Victory Region Finals: 16U Wings & Forwards
The featured image is of Autumn Rucker (2023) of Indianapolis Pike High School (IN) and Indiana Showcase-Eber 16U. Memorial Weekend 2021 was the conclusion of the very first Prep Girls Hoops Circuit. There were three regional finals spread across the…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Autumn Rucker (2023) of Indianapolis Pike High School (IN) and Indiana Showcase-Eber 16U.
Memorial Weekend 2021 was the conclusion of the very first Prep Girls Hoops Circuit. There were three regional finals spread across the country, with Fishers High School in Central Indiana playing host to the Victory Region Finals. All of the teams in attendance were from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee. I was tasked with covering the entire 16U Division, so I wanted to take the time to highlight those players who stood out throughout the weekend. This is the third of four articles breaking down the 16U Division by positions, and yes, some of the highlighted prospects might have appeared earlier this week on our 16U All-Tourney team.
Lydia Betz, 2023, 5-10 SF, Forest Park H.S. (IN), S.W.I.S.H. City
Lydia has always been a nice player, but this Spring has been good for her, because she’s playing against solid competition regularly, and she’s having to handle the ball quite a bit and make more quick decisions. She is a wiry strong point forward type, she’s a nice North/South athlete, and she does have some touch outside. What I like is her ability to play around the perimeter, plus she can be a matchup problem in the mid-post.
Kynnedy Brown, 2023, 5-11 SF, Kalamazoo Central H.S. (MI), UTS Elite
Kynnedy is a really nice talent who has some upside. She is extremely long, wiry strong, and active. She has good speed, she’s bouncy, and she’s versatile as well. She is probably best in the open floor, making plays for herself or others, and she’s not bad handling it in transition. In the half-court, she’s solid around the perimeter, but I like her better as a mid-post/short-corner attacker. Defensively, she causes a lot of problems with her length.
Shae Harris, 2023, 5-9 SF, Montgomery County H.S. (KY), Overtime Performance-1
Shae is probably the most underrated prospect from her grassroots team. You see a lot written about a few of her teammates, but she very well could be their best athlete and have as much potential as any of them. She is an athletically strong kid who plays with a nice motor. She can run and jump, and she can score it at all three levels, though she’s probably best attacking the rim. I also like that she can defend multiple positions.
Harmony Nickell, 2023, 5-11 CF, Summit Academy (MI), Hype Athletics White
Harmony is one of those kids who is just difficult to label by position. She is incredibly long, wiry strong, and very bouncy. She is all over the floor, and can make plays at all three levels. When I first saw her, she was posting strong, scoring inside at will, and grabbing rebounds. Then she started leading the break in transition, making dribble-moves, and finding open teammates. Athletically, she’s a wing, but she can play inside as well.
Aubrey Padgett, 2023, 5-8 SF, Rossview H.S. (TN), Tennessee Sol Black
There’s no question the Sol backcourt draws a lot of attention from opponents, and rightfully so. But Aubrey doesn’t mind, as she’s a shot-maker who is there ready to shoot when defenses help off of her. She is a strong kid, she has an outstanding motor, and she does have a little ball skill and can push in transition. I like her quiet toughness, and she can straight-line it to the rim at times to score. She’s also a hard-working defender.
Autumn Rucker, 2023, 5-8 SF, Pike H.S. (IN), Indiana Showcase
Autumn has always had a great deal of potential, and she is starting to show it consistently each weekend. She is a strong athlete with a great frame, she absorbs contact well, she can run and jump, and she has quick feet and can defend a variety of perimeter players. She is probably best attacking the basket, and she can be relentless in that regard at times. As her perimeter shot becomes more consistent, she will be a real handful.
Ayla Starck, 2023, 6-0 CF, Apex Friendship H.S. (NC), ABC Lightning Performance
Ayla is a versatile, inside-out type of forward who does a really nice job within her role. She has a solid frame, she’s willing to be physical, and she will rebound and defend inside without complaint. But what makes her dangerous offensively is her ability to pick-and-pop and knock down shots consistently from 17-feet to behind the 3-point line. If she can make her handle just a little more dynamic, she could create more scores as well.
Torri James, 2024, 5-11 CF, Rossview H.S. (TN), Tennessee Sol Black
Torri is already a really nice prospect/player, but her best days are still well in front of her. She is still somewhat slender, but she’s possibly still growing, she’s extremely long, fluidly athletic, and somewhat bouncy. She spends a lot of the time in the mid-post area, she can knock down the 15-footer, and she’s an active pursuing rebounder. But when she stretches to the arc, she can make shots out there, plus she’s solid off the bounce.