Top-250: First Look
Sunday, October 11th, was Indiana’s second annual Top-250 Expo, showcasing many of the state’s top ballplayers, along with a handful of young ladies from Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. The event took place in Fort Wayne at the Plassman Athletic…
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Continue ReadingSunday, October 11th, was Indiana’s second annual Top-250 Expo, showcasing many of the state’s top ballplayers, along with a handful of young ladies from Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. The event took place in Fort Wayne at the Plassman Athletic Center at Turnstone, and there were 158 registrants, 30+ more than a year ago. The nice thing about these events as an evaluator, is that you often come across a number of girls you have never seen before, whether it’s because their high schools are at a distance, or they don’t participate in grassroots basketball. With that in mind, below is a look at just a handful of the more than 20 prospects who I was able to view for the first time this past weekend.
Anna Caster, 2021, 5-10 F, The Lutheran H.S. of Indianapolis
Anna is a very interesting prospect who I would like to see again over the Winter. She has a wiry strong to solid frame, she has a little length, and she’s a decent athlete in most directions. What stood out to me was her versatility. She played with a nice motor and battled inside against power forwards and posts, she rebounded the ball fairly well, plus she finished in the paint a few times. But she was equally effective facing the basket in the mid-post, she looked like she had a well-balanced skillset and could knock down the 15-footer or put it on the floor a little, plus she wasn’t uncomfortable around the perimeter either. I think she’ll be recruited as more of a face-up ’4’, but she is certainly intriguing and I think could be a nice small college recruit.
Ellia Foster
Ellia
Foster
5'8" | SF
Bremen | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-7 SF, Bremen H.S.
We’ve had Ellia’s name and had her ranked for a little while now, but this was my first time actually seeing her live, though I have seen a bit of film on her in the past. Ellia is a nice athlete who moves well in most directions. She plays with a nice motor and affects the game at both ends of the floor because of it. Offensively, she is always on attack, looking to get to the basket and score the ball. She does have a little touch around the perimeter, but she is a downhill attacker first and foremost. I also liked her effort defensively, as she proved to be able to defend a variety of wings and bigger guards, plus I felt like she rebounded her position well. She will likely become the go-to at Bremen this coming season.
Olivia Webb, 2022, 5-5 CG, Cardinal Ritter H.S.
Like most kids who come out of Cardinal Ritter, Olivia is a high IQ, skilled, and hard-working prospect. I really enjoyed watching her and felt like she thought the game about as well as any of the girls in attendance. She was steady at her worst, and she shot the ball extremely well at her best. When she was able to get her feet set and see any daylight, she was almost automatic outside. She showed solid athleticism, she handled the ball a little and ran offense from time to time, plus she was effortful at the defensive end of the floor as well. I have a feeling that Olivia and
Emma Litzelman
Emma
Litzelman
5'7" | SG
Cardinal Ritter | 2021
State
IN
will compliment each other well playing alongside one another this Winter for the Lady Raiders.
Savannah Boerema
Savannah
Boerema
5'7" | CG
Northridge | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-5 CG, Concord H.S.
Savannah is another prospect we’ve had in our database for a little while, but again, this was my first time being able to watch her in person. I like her length, her potential to become a really nice, wiry strong guard, plus she had fluid athleticism in most directions. She handled the ball confidently, she played with a nice motor at both ends of the floor, and she showed a balanced skillset offensively. She can act as a primary ball-handler and run offense, getting the ball to open teammates, plus she can knock down the occasional jumper outside. I think it could benefit her to get just a little more explosive laterally over the next six to eight months, but she does have a deceptively quick first step.
Jaci Menard, 2023, 5-11 PF, Boone Grove H.S.
Assuming I have connected the dots correctly, Jaci moved into Boone Grove this school year from Stevens High School in Claremont, New Hampshire. She is a very interesting power forward prospect, because she has a strong frame, she can use her physicality inside for positioning, and she can score it a little around the basket, all while looking much more comfortable facing the basket. She has a nice-looking jump-shot, she is productive in the mid-post and short-corners, plus she can knock down the occasional 3-pointer when she has her feet set and is in rhythm. To play outside permanently, she’ll need to prove she can defend wings consistently, but as a face-up ’4’, she is really intriguing.
Audri Spencer
Audri
Spencer
5'6" | SG
Northview | 2023
IN
, 2023, 5-6 W, Northview H.S.
Once again, Audri is someone we’ve had in the database for a little while, but this was my first opportunity to see her live. She is somewhat of a position-less ballplayer, because she does a little of everything for her teams. She has a strong, almost powerful frame like a forward, but she has guard skills as well. She is deceptively quick, she does a nice job of pushing it in transition and finding open teammates, plus she can get downhill and attack the basket for scores. Offensively, she can play either guard spot or even some small forward if necessary. My biggest concern from a position standpoint is who she’ll defend at the next level. I really like how she thinks the game and her skillset, so I’d anticipate her having another nice year for Northview.
Gracie Fields, 2024, 5-6 CG, Huntington North H.S.
As time goes by, I continue to see “new” Freshmen I am getting the opportunity to view for the first time. Gracie is one of those, and I felt like she had a solid day Sunday. She is rather long for her height, but she’s still somewhat thin in stature. She is a nice, fluid athlete in most directions, and she plays with a good motor. Skillfully, she is somewhat versatile, as she can play either guard spot equally well. She handled it a little and ran offense, she found open teammates, but she also looked to shoot/score herself when the opportunity presented itself. Huntington North seems to have a nice, young nucleus coming together right now with 2023s and 2024s, and I would look for Gracie to be in the Varsity mix early in her career, if she can handle the physicality.
Kennedy Fuelling, 2024, 5-6 CG, Norwell H.S.
For as long as there is basketball being played in Adams and Wells Counties, there will forever be Fuellings on the floor making plays. Kennedy is the next one up at Norwell, and she showed a lot of upside Sunday in Fort Wayne. She is a fluidly athletic, versatile kid with some length and an athletic frame. She has quickness and is somewhat quick with the ball as well. She can handle the ball and run offense, plus she does a nice job of attacking the basket from the wing. I didn’t see her take a lot of long jumpers, so I would like to evaluate that part of her game at some point, but I felt like she had a good all-around feel for the game and showed a nice basketball IQ. She also showed some versatility defensively and defended with effort.