In The Crossroads: 16U
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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…
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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. This past 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 16U Indiana teams I was able to see throughout the 3-day tournament.
Grand Park Premier UA Rise – Drudge
This team is always fun to watch, because they seem like they get along great together, they play hard, intelligently, and are well-coached. They were a strong 5-0 in the Blue 16U division, knocking off
Indiana Elite Havoc
in the Championship Game on Sunday. Up until this past weekend, I had not seen 5-11 power forward Taylor Bowen (2022) of Culver Girls Academy yet this Summer. She has gotten so much stronger but still maintains good athleticism, nice length, and she is a great inside-out type of player. She has just the right amount of nastiness to her, where she’s tough and willing to be very physical, but she also understands when to turn that on and off, and when to be a skilled basketball player. She can shoot the 3-pointer, she’s great in the mid-post, and she can even take smaller defenders to the block and score it. I continue to be excited about 5-7 guard
Chesney Tebbe
Chesney
Tebbe
5'7" | CG
Westfield | 2022
State
IN
‘s (2022) growth this last year as a player. The Westfield guard is extremely long, quick/fast, and fluid in all directions. She makes plays at the defensive end of the floor with her length and ability, plus she can play either guard position offensively equally well and have an impact at that end. 5-9 wing
Kennedy Tolen
Kennedy
Tolen
5'9" | SF
Benton Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Benton Central is another player whose game has changed since last Summer. She too is stronger, more physical, and just does more things on the floor this year. I feel like she used to be “just a shooter”, but now she’s a much more complete basketball player.
Indiana Ambition Elite – Kain (First Look)
In their first, and likely only, tournament of the Summer, this Ambition group showed that scrappiness Southern Indiana girls are known for. 5-7 wing
Megan Kain
Megan
Kain
5'8" | SG
Castle | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Castle is a really nice athlete in all directions, she’s a versatile player, and she plays with a strong motor at both ends of the floor. Offensively, she does a little of everything, from handling the ball on occasion, to knocking down an open jumper, to attacking the basket for scores. Defensively, she can chase around most ‘2s’ and ‘3s’ and limit their scoring opportunities. 5-8 guard Shelbie Beatty (2022) of Owensboro Apollo High School in Kentucky showed a lot of upside as well. She is a strong guard with broad shoulders, some length, and good North/South athleticism. She handled the ball quite a bit, attacked the basket strong, but also knocked down open rhythm jumpers. 5-9 forward Kate Breeden (2022) of Evansville Mater Dei should see her opportunity increase a little this coming Winter. She has really good length, fluid athleticism in most directions, and a nice all-around feel for the game. She is a coach’s daughter, and she plays like it. She is also starting to shoot the ball consistently from around the perimeter, but she’s great in the mid-post as well. 5-8 forward
Taylor Hart
Taylor
Hart
5'8" | PF
Gibson Southern | 2022
IN
(2022) of Gibson Southern is all energy all the time. She is a long and athletic forward who runs through walls. She is an active rebounder, a versatile and aggressive defender, and she is a nice mid-post scorer who can play around the perimeter from time to time.
Indiana Elite Prime – Marlin
This Prime team is loaded with 2023 talent, but I think I’m most impressed with how 5-7 point guard
Koryn Greiwe
Koryn
Greiwe
5'7" | PG
Columbus East | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Columbus East has played this Summer. It is often difficult to go from a key scoring role to more of a setup role, but she has done that nicely and has played about as consistently as anyone I’ve seen in the Class of 2022 this Summer. She is a strong kid and can still shoot/score it from all over the floor, but her improved handle, passing, and vision are what stand out the most. This was also the best I have seen 5-8 guard
Bailey Tabeling
Bailey
Tabeling
5'10" | SG
Trinity Lutheran | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Trinity Lutheran play this Summer. She is a long and fluid athlete, a quietly tough-nosed kid, but her ability to really shoot the ball with range, plus her improved handle, make her a difficult matchup. I also think the progression 6-3 post
Brooklyn Smitherman
Brooklyn
Smitherman
6'4" | C
Noblesville | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Noblesville has made with this team has been impressive. She came into high school as a fairly unmolded ball of clay, but she has vastly improved her skill and understanding of the game, she has tremendous length, and she runs the floor well and with effort. I think her hands and footwork have also improved, but more importantly, she looks like she’s excited about the game. One last player who I thought stood out was 5-8 guard
Savanna Bischoff
Savanna
Bischoff
5'9" | SG
Center Grove | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Roncalli. She has gotten noticeably stronger, but she’s also playing with a stronger mentality, she’s shooting it well outside, and I have a hunch she is going to make a big leap statistically for Roncalli this coming Winter. With Eastern Illinois University signee
Alana Vinson
Alana
Vinson
5'10" | SF
Roncalli | 2020
State
IN
(2020) graduating, Savanna could step into a big-time role.
