TOC Top-10
Last Tuesday I attended the Nike Tournament of Champions, Session #1, at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Between the 22 courts they were using, there were several teams to see and talented prospects from all over the nation to evaluate in…
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Continue ReadingLast Tuesday I attended the Nike Tournament of Champions, Session #1, at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Between the 22 courts they were using, there were several teams to see and talented prospects from all over the nation to evaluate in just one day. I maintained primary focus on the statewide groups I had yet to see this Summer, and below is a look at ten individuals who I thought stood out in Tuesday’s action.
Gracie Adams
Gracie
Adams
5'9" | SF
Lanesville | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-9 SF, Lanesville H.S.
Gracie is one of the best Southern Indiana prospects people still don’t talk enough about. At the end of the day, she is highly productive, and her teams typically win. She is a strong, physical, but well-balanced as an athlete. She plays with a tremendous motor and possesses skill both in the mid-post and around the perimeter. She can handle the ball a little bit, attack the basket and finish, but she also has a nice 15-foot jump-shot. I’m not sure what position she’ll play defensively at the next level, but she is certainly a nice fit for most rosters and someone who should be drawing a ton of interest from the best small colleges.
Kyra Baker
Kyra
Baker
5'5" | PG
Franklin Community | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-5 PG, Franklin Community H.S.
Now that she’s well-removed from her knee injury of the past, Kyra looks as quick and explosive as she ever has. She is playing with a great deal of confidence, she’s always on attack, but now she’s breaking down defenders off the dribble and getting into the heart of the defense better than I ever recall. I have always liked her work ethic, intensity, and toughness, but this Summer there’s just something different about how she’s playing, and it’s sure to draw a lot more college attention the more she plays like this.
Katherine Benter
Katherine
Benter
5'9" | SF
Brownstown Central | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-9 SF, Brownstown Central H.S.
Based on what I’ve seen so far this Summer, I would have to say Katherine is a candidate to be one of the most-improved, biggest stock-risers of 2020. She does everything fairly well, always has, but in the games I’ve seen, she is knocking down tough shots with great consistency. She is a wiry strong kid, willing to be physical, but she moves/glides around the floor with ease. She is quietly tough, she can play in the mid-post too, but she’s so skilled around the perimeter, and she can even handle the ball and initiate the offense from time to time.
Mariah Dickerson
Mariah
Dickerson
6'0" | C
Evansville Mater Dei | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 6-0 C, Evansville Mater Dei H.S.
I saw Mariah a year ago as she came back from a bad knee injury, and she just didn’t look like herself. One year later, and she’s looking as active and athletic as she ever has. Mariah is a strong, powerful, physical frontline prospect who can take over games on the interior. She’s very good on the block, she has nice hands and solid footwork, but I think I like her just as much in the mid-post. She has always possessed a nice shooting touch to about 15-feet, plus she can come out on the floor a little and defend. Look for her college interest to really pick up after this month, plus I think she’ll have a huge Senior season.
Meg Newman
Meg
Newman
6'3" | PF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2021
State
#84
Nation
IN
, 2021, 6-3 PF, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
It is really fun to watch Meg when she’s dialed in and takes over games, and last week I felt like she looked as productive as ever. She was scoring the ball at the rim, in the mid-post, and from around the perimeter. She shot it well, handled it well, and even made a couple of guard-like passes. She is skilled like a perimeter player, and she’s probably more of a small forward offensively, but she is much better defending the paint like a power forward/post than out on the floor, protecting the basket, and collecting rebound after rebound so she can push it in transition. Arizona State University is getting a really nice, well-rounded basketball player in Meg.
Brynn Shoup-Hill
Brynn
Shoup-Hill
6'3" | C
Goshen | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 6-3 C, Goshen H.S.
Brynn is another really nice player with size in this Indiana 2021 class. She has an athletic frame, strength, length, and good all-around athleticism. What’s unique about her, is that while she can post and dominate down low with her physicality, she has great touch and can be a threat shooting it around the perimeter. Tuesday she buried a couple of corner 3-pointers early in their afternoon game, causing the opponent to change how they defended her. Brynn will also block a lot of shots, and she’s a solid box-out rebounder. She has already committed to the University of Dayton.
Kassie Stanko
Kassie
Stanko
6'0" | C
Morgan Township | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 6-0 C, Morgan Township H.S.
When I first saw Kassie as a Freshman, I thought she had a chance to be a really nice small college prospect. She did nothing but confirm that last Tuesday. Kassie has great hands, solid footwork offensively, and she’s actually pretty quick-footed defensively when she sits down in a stance and has to come out on the floor to guard the ball/ball-screens. She is big, strong, and physical, but a player with her size and strength who moves like she does should draw a lot of attention. If she can prove to score it consistently, she could become a full-scholarship kid somewhere.
Grace Sullivan
Grace
Sullivan
5'4" | PG
Homestead | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-4 PG, Homestead H.S.
With all of the talent Homestead possesses, and being only 5-4, Grace oftentimes gets overlooked…literally and figuratively. She is extremely quick with good speed, she is a steady and poised ball-handler, and she does a really nice job of managing a team. She always seems to know where her teammates are, she delivers the ball on time/on target, but now she’s doing a much better job of being creative, attacking the defense, and drawing help-side defenders in order to open up teammates. Grace committed to Ferris State University a while ago, and they are getting a feisty, but cerebral, lead guard.
RaShunda Jones
RaShunda
Jones
5'7" | PG
South Bend Washington | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-7 PG, South Bend Washington H.S.
Few 2023s in Indiana have drawn as many rave reviews as RaShunda has over the last month. She is playing at a high level, but what’s more impressive is that her skillset continues to grow. In the past, her jump-shot was the biggest concern about her game, but she is shooting lights-out right now, and she’s hitting a variety of shots each weekend. Additionally, with her speed, quickness, and length, she is a problem attacking the basket and finishing above taller defenders, as well as at the defensive end where she gets her hands on a lot of passes. She’ll still need to get stronger, but she is making a lot of noise.
Reagan Wilson
Reagan
Wilson
5'7" | PG
Noblesville | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-7 CG, Noblesville H.S.
And speaking of noise, it is hard enough to get a Senior to talk on the floor because it isn’t “cool”, so the fact that an incoming Freshman might be one of the best communicators I’ve heard all Summer, means that a lot of you have some work to do. Reagan is always engaged with her teammates, whether she’s on the floor or the bench, and whether it’s a live or dead ball. She is intelligent and observant, and that alone will likely earn her some opportunities down the road. Additionally, she is a really nice athlete, she plays with a great motor, and she can handle, pass, attack and finish, shoot, and defend. Watch out for this youngster.