2022 Power Forward Review
The featured image is of Alaina Thorne Alaina Thorne 6'0" | PF Washington | 2022 State IN of Washington High School and Indiana Flight UAA 16U-Kincer. While the frontline group in the Class of 2022 might not be as top…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Alaina Thorne Alaina Thorne 6'0" | PF Washington | 2022 State IN of Washington High School and Indiana Flight UAA 16U-Kincer.
While the frontline group in the Class of 2022 might not be as top heavy with talent as the wings, it is a reasonably deep collection of prospects. Typically there are less quality frontline prospects than any other group, so college coaches, especially small college coaches in this case, tend to overload in recruiting a class such as this, because you never know when a class is going to come along with several quality power forwards and posts. Below is a look at the 45 power forwards who currently reside in our Class of 2022 Top-175 rankings, along with a review of seven of those prospects who have been singled out for a trait we think they do better than anyone else on this list. We will be following this article with a final one on 14 posts in the Class of 2022 very soon.
Best Scorer
For anyone who saw
Jozee Rhodes
Jozee
Rhodes
6'0" | PF
Plainfield | 2022
State
IN
of Plainfield play this Summer, it was evident that she’s back to full-strength and then some. She put together an outstanding grassroots season, especially at the offensive end of the floor, and she proved that she can definitely score the ball consistently at all three levels. She has a strong, physical, but athletic frame with some length, so she can post smaller defenders on the low-block and score inside. She has the ability to take a dribble or two from the mid-post and get to the basket to finish. Plus, she has good touch and awareness, and she’s able to bury shots in the mid-post or as deep as 3-point range when set and in rhythm. I expect a big Winter out of her for the Quakers in 2020-2021.
Most Versatile
There are several different ways you can look at versatility, and to some extent it’s really subjective. With the amount of versatile and inside-out forwards on this list, it was a tough decision, but I felt like
Diana Burgher
Diana
Burgher
6'0" | PF
North Harrison | 2022
State
IN
of North Harrison showed as much versatility at both ends of the floor as anyone. She is one of those players who isn’t necessarily great at any one thing, but she’s good at a number of things. Offensively, she can score at the basket, she can dominate the mid-post at times, and she is developing a perimeter skillset. Defensively, she can defend smaller posts, she can block shots, and she can rebound by blocking out or pursuing caroms outside of her area. Plus, she’s able to step out on the floor and defend wings and bigger guards as well.
Best Rebounder
This class doesn’t have a ton of big, strong, physical frontline players who dominate the boards, as much as they have some really nice, athletic, skillful kids with versatility. Still, though, one player who stands out to me from a rebounding standpoint is
Alaina Thorne
Alaina
Thorne
6'0" | PF
Washington | 2022
State
IN
of Washington. There are a variety of reasons for this, with the top one being that she just outworks opponents and pursues rebounds all over the floor. She has a great motor, athleticism, and length, and it allows her to beat people to the ball. Additionally, while she still needs to add strength to her frame, she does a nice job of using her length in trying to be physical and in boxing out. She’s able to slip inside of her matchup and get between them and the rim, affording her the position she needs to out-jump them to the ball.
Best Defender
When it comes to frontline players, I tend to lean towards versatility when it comes to the defensive end of the floor. That’s why I think
Lilly Stoddard
Lilly
Stoddard
6'4" | PF
Crown Point | 2022
State
#73
Nation
IN
of Crown Point is an effective defender and could become very good at the next level as well. She possesses great height and length and obviously makes opponents think twice before trying to get shots off against her in the paint. She is very athletic and bouncy as well, plus she gets into the air quickly. At the same time, I really like her ability to come out on the floor and defend perimeter forwards or switch ball-screens and be able to contain some guards for a few seconds while her teammates recover. Add to that her awareness and understanding of the game, and she’s rarely out of position from help-side. She is just a complete defender.
Best Athlete
This wasn’t as obvious of a choice as it might seem, as there are several really nice athletes at this position. However, I felt like Ramiah Elliott of North Central was the choice because of her ability to move well in every direction. She is extremely long, bouncy, and quick/fast. She is a star sprinter on the track each Spring, and that’s not only at the state level where she won four state titles as just a Freshman, but also on the National level as well. On the basketball court, she shows that same speed and quickness, switching ends of the court as well as anyone. She can score the ball in the mid-post, she’s quick to rebounds, and she can defend multiple positions because of her athleticism and footwork. If she wanted to, she could become a Division-I basketball recruit, but it’s evident she has a unique ability in track & field.
Best Motor
Just like with every other position group, this is a terribly difficult category to decide upon because so many girls play hard at both ends of the floor. In this case, recent history stood out to me, and I felt like
Novalee Glass
Novalee
Glass
5'11" | PF
Brownsburg | 2022
State
IN
of Brownsburg showed up every possession over the Summer. What’s more impressive is she’s a strong, physical style of front-liner who seeks contact, so she’s likely expending even more energy battling inside. She rim-runs as hard as anyone in transition and sprints to get back going the other direction. She is a nice box-out rebounder, a decent low-block scorer who gets a lot of “scraps” baskets, plus she’s skilled in the mid-post. I think she really helped herself over the Summer and has already seen interest from a few elite Midwestern small colleges.
Most Under The Radar
I’m sure many prospects above think they are under-recruited, as that’s just a competitor’s mindset. So similarly to my selections at other positions, in this category I have chosen someone I doubt many of you are familiar with…kind of the whole point of being considered under the radar. Jaleigh Crawford of Elwood Community is a tremendous 3-sport athlete who excels in all three at the high school level. I’m not sure what kind of prospect she is in volleyball or softball, but in basketball she has Division-I physical talent and a nice, developing skillset. She plays sort of a point forward role for Elwood at times, though she also plays inside, dominates the boards, and scores in the mid-post and at the rim. She has length, wiry strength, and great bounce. She almost didn’t play last Winter, got a late start, and still averaged 17.8 points and 14.4 rebounds per game (she averaged 21.3 points per game over her last 12 games). She has never played grassroots basketball, so very few fans and even fewer college programs know who she is right now…the ultimate under-the-radar type of prospect.