And We’re “Live”…
In this article:
The featured image is of RaShunda Jones RaShunda Jones 5'7" | PG South Bend Washington | 2023 State IN (2023) of South Bend’s Washington High School and Nike Lady Gym Rats EYBL 17U. For the first time in nearly two…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe featured image is of RaShunda Jones RaShunda Jones 5'7" | PG South Bend Washington | 2023 State IN (2023) of South Bend’s Washington High School and Nike Lady Gym Rats EYBL 17U.
For the first time in nearly two years, high school basketball prospects are playing today in front of Division-I college coaches. It feels like forever since we’ve been here, but the excitement in the air is very real, whether you talk to prospects, parents, or college coaches. Below are just a handful of notes on each age group, 17U-15U. I can’t talk about every single team or every single player, but I did want to point out a few thoughts I’ve had heading into the recruiting “live” periods.
17U Division
Team to Watch: Nike Lady Gym Rats EYBL
This group got the season started off with a bang, knocking off Indiana Elite Thunder to win the Shamrock Classic back in early March. They have as much guard depth as any team in the state, and ironically, as a 17U team they only have two 2022s rostered.
Jessica Carrothers
Jessica
Carrothers
5'7" | CG
Crown Point | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Crown Point and
Ashlynn Shade
Ashlynn
Shade
5'10" | SG
La Lumiere Prep | 2023
State
#33
Nation
IN
(2023) of Noblesville are as tough of a scoring duo as there is in the backcourt.
Laila Hull
Laila
Hull
6'1" | PF
Zionsville | 2023
State
#49
Nation
IN
(2023) of Zionsville has been playing at an extremely high level, plus the Bedford North Lawrence duo of
Karsyn Norman
Karsyn
Norman
5'7" | PG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2023
State
IN
(2023) and
Chloe Spreen
Chloe
Spreen
5'10" | SG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2024
State
IN
(2024) are coming off of a great June with their school team. How the Gym Rats match up inside with teams on the EYBL circuit will be their biggest challenge this month.
Sleeper Team: PAC Flight North UA Rise
This team has grown up together over the years, and while their run is coming to an end, they still have the next 20 days to make a final impression on college coaches.
Taylor Bowen
Taylor
Bowen
6'0" | PF
Culver Academy | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Culver Academy is probably their toughest matchup, as her size and strength inside, combined with her perimeter shooting ability make her hard to guard.
Tressa Senesac
Tressa
Senesac
5'6" | PG
Benton Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Benton Central flies around everywhere, making plays at both ends of the floor.
Annika Marlow
Annika
Marlow
5'5" | PG
Rushville | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Rushville Consolidated is their steady floor general,
Kennedy Tolen
Kennedy
Tolen
5'9" | SF
Benton Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Benton Central brings toughness plus perimeter shooting, and
Chesney Tebbe
Chesney
Tebbe
5'7" | CG
Westfield | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Westfield continues to get better and better each time I see her. They can absolutely frustrate opponents.
Buzzworthy Prospect:
RaShunda Jones
RaShunda
Jones
5'7" | PG
South Bend Washington | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Nike Lady Gym Rats EYBL
RaShunda figured out a way throughout the pandemic and lack of visibility to make a meteoric rise in recruiting circles, going from on-the-radar, to mid-major recruit, to high-major recruit and potential National Top-100 prospect. And all the credit goes to her, as it’s clearly noticeable in her skillset at how much she has worked to improve. She always had physical talent, speed and quickness, and a nice motor. But now she’s highly efficient with the ball, shooting it consistently outside, and she’s an elite on-ball defender.
16U Division
Team to Watch: Indiana Elite Prime
It’s very difficult to pick anyone else, considering this group dominated the tournaments they played in, winning several games/tournaments in a row. They are incredibly balanced as a group, with a nice combination of size, skill, basketball IQ, and talent.
McKenna Layden
McKenna
Layden
6'2" | SF
Northwestern | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Northwestern is a long, tall wing with a high skill level.
Olivia Brown
Olivia
Brown
5'7" | PG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Hamilton Southeastern and
Abby Fleetwood
Abby
Fleetwood
5'9" | PG
Indian Creek | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Brown County do a nice job of running the show, finding open teammates, and defending all over the floor. And
Josie Trabel
Josie
Trabel
6'0" | PF
East Central | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of East Central is a tough matchup because of her size, skill, and ability. The recent addition of wing
Riley Makalusky
Riley
Makalusky
6'2" | SF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Hamilton Southeastern should only give them a boost around the perimeter.
