An Early Look: 2024 Small Forwards
The Fall rankings season is upon us, and Tuesday we expanded our online list of 2024 prospects from 60 to 80 girls, creating a Top-10 list to highlight those who have stood out in the short time we’ve gotten to…
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Continue ReadingThe Fall rankings season is upon us, and Tuesday we expanded our online list of 2024 prospects from 60 to 80 girls, creating a Top-10 list to highlight those who have stood out in the short time we’ve gotten to know their games. Below we specifically look at some of the small forward prospects in the 2024 class who have either (a) made the Top-10, (b) seen their stock rising because of their Summer play, or (c) are making their first appearance on our 2024 watch list.
HEAD OF THE CLASS
There are several really nice wing prospects in the 2024 class, and three of them found their way into our Top-10 list, regardless of position. #2 overall Ellery Minch Ellery Minch 6'3" | PF Mt. Vernon (Fortville) | 2024 State IN of Mount Vernon (Fortville, Indiana), #7 Aniyah Bishop Aniyah Bishop 5'10" | SF Lake Central | 2024 State IN of Lake Central, and #10 Destini Craig Destini Craig 5'9" | PF Fort Wayne Northrop | 2024 State IN of Fort Wayne Snider all find themselves at the head of the class at this point in time, but there are definitely other worthy candidates close behind them. The 6-2 Minch had a solid Summer, but her recruiting has recently started to build momentum, picking up an upper-tier Division-I offer towards the end of August. She is an extremely long, wiry strong, and fluid slasher who does a nice job of creating off the bounce. She can play almost a point forward position at times, initiating the offense, creating for herself, or finding teammates in positions to score. She moves well in most directions, she has some bounce to her, and I like the potential for her to become a versatile defender because of her length. As she continues to shoot it more consistently outside and works on her lateral quickness, I think she’ll see her recruiting rise more and more.
Bishop is the younger sister of 2018 Indiana All-Star Jenasae Bishop (Boston College/Wright State), but there games are quite different. Jenasae is more of a physical, power point guard type of prospect with a very mature floor game. Aniyah is a run-and-jump athlete with tremendous length, fluidity, and she plays with a great deal of energy. She is a playmaker in transition, as she can get to the rim easily or find open teammates. I think the next step for her is to be able to play more efficiently in a stationary setting in the half-court, whether it’s against set defense or zone where she can’t use her athleticism as easily, but she does play hard and has a solid feel for the game. Craig, a 5-10 forward from the Summit City, is somewhat unique in this class. She is a strong, physical, and fairly athletic kid who uses her size and strength to attack the basket. She is a nice one-directional athlete who is always attacking the basket. She has a little touch outside, but as she continues to shoot it more consistently and work on changing directions off the bounce, I think she could become a scary scorer. She almost strikes me as a kid who has transitioned from a power position to the wing. She’ll be part of a nice young nucleus at Snider this year.
STOCK-RISERS
A pair of Southwestern Indiana wings come to mind as having impressed in my opportunities to see them this Summer/Fall. 5-9 wing Sophie Johnson Sophie Johnson 6'0" | PF Evansville Memorial | 2024 State IN of Evansville Memorial is a long, wiry strong, fluid, and somewhat bouncy athlete who moves well in all directions. She has a nice handle and can effectively push the ball in transition and create offense for herself or teammates. She is a solid slashing scorer in the half-court, and I think she can become a consistent shooter outside over time. I’ve heard a lot about other Evansville prospects in 2024, but I think Sophia has about as much potential as any of them. Vincennes Lincoln’s Macy Sexton Macy Sexton 5'10" | PF Vincennes Lincoln | 2024 IN , also in that 5-9 to 5-10 range, is a really nice, fluid athlete with tremendous length. She also has a solid handle and can occasionally initiate the offense, but she is most effective as a scorer first. She has played everywhere on the floor in the past, spending time around the block and on the wing, but I think she is a matchup problem in the mid-post. She is great at catching, ripping, and taking one to two dribbles and getting to the rim for athletic scores. I also like her potential to become a versatile on-ball defender.
NEWCOMERS
As we expanded our 2024 watch list by 20 prospects, four of the newcomers are small forwards. The most intriguing of the bunch might be 6-0 wing Brooklyn Bell of Greenwood. She is extremely long, very fluid and smooth, and she has a solid handle. She can handle it in transition, run offense, and create scoring opportunities for others. She is still thin and will need to get stronger to absorb contact better, but she might still grow, and the combination of her height, fluidity, and skill are very exciting for a young prospect. She could play a lot early and often for the Woodmen this Winter. Another nice prospect I’m sure people statewide are somewhat unfamiliar with is Sadie Marks Sadie Marks 5'9" | PF South Central (Union Mills) | 2024 IN of South Central (Union Mills, Indiana). The 5-8 wing is a point forward in the traditional sense, as she is the primary ball-handler, playmaker, and scorer for her grassroots team. She has a wiry strong, athletic frame, some length, and is a really nice athlete in all directions. She plays with a motor, can score it at all three levels reasonably well, and she is versatile as a defender. I really like her upside and potential, and I think she could make an immediate impact for the Satellites this season.
Also up North is 5-9 forward Gaby Gates Gaby Gates 5'11" | PF Northridge | 2024 State IN of Northridge. She could be a tremendous asset at the high school level, as she has a nice inside-out game. She is strong, she has broad shoulders, and she has an athletic frame with some length. She plays with an outstanding motor, battles inside for rebounds and can score it against traditional posts, plus she’s really effective in the mid-post where she can consistently knock down the 15-footer. She is reasonably comfortable outside, and I think over the next year she will be more of a permanent wing as she continues to develop her handle and make her perimeter jumper more consistent. Emma Hendricks Emma Hendricks 5'8" | SF Brownsburg | 2024 State IN of Brownsburg is a solid, efficient, high IQ basketball player. The 5-8 wing is a fairly consistent shooter/scorer at all three levels, she’s a solid all-around athlete with a quiet toughness about her, and she plays with a nice motor. She has a good feel for the game and can handle it a little and initiate the offense from time to time, plus she’ll get inside against bigger players and rebound/defend when asked. I think she is most effective in the mid-post or around the perimeter.