In The Crossroads: 15U/14U
In this article:
Throughout July, the Indianapolis Convention Center has played host to a number of girls’ and boys’ basketball tournaments. I don’t know that I ever recall the facility being used in this capacity, so it was, in a way, really nice…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThroughout July, the Indianapolis Convention Center has played host to a number of girls’ and boys’ basketball tournaments. I don’t know that I ever recall the facility being used in this capacity, so it was, in a way, really nice and exciting to have a lot of great action locally without really needing to travel much with the global pandemic we are all subject to still ongoing. Last weekend, a pair of tournaments originally slated for other destinations came together to form one last tournament downtown in the Crossroads of America. I was able to see a couple of more teams for the first time this Summer, I saw a few more teams I felt I needed to see again, and I was able to catch some nice national programs for the first time as well. Below is a look at the 15U and 14U Indiana teams I was able to see throughout the 3-day tournament.
Always 100 Elite 15U – Jackson
I have seen and commented on this talented group a couple of times already, but I felt like some of the girls who I haven’t mentioned much really stepped up and played well when I saw them over the weekend. I was very impressed by the play of 5-5 guard Madi Vice (2023) of Central Noble. She is a tough-nosed, wiry strong, feisty, scrappy little guard who plays with a great motor. She is always in the mix and doesn’t shy away from contact, she can handle and play point, she can play off the ball and make shots or attack the basket, and she’s a capable and energetic defender. I also feel like twins
Nevaeh Jackson
Nevaeh
Jackson
6'0" | SF
Fort Wayne Northrop | 2023
State
IN
(2023) and
Saniya Jackson
Saniya
Jackson
6'0" | SF
Fort Wayne Northrop | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Fort Wayne Carroll are really starting to come into their own. A year ago, they were somewhat transitioning from the low-post and mid-post to the wing, but now they look so much more comfortable outside, and while they still need to add some muscle, they are playing stronger and with a great deal more confidence. I love their length, bounce, and quickness, as they are tough to pass around, whether they are on the ball 1-on-1 or in trapping defenses. One of this team’s most consistent players over the Summer has been 5-10 forward
Alison Stephens
Alison
Stephens
5'11" | SF
Homestead | 2023
State
IN
of Homestead. She has a strong frame and is willing to play physical inside the arc. But she’s also highly skilled in the mid-post, and she’s comfortable around the perimeter and can knock down shots, put it on the floor and attack, plus she’s a versatile defender.
Indiana Ambition Elite 15U – Lewis (First Look)
The Ambition program has been around for a couple of years in Indiana, but they are starting to attend more tournaments and put themselves a little more “on the map”. This 15U group is led by a pair of nice guard prospects. 5-9 guard
Emily Mattingly
Emily
Mattingly
5'10" | SF
Evansville Memorial | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Evansville Memorial started for a deep and talented Memorial group who expects big things this coming Winter. She is a fairly strong, athletic, and versatile perimeter player with a nice mixture of talent and skill. She is a good shooter, she can attack the basket and absorb contact to finish, plus she can slide over and handle the ball from time to time. I also thought 5-9 guard Adylan Ayer (2023) of Daviess County High School in Kentucky stood out in a big way. She is extremely long, fluid, and somewhat smooth as an athlete. She’ll need to get stronger over time, but she already absorbs contact fairly well and is willing to be physical. She can handle the ball and comfortably play point guard, but she’s also big enough to play off the ball at the ‘2’ or the ‘3’ if needed. She is just as versatile at the defensive end of the floor, and she plays with a nice motor. Another resident of the Bluegrass State who performed well was 5-2 guard Bailey Poole (2023) of Hancock County High School. She might be shorter, but she’s tough-nosed, wiry strong, and she plays with a great motor. She is very balanced in how she plays, and she shot the ball well from the perimeter. I also thought 5-10 forward
Lydia Bordfeld
Lydia
Bordfeld
5'11" | SF
Evansville Memorial | 2023
IN
(2023) of Evansville Memorial had some moments. She looks a little taller and stronger than she did last Fall in league play, but she is still a solid North/South athlete, and she has a well-rounded skillset. She can play around the perimeter or in the mid-post effectively.
