Rankings Review: 2021 Small Forwards
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The featured image is of Laynie Graham Laynie Graham 5'8" | SF Gibson Southern | 2021 State IN of Gibson Southern High School. The last semester for the Class of 2021 is starting to wind down, and with that said,…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Laynie Graham Laynie Graham 5'8" | SF Gibson Southern | 2021 State IN of Gibson Southern High School.
The last semester for the Class of 2021 is starting to wind down, and with that said, the Spring rankings updates serve as our final look at the class as a whole. Our Top-250 is now home to 65 small forward prospects, the biggest position group in the class. There are still several quality prospects who remain uncommitted at this time. There are athletes, scorers, shooters, and some nice point forward types who can run offense on occasion. Below is a look at those 65 prospects, as well as some added information and analysis on a handful of uncommitted girls from this position group. Surely between now and graduation, a few colleges will benefit from commitments by some of them.
Newcomers
Our Spring rankings update isn’t a time for new additions to the outgoing Senior class, and while we didn’t expand from 250 prospects, there were a trio of small forwards added due to some openings on the list. Sarah Hiestand Sarah Hiestand 5'10" | SF South Bend St. Joseph | 2021 State IN of South Bend St. Joseph is a fairly long, fluid, and skillful wing prospect. She can shoot the ball from the perimeter or glide to the basket off the bounce. Allie Govert Allie Govert 5'9" | SF Crown Point | 2021 State IN of Crown Point has been a part of their success the last couple of seasons, but she doesn’t necessarily get the same spotlight as a few of her teammates. She is skilled, intelligent, and gives effort each possession. Addi Jones Addi Jones 5'6" | SF New Palestine | 2021 State IN of New Palestine is unique in her style of play. She might look a little undersized, but she’s strong, tough, and gritty, and she plays much bigger than she is, but she has a lot of versatility and can defend.
Top Uncommitted Small Forwards
1. Kamryn Miller Kamryn Miller 5'9" | SF Gibson Southern | 2021 State IN , Gibson Southern H.S. – I have been a fan of Kamryn’s since I saw her during her Freshman season. She is long, wiry strong, and fluidly athletic. She can play a point forward role and run offense, but she can also attack the basket and score it consistently. She can knock down an open rhythm jumper, but her game is best off the bounce. Defensively, she plays with versatility, as she’s able to defend bigger guards, wings, and some forwards. She is a plug-and-play kid who can help a team in a variety of ways.
2. Gracie Adams Gracie Adams 5'9" | SF Lanesville | 2021 State IN , Lanesville H.S. – Gracie put together a tremendous career, scoring 1801 points, but her Senior season she averaged a career high of 21.4 points per game. She has a strong frame, she plays with a nice motor, and she is tough to stop in the mid-post. She can take smaller defenders to the block, and she can play around the perimeter as well, but at 15-feet she is a force. She has at least one Division-II offer right now, to go along with a ton of NAIA and Division-III offers/interest. I’d expect her to make a commitment soon.
3. Kylee Shelton Kylee Shelton 5'10" | SF Bloomfield | 2021 State IN , Bloomfield H.S. – Kylee has been a four-year starter and contributor for the Cardinals. After injuring her knee midseason in 2019-2020, she returned to the floor this Winter and put together another strong season. What I like most about her game is simply her feel and understanding of how to play. She is very aware at all times, she has nice vision, and she can really pass the ball. Additionally, she has a solid handle, she can attack the basket and be physical, or she can knock down shots outside.
4. Mercedes Rhodes Mercedes Rhodes 5'8" | SF Oregon-Davis | 2021 State IN , Oregon-Davis H.S. – Mercedes is another four-year contributor for her high school, but the numbers she put up the last two seasons earned her a spot on the 2020 Junior All-Star team, plus multiple Division-II and NAIA offers. She is very long and wiry, fluid, and somewhat quick laterally. She can knock down jump-shots or slip by defenders and get inside. Her mid-range pull-up is tough to defend as well. She also does a nice job of getting her share of deflections/steals defensively, and flipping ends of the floor.
5. Rose Fuentes Rose Fuentes 5'7" | SF Hammond Bishop Noll | 2021 State IN , Bishop Noll Institute – Honestly, when you hear “Bishop Noll”, you think of Courtney Blakely Courtney Blakely 5'7" | PG Hammond Bishop Noll | 2021 State IN , and rightfully so. But Rose is a heck of a player herself. She is tough-nosed, strong, and she is very physical for a wing. She has touch outside, she’s great scoring it in the mid-range game, and her ability to attack and finish through contact at the basket has greatly improved. I think she could bring a lot of value to a school who operates mostly in the half-court at both ends, sets good screens, and runs variations of motion/continuity.
Additional Uncommitted Small Forwards Who Stand Out
Samya Gardner Samya Gardner 5'9" | SF Hammond Morton | 2021 State IN , Hammond Morton H.S. – Samya popped up on my radar shortly before Christmas Break, and she finished the 2020-2021 high school season strong. She has a solid, athletic frame with some length, and she moves well in most directions. She uses her frame well to absorb contact, but she made 45 3-pointers this season in 22 games, and she is good in the mid-post area as well.
Kyra Kennedy Kyra Kennedy 5'8" | SF Northfield | 2021 State IN , Northfield H.S. – Of all the kids remaining uncommitted, Kyra has to be one of the best athletes still available. She has an athletic frame with length, she is also very bouncy, and she has great speed and good lateral quickness. She is a slasher offensively, a talented rebounder, and a versatile on-ball defender who can faceguard/defend most guards, wings, and small forwards.
Makena Knepp Makena Knepp 5'8" | SF Northridge | 2021 State IN , Northridge H.S. – I first saw Makena in the Summer of 2019, and that’s about the point she really started to turn the corner and figure things out. She is a fairly strong kid, a solid athlete, and she’s versatile skillfully. She can play around the perimeter, handle it a little, and knock down open jumpers. But she’s also good in the mid-post, and she can finish inside. She also rebounds/defends well.
Alea Minnich Alea Minnich 5'9" | SF NorthWood | 2021 State IN , NorthWood H.S. – Last year’s Class 3A North Semi-State was the first time I had the opportunity to see Alea. A year ago, she was more of a point forward who ran the offense, moved the ball, and defended with her length. This year, however, Alea was the focal point, and she responded by nearly doubling her scoring (8.2 to 15.9 ppg) and more than doubling her rebounding (3.3 to 7.0 rpg).
Megan Wagner Megan Wagner 5'9" | SF Carroll (Flora) | 2021 State IN , Carroll H.S. (Flora) – There was a lot of excitement this season at Carroll surrounding their Freshman class. Not to be outdone, Megan scored a career high 15.9 points per game, finishing second on the team. She has a solid frame, she’s a fluid athlete, and she has the ability to make shots outside, attack the basket, or hit the 15-foot pull-up. She also gets to the free throw line a lot.