat offensively, plus she’s handling it more and could probably eventually be recruited as more of a combo guard down the road. 5-9 guard
Rayah Kincer
Rayah
Kincer
5'10" | CG
Franklin Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Franklin Central is a versatile perimeter player who can fulfill a variety of roles. She is strong and physical, but she also has really good ball skill, she can hit an open jumper, plus she gets downhill and can finish through contact. I also thought 5-8 guard
Makayla Hinshaw
Makayla
Hinshaw
5'8" | SG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Hamilton Southeastern had some nice moments last week. She is extremely long, very fast and athletic, and she is starting to turn the corner a little bit offensively. She has always been a high-level defender, but her ability to finish plays now offensively are a welcomed addition to her game.
Indiana Red Storm – Eubanks
I feel like this is the “cookie cutter” team of the Summer, as most of their players are really nice wings, about the same size, with similar skillsets. 5-9 wing
Kuryn Brunson
Kuryn
Brunson
5'10" | SF
Franklin Community | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Franklin Community looks as strong as ever, after missing last Summer and part of this past Winter with an injury. She is a point forward type with good ball skill and playmaking ability. She can score the ball from all areas of the floor, she gets to the rim and finishes through contact, but she’s also a nice passer who finds teammates regularly. 5-8 wing Kearsten Willen (2022) of Martinsville really stood out to me last week. She shot the ball at a high-level, hitting open rhythm jumpers, plus she made a couple of tough, contested jumpers in what time I saw her. She is a wiry strong kid with versatile athleticism. 5-5 point guard
Madelynn Denny
Madelynn
Denny
5'4" | PG
Mooresville | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Mooresville is a solid little floor general. She has a strong frame, some quickness, and good all-around athleticism. She has a nice feel for the position, and she does a solid job of taking care of the basketball. I also felt like 5-8 forward Lily Ernstes (2022) of Jennings County did some nice things for the Red Storm. She has really good length, she is a fluidly athletic prospect, and she can defend multiple positions effectively. I would like to see her score it a little better, but she looks much-improved over a year ago.
Indy Magic – Marquis
This might not be the premier team in the Magic program, but there are some really nice pieces here, and they play with a collectively good motor and grittiness. 5-11 forward Mya Childress (2022) of Zionsville Community catches your eye almost immediately. She is a long, fast, North/South athlete who moves seemingly effortlessly around the floor. She looks like someone who is transitioning from more of an interior position to the perimeter, but she does have a solid skillset right now, and she has the chance to become a really nice prospect. I think she’s best suited as a mid-post ’4’ right now, but she should become a wing. 6-0 post Sade Smith (2022) of Pike is another intriguing interior player. She has a strong, athletic frame with some length, she’s willing to be physical inside, plus she can step back and knock down a 15-footer. Sade moves around the floor fairly well in all directions, and she seems to play with a solid motor as well. 5-8 wing Emily Adamowicz (2022) of Muncie Burris Laboratory puts up good numbers for the Lady Owls during the Winter, and it’s easy to see why with her versatility. She is extremely long, fairly fluid athletically, and she can play in the mid-post or around the perimeter. A new name to me was that of 5-5 guard Emma McDivitt (2023) of Brownsburg. She isn’t very big and definitely needs to add some strength, but she is very long for her height, she plays with some quickness, and she’s a really nice athlete. Emma has some ball skill and can play point guard, but she’s also capable of playing off the ball and scoring it.