Indiana Ambition Elite 14U – Lewis (First Look)
The younger entry for the Ambition program also shows a lot of promise throughout their roster. I felt like 5-9 wing
Sophie Johnson
Sophie
Johnson
6'0" | PF
Evansville Memorial | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Evansville Memorial played very well when I was able to see this team. She is extremely long, a little thin right now, but very fluid and smooth as an athlete. She plays sort of a point forward position for this team, she handles it well, and she can attack the basket and finish or find open teammates in positions to score. She has a chance to impact a talented high school team this Winter, but as she gets stronger over the years, look for her to develop into a go-to type of kid. 6-5 post Kaelyse Mitchell (2025) of Evansville F.J. Reitz obviously stands out because of her size. She has a very broad, strong frame, she should be able to develop into an overpowering prospect, plus she has some touch and skill facing the basket to about 12-feet. As she continues to get stronger and more athletic, she could develop into a real nice prospect because of her height/size. Another nice prospect to note is 5-8 guard
Chloey Graham
Chloey
Graham
5'9" | SG
Gibson Southern | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Gibson Southern. She has a wiry strong, athletic frame, a little length, and she’s a solid athlete in all directions. She is respected as a high-level shooter from the perimeter, but I was more impressed with her overall understanding and feel for the game. Her balance and poise could earn her some early clock for a nice Gibson Southern program. Washington High School in Indiana already has a nice collection of talent coming back, but 5-7 wing Hayleigh Cummins (2024) could get on the floor immediately. She has a strong frame, she’s skilled with the ball, and I think she could be a nice, skillful forward who can set up teammates or score it herself. She’ll need to be able to defend Varsity level players a little better, but if she can understand angles and anticipate better, she can definitely help the Hatchets.
Indiana Shock 15U – Britton (First Look)
This team as a whole is one of the harder working 15U teams, plus they are well-coached and play with a solid understanding of the game. 6-1 power forward
Amber Tretter
Amber
Tretter
6'1" | PF
Forest Park | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Forest Park stood out consistently. She is incredibly long, tall, and very bouncy. She’s a bit on the thin side, but she’s deceptively strong and physically aggressive. What impressed me the most was her willingness as a thinner kid to get on the floor first, and to make first contact on box-outs or post-ups. She also possesses some touch outside, and she runs the floor like a gazelle. Forest Park teammate
Lydia Betz
Lydia
Betz
5'10" | SF
Forest Park | 2023
State
IN
(2023), a 5-10 forward, also showed a really nice skillset and understanding of the game. She has broad shoulders, a wiry strong frame, and she plays with a good motor. She has a soft lefty touch from the perimeter, plus she can also handle it at times and run offense, or she can attack downhill and get to the rim in 1-2 dribbles and finish through contact. This was my first time seeing 5-5 point guard Trinity Britton (2023) of South Spencer, and I really enjoyed her grit and feistiness. She is the daughter of a coach and plays with a good basketball IQ. She can handle and run offense, she can knock down open, rhythm jumpers from the perimeter, but she’s also fairly strong at her size and can get into the lane. She plays with a solid motor and is a willing defender. One other prospect who stands out is 5-10 forward
Reagan Martin
Reagan
Martin
5'11" | PF
Owen Valley | 2023
IN
(2023) of Owen Valley. She is still growing, so I think she’ll gain more explosion as she gets older, but she is a quietly tough-nosed kid, she seeks contact and plays very physical inside of 15-feet, but she also has some touch facing the basket to the 3-point line. I think she’ll be a completely different player, in a good way, a couple of years from now.
Lady Team Teague 15U – Roach (First Look)
This Lady Team Teague group has a lot of nice, still-developing, young talent. One player who I had never seen before the weekend who really stood out, was 6-1 post Cristen Carter (2023) of Ben Davis. She had a really nice showing and is definitely on our radar now. She is long, wiry strong, and has some North/South speed. She plays with a good motor, is willing to be physical, she posts strong and has solid hands, plus she’ll rebound in and out of her area. She’ll need continued skill work, but she has a really nice ceiling to improve. 5-7 point guard
Talia Harris
Talia
Harris
5'8" | PG
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Fishers is playing stronger than she did a year ago, completing more plays and playing at a higher efficiency. She’s smooth and fluid as an athlete, she can create for herself or others, and she’s starting to shoot it better outside. She’s another prospect who will really be helped out as she gains strength. 5-6 wing
Giavonnie Belton
Giavonnie
Belton
5'7" | SG
Pike | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Pike was on target as well throughout the game I saw. She has always been a nice, long athlete who attacks the rim, but it was her shooting from the perimeter that I noticed had improved a great deal. She has also improved her on-ball defense quite a bit. A strong, tough-nosed guard who plays with a lot of energy is 5-2
Joirdyn Smith
Joirdyn
Smith
5'4" | CG
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Fishers. She can play on or off the ball equally well, she has very good quickness and she’s quick with the ball, plus she can shoot/score it at all three levels. If she can turn the corner and get downhill on a defender, she’s either going to get an and-1 at the basket or at least draw a trip to the free throw line.