Indiana Elite Venom – Burgher
This past weekend for Venom, I felt like it was the taller prospects who played the best when I was able to see them. 6-5 post
Gracie Merkle
Gracie
Merkle
6'6" | C
Bullitt East | 2022
State
KY
(2022) of Bullitt East High School in Kentucky was a real problem at times inside. She has a big frame, overwhelming strength, and she’s able to take position on the block with ease. She has soft hands and touch around the rim, and if she catches it inside of about 8-feet, you’re in trouble. She also does a nice job of being a real presence in the paint defensively. This was by far the most confident and aggressive I have seen 6-0 forward
Kennedy Wenger
Kennedy
Wenger
6'1" | PF
Evansville Mater Dei | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Evansville Mater Dei play in this environment. She looked to shoot/score on each catch, she played with a lot of energy, and she was active on the boards as well. She has a nice inside-out game offensively, especially with her ability to shoot it, but she does need to add some more strength soon. 6-0 forward
Diana Burgher
Diana
Burgher
6'0" | PF
North Harrison | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of North Harrison was again very assertive around the basket. She is such a well-balanced athlete, that her movements look effortless at times. She’s defending the ball a lot better and can take on wings at times defensively, plus she has been pursuing a number of rebounds outside of her area. As much as I felt like Wenger had her best weekend of the Summer, I felt the same about 5-5 point guard
Hadley Lytton
Hadley
Lytton
5'5" | PG
Heritage Hills | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Heritage Hills. She is a strong, tough-nosed, traditional lead guard, but she looked much more poised and confident against pressure over the weekend. She has a solid handle, she can bury open jumpers, and she’s good at setting up teammates in advantageous positions to score.
Indiana Flight UAA – Kincer
This team competes with just about everyone their age and older, and they have a really nice collection of athletic guards and wings, but I can’t emphasize enough the importance of what a healthy
Jozee Rhodes
Jozee
Rhodes
6'0" | PF
Plainfield | 2022
State
IN
(2022) does for this roster. The 6-0 power forward creates mismatches at the ‘4’ because she is so skilled offensively that she can stretch a defense, score it in the mid-post or on the low-block, plus she’s tough as nails, she rebounds the ball at a high level, and she defends both ‘4s’ and ‘5s’ on the interior with physicality. It seems like her approach is infectious and it makes her teammates play tougher. 5-9 guard
Rayah Kincer
Rayah
Kincer
5'10" | CG
Franklin Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Franklin Central has been pretty consistent all Summer as well. She is versatile and can really play any of three perimeter positions because of her size, strength, and skill. For this team, she is their primary ball-handler, she initiates the offense a lot of the time, but she is a nice North/South athlete who can get downhill quickly and attack the basket for scores or at least draw free throw attempts. Then there are 5-8 guards
Ella Wolfe
Ella
Wolfe
5'8" | SG
Tipton | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Tipton and
Makayla Hinshaw
Makayla
Hinshaw
5'8" | SG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Hamilton Southeastern. These two are dripping with potential, and you see glimpses of that when they explode onto the ball defensively to deflect/steal it, or when they turn the corner offensively and simply outrun their defender to the basket to score a layup. They both have great length and speed, plus they play with a nice intensity. And pick your poison, as Ella is a lefty and Makayla is a righty.