Sleeper Team: Indy Magic BlueStar
This group really isn’t a “sleeper” in terms of talent on paper, but they are a top level team in Indiana’s 16U division who hasn’t been publicized much, and I have a feeling they’ll generate a lot of commotion this month. This year’s addition of twins
Hailey Smith
Hailey
Smith
5'10" | SG
Fishers | 2023
State
IN
(2023) and
Olivia Smith
Olivia
Smith
5'10" | SG
Fishers | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Fishers added immense talent, the ability to really pick up and pressure the ball 84-feet, plus tough-nosed scorers who get to the rim at will.
Kelsey DuBois
Kelsey
DuBois
6'2" | PF
University | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of University is one of the most skilled ‘bigs’ in the class, and she can play inside-out.
Kirsten Clark
Kirsten
Clark
5'9" | SG
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Ben Davis had a nice showing at the IBCA Top-100 Showcase in June, and wing
Hannah Lach
Hannah
Lach
5'10" | SF
Carmel | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Carmel brings a balanced skillset and a great motor to the lineup.
Buzzworthy Prospect:
Scarlett Kimbrell
Scarlett
Kimbrell
5'11" | SF
Franklin Community | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Indiana Flight UAA
Scarlett made quite the splash this high school season, as she was a part of a newly energized and highly competitive Grizzly Cubs squad who made it all the way to the Class 4A South Semi-State. She is an extremely long, fluid, and skillful wing. She can really shoot the ball, with range to 25-feet or beyond, but she’s starting to show a much more complete offensive game and a nice aggressiveness in attacking the basket more and more as people come out to defend her. She also keeps growing!
15U Division
Team to Watch:
Always 100
Elite
There are many good teams in Indiana, regardless of division, but this one is just so enjoyable to watch. They are fast, athletic, they play hard, plus they have skill and understand how to play. A big part of that is
Jordyn Poole
Jordyn
Poole
5'6" | PG
Fort Wayne Snider | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Fort Wayne Snider. The quick/fast and dynamic point guard flat out makes plays at both ends of the floor, and she will have a lot of eyes on her. I’ve pointed out
Joirdyn Smith
Joirdyn
Smith
5'4" | CG
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Fishers a couple of times this Spring, as she continues to play at a high level. Twins Isabelle Poehlein (2024) and Sophia Poehlein (2024) of Zionsville bring height, length, and skillful versatility. The recent addition of 2025 talent
Maya Makalusky
Maya
Makalusky
6'3" | SF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2025
State
IN
of Hamilton Southeastern only makes this team that much deeper.
Sleeper Team: IGB-Morse / Indiana Showcase Black
This was a tough choice to make, because each of these teams rarely has the spotlight on them, but both have played at a high level all Spring. For IGB, they have a tremendously skilled backcourt, led by
Olivia Nickerson
Olivia
Nickerson
5'7" | SG
Twin Lakes | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Twin Lakes and
Allison Caldwell
Allison
Caldwell
5'11" | SG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Zionsville. Both are talented shooters with ball skill.
Elizabeth Kelleher
Elizabeth
Kelleher
5'10" | PG
Westfield | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Westfield is a rapidly improving and continually growing lead guard who plays with balance.
Kaiden Kreinhagen
Kaiden
Kreinhagen
5'8" | SF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of North Central has been strong/steady all Spring, and the promotion of talented 2025
Meredith Tippner
Meredith
Tippner
5'10" | SG
Noblesville | 2025
State
IN
(2025) of Noblesville only gives them a backcourt boost. As for the Showcase group, they play incredibly well together, and collectively they have a really nice “group” motor.
Lauren Foster
Lauren
Foster
5'7" | SG
Indian Creek | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Indian Creek plays as hard as anyone, and she’s just as tough as can be.
Morgan Roberts
Morgan
Roberts
6'0" | SF
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Fishers just gets better and better, plus she won’t stop growing. The all-around improvement of
Kiarra Loveless
Kiarra
Loveless
6'1" | PF
Westfield | 2024
State
IN
(2024) of Westfield has been fun to watch, while high school teammate Taelyn Russell (2024) is everywhere on the floor.
Kendal Johnson
Kendal
Johnson
6'0" | PF
Lewis Cass | 2022
State
IN
(2024) of Brownsburg was a new name to me this Spring, but she gives them consistent contributions up front each game.
Buzzworthy Prospect:
Sophie Johnson
Sophie
Johnson
6'0" | PF
Evansville Memorial | 2024
State
IN
, S.W.I.S.H. City
I have heard Sophia’s name uttered by college coaches more over the last couple of weeks than anyone else in Indiana’s 2024 class. I’ve always thought she had big-time potential in her game, but her play this May spurred generous comments from multiple well-known National scouts and recruiting services as well. She is an athletically strong, point forward type of player. She can make plays for herself or others off the bounce, but she has also shot the ball extremely well all Spring. Her versatility is tough to match in this class.