Nike Lady Gym Rats 15U – Walker
Last weekend this team saw as much turnover on their roster as any, with players playing for older teams within the program, or needing to miss due to other conflicts. With that said, I’m going to focus on some of the other girls from their original roster I haven’t talked much about yet. 5-0 point guard
Sydne Tolbert
Sydne
Tolbert
5'6" | CG
DuPont Manual | 2023
State
KY
(2023) of DuPont Manual High School in Kentucky is an extremely quick/fast, water-bug type of playmaker. She gets into gaps quickly and easily, collapses defenses, and either finishes with a variety of floaters or layups, plus she does a nice job of finding teammates. Sydne can also lock up just about anywhere on the floor. 5-9 forward Catherine Madden (2023) of Cathedral played about as well as I can remember. She is a long, wiry strong, fairly athletic forward who is great in the mid-post. She can occasionally step out and knock down shots, but she’s such a good 15-foot jump-shooter, plus she’s an active rebounder. I also like her ability to defend multiple positions. 5-5 point guard
Lauren Barker
Lauren
Barker
5'5" | CG
Columbus North | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Columbus North plays with little fear and is about as tough as they come. She has a strong, athletic frame, she possesses good quickness, and she plays with a tremendous motor. She has played both on and off the ball in the past, and she’s a capable shooter, but she’s starting to transition into more of a traditional point guard role and adjusting nicely. I also like her energy at the defensive end of the floor. 5-11 wing
Riley Makalusky
Riley
Makalusky
6'2" | SF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Hamilton Southeastern should find more minutes this year for the Royals, as several key players graduated. She is still very long and somewhat thin, but she plays physical for her build, she is quietly tough, stronger than she looks, and she can score it attacking the basket or making jumpers from beyond the arc. I think her handle has improved quite a bit, as has her rebounding and defensive presence.
Other Notes:
I was able to catch the Indiana Attack (IABC) 15U team for a few minutes on Saturday, and they have a couple of really nice forward prospects who stand out. 5-9 wing Gaby Gates (2024) of Northridge is a really solid young player who could play immediately for the Lady Raiders. She has a wiry strong frame, she’s a nice athlete in all directions, and she’s very versatile. She’ll play some in the mid-post and defend bigger players, but she can also handle it some and knock down shots around the perimeter. I also thought 5-9 forward Peyton Hull (2023) of South Bend Saint Joseph played well. She is another wiry strong, versatile forward. She’s a good all-around athlete, more of a physical mid-post kid, but she did play around the perimeter on occasion and looked pretty smooth shooting it out there. I also caught a little of the Indiana Flight Future 14U team, and they added 5-9 wing
Allison Caldwell
Allison
Caldwell
5'11" | SG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Zionsville for the weekend. Her dynamic play adds to any team, and I am really impressed with her natural feel and awareness for the game. She can handle, really pass, and knock down shots. She’ll just need to continue getting stronger. As usual, 5-10 power forward
Juliann Woodard
Juliann
Woodard
6'1" | PF
Jennings County | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Jennings County stepped up for them as well. I’m still trying to figure out how she projects as a prospect, but as a ballplayer, she’s highly productive and almost dominant against her peers. She is strong inside, she has good hands and balance, and she finishes just about everything. The Southern Indiana Blaze is another 14U program I recently came across, and I was able to catch a few minutes of two of their games. I was most impressed with 5-6 guard Sydney Waldron (2024) of Our Lady of Providence. She is a wiry strong, tough-nosed, and fairly physical combo guard. She was one of the toughest kids I saw over the weekend, she handled the ball and found teammates, but she also played off the ball and could score it in a variety of ways. She should fit the Providence system quite nicely. Her backcourt ‘mate was 5-4 guard
LaQaya Gold
LaQaya
Gold
5'4" | CG
Jeffersonville | 2024
IN
(2024) of Jeffersonville. LaQaya is a strong, physical, but fairly quick combo guard. She handled the ball and made plays for others, she got to the basket and scored, plus she defended with a good motor and seemed very coachable throughout the portions I saw. I’m not sure if she’ll be able to help a good Jeffersonville program this year, but she’ll definitely be in the mix over the years to come.