Nike Lady Gym Rats EYBL – Hollins
Like many Indiana programs’ top 16U teams this year, what has impressed me about this Gym Rats group is what they’ve been able to accomplish with many 2023s playing “up”. At the same time, I feel like 5-10 point guard
Tanyuel Welch
Tanyuel
Welch
5'10" | PG
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Indianapolis North Central has been a huge addition for them these last couple of tournaments. She has great length, speed, and playmaking ability. But over the course of this weekend, I was incredibly impressed with how quick-footed she was defensively on the ball. It’s obvious she has athletic talent, but for her to dictate which way the ball-handler goes at times is elite and frustrating for the opposition. I also think she’s shooting it much more confidently and consistently everywhere on the floor. With a few of their regular teammates playing “up” with 17U Gym Rats groups, girls like
Asiah Baxter
Asiah
Baxter
5'10" | SF
Warren Central | 2023
State
IN
(2023) and
Olivia Brown
Olivia
Brown
5'7" | PG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(2023) saw a lot more opportunity and shined because of it. Baxter is a strong, physical, and athletic 5-10 forward from Warren Central. She has shown a great deal more versatility and perimeter ability this Summer than she has in the past. She is still great in the mid-post and strong around the rim, but her ability to shoot or put it on the floor has really elevated her game. Brown is a pass-first point guard who really gets after it defensively. The 5-7 playmaker from Hamilton Southeastern has looked nice in the open floor, often making plays for her teammates, plus she’s aggressively attacking the rim. Adding a consistent jumper is all she’s missing to be a complete guard. I don’t recall whether I’ve mentioned her or not previously this Summer, but 5-5 guard
Alaysha Brandenberger
Alaysha
Brandenberger
5'6" | CG
Boonville | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Boonville is another guard on this team who has really transformed her game this Summer. Like
Koryn Greiwe
Koryn
Greiwe
5'7" | PG
Columbus East | 2022
State
IN
(above), Alaysha has gone from being a big-time shooter/scorer, to taking on more ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities, she has responded nicely, and she has played very well at times.
Nike Lady Gym Rats – Smiley (First Look)
While I’ve said this about many other teams, hopefully it’s an upward trend in Indiana in general, but Coach Smiley’s group is incredibly feisty, while also being athletic and aggressive at both ends of the floor. I really thought 5-6 wing
London Brooks
London
Brooks
5'6" | SG
Ben Davis | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Cathedral stood out when I saw them this past weekend. She is a strong, physical, but athletic wing who plays multiple roles because of her versatility. She is kind of like a point forward, she handles it well in transition, and she is a nice passer with good vision. I like her strength attacking the basket and finishing, plus she works at the defensive end and rebounds her position well. 5-6 point guard
Kyrisha Hay-Swope
Kyrisha
Hay-Swope
5'6" | PG
Castle | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Castle is always entertaining to watch. She is a really nice athlete with speed and quickness, she has good length, wiry strength, and she always seems to play with a motor. She is a playmaker off the bounce, a tough-nosed defender, and if she starts shooting it consistently from 20-feet, she’ll be a really tough matchup. 5-7 guard
Tori Smiley
Tori
Smiley
5'7" | CG
Lawrence Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Lawrence Central also put together some really nice moments. She is extremely long, quick/fast, and aggressive. She has always been programmed more like a shooter/scorer, but now she’s handling it much better, finding teammates in transition, and really becoming an all-around playmaker. New to me was 5-4 point guard Lauren Smith (2022) of Cowan. She isn’t very big, but she has really good length, she’s quick/fast and is a nice athlete in most directions, plus she plays with a really nice motor. She is fairly skillful with the ball, she can find teammates or knock down an open jumper, and defensively she plays with energy and can frustrate opponents. Cowan could have a really nice season this year with the combination of her and their strong interior play at the Class 1A level.
Other Notes:
While I have noted them a few times previously, I was able to slide over and watch some of
Indiana Elite Havoc
‘s Saturday afternoon game. While she isn’t an Indiana kid, 5-10 guard
Mallory Ramage
Mallory
Ramage
5'11" | CG
Mattoon | 2022
State
IL
(2022) of Mattoon High School in Illinois was outstanding. She has had a big month, picking up a number of Division-I offers, and it’s easy to see why. She is so fluid, smooth, and athletic, plus the lefty can aggressively attack the basket and finish or knock down shot after shot from the perimeter, and with range. I also like how she uses her length at the defensive end of the floor. 5-11 wing
Anna Blank
Anna
Blank
6'0" | CG
Olney | 2022
State
IL
(2022) of Richland County High School in Illinois was also solid. She has a strong frame with broad shoulders, she has a nice handle and plays almost a point forward role offensively, plus she scores it fairly well at all three levels.