Summer Rankings: 2022 Small Forwards
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The featured image is of Jessie Ringen Jessie Ringen 5'9" | SF Rensselaer Central | 2022 State IN (2022) of Rensselaer Central High School and Northwest Indiana Thunder Gold 17U. June is a big month for rankings throughout the Prep…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Jessie Ringen Jessie Ringen 5'9" | SF Rensselaer Central | 2022 State IN (2022) of Rensselaer Central High School and Northwest Indiana Thunder Gold 17U.
June is a big month for rankings throughout the Prep Girls Hoops Network, and for the Class of 2022, they start a lot of “lasts”…their last Summer of grassroots basketball, their last high school season, their last run at conference and state tournament titles, and their last opportunities to make impressions on college coaches who have been recruiting them. On the whole, the 2022 list expanded from 200 prospects to 225 prospects, and there was some movement throughout the entirety of the list. As it relates to the 2022 small forward group, there are 49 ladies who have acquired a spot within the Top-225, and four of them are new to the list on PGH Indiana. With a full Spring season “in the books” for the first time since 2019, it helped to provide more clarity as to who the better prospects are throughout the state. Below is a look at those 49 prospects, as well as some added information and analysis of the newcomers, plus a handful of additional girls who have stood out since our last rankings update in March.
Newcomers
As it relates to the Class of 2022, a 25-player expansion is part of the emphasis with regards to our Summer rankings. As we expanded from 200 to 225 prospects, four young ladies at the small forward position are new to the rankings list this time around. They are highlighted below, and if you know them, I think you’d agree they belong here.
Jayci Allen Jayci Allen 5'9" | SF Richmond | 2022 State IN , Richmond H.S. – Jayci has been a Varsity regular at Richmond for a couple of years now, but it’s her play this Spring that really elevated her recruiting. She is a long and wiry, fairly athletic kid who moves well in most directions. She can play effectively in the mid-post or around the perimeter, and she typically scores by slashing to the basket. As she gets stronger, she will only improve her productivity.
Lynzi Heimlich Lynzi Heimlich 5'10" | SF North White | 2022 State IN , North White H.S. – Lynzi is a really nice basketball player who does a lot of things for a very good Vikings team. She has a long, wiry-strong frame, she’s a solid athlete, and she plays with a nice motor. She shows great balance and versatility, as she can be a matchup problem in the mid-post, she can battle around the block, or she can handle it a little and make an open rhythm jumper outside.
Bella Larrison Bella Larrison 5'9" | SF Waldron | 2022 State IN , Waldron H.S. – Bella is a really nice athlete who should draw a lot of small college interest this month. She has some length, an athletic frame, and she is a fluid kid who glides around the floor, plus she plays with a very nice motor. Skillfully, she is more of an attacker than anything, looking to get to the rim or the free throw line. But she can make an open jumper, and she is a versatile defender.
Tonai Moore Tonai Moore 5'9" | SF Avon | 2022 State IN , Avon H.S. – Tonai is another quality athlete who can run and jump, she has great length at her height, and she plays with a feistiness to her game. She has a scorer’s mentality and is always looking to attack the basket or take the pull-up jumper. She will pursue rebounds and finish around the basket, and she can step outside and make the occasional jumper. She can also be a versatile defender.
Keep an eye on…
Dara Capaldi Dara Capaldi 5'10" | SF La Lumiere | 2022 State IN , La Lumiere Preparatory School – Dara is a really nice talent, and because she has picked up a couple of Division-I offers without coaches being out, I have a feeling she’ll have a lot of eyes on her early this month. She has length, a wiry-strong, athletic frame, and she’s smooth. She is a creative point forward type, but she can also score the ball in a variety of ways at each of the three levels.
Lauren Leach Lauren Leach 5'10" | SF Angola | 2022 State IN , Angola H.S. – Lauren is a kid who always flashed good potential, but now that she’s noticeably stronger, she is much more consistently productive. She is a fluid and smooth athlete, a point forward type, but she also has nice touch shooting it around the perimeter. With a couple of comparable wings in this class recently committing, she’ll now see her interest from competing schools pick up.
Jessie Ringen Jessie Ringen 5'9" | SF Rensselaer Central | 2022 State IN , Rensselaer Central H.S. – Jessie is a talented kid who is flying a bit under the radar. She has an athletic frame, she can run and jump well in all directions, and she plays with a nice motor. She attacks the basket strong, can absorb contact, and finishes inside. But she also has a nice mid-range game, and she is handling it and shooting it much more efficiently from the perimeter. She had a great Spring.
De’Mour Watson De’Mour Watson 5'9" | SF Elkhart | 2022 State IN , Elkhart Consolidated H.S. – De’Mour is one of the best athletes in the state in this 2022 class, regardless of position. She is fast, she can change directions in a blink, and she has bounce to her as well. She is a long, wiry-strong kid, and she plays with a great motor. She is more of an attacker and mid-post scorer right now, and her handle has improved. If she adds a perimeter jumper, watch out.
Ellie Wilkerson Ellie Wilkerson 5'9" | SF Plainfield | 2022 State IN , Plainfield H.S. – Ellie put together about as good of a Spring as anyone on this list, and I think her versatility is undervalued. She has broad shoulders, a strong frame, and she likes physicality when attacking the basket. But she can also play a finesse game around the perimeter. She has a nice handle, a pure jump-shot with range, and she can hurt you with precision outside or size and strength inside.