Evansville, Indiana: Pocket City
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The featured image is of Macy Sexton Macy Sexton 5'10" | PF Vincennes Lincoln | 2024 IN (2024) of Vincennes Lincoln High School. Four years ago, when I first started with Prep Girls Hoops, I introduced different areas of the…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Macy Sexton Macy Sexton 5'10" | PF Vincennes Lincoln | 2024 IN (2024) of Vincennes Lincoln High School.
Four years ago, when I first started with Prep Girls Hoops, I introduced different areas of the state and their top prospects. I wanted to again work through that this Fall and offer you a much more detailed look at the Hoosiers State’s different regions and the prospects who should shine this Winter throughout those regions. With this second installment, I wanted to turn everyone’s attention to the Southwest portion of the state and focus on the state’s third biggest city, Evansville, nicknamed “Pocket City”.
Just like the islands of Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar in the popular Jurassic Park movie franchise, basketball prospects from the Evansville area have often felt like they were “lost” on an island only a few outsiders have ever visited. Located in the Southwest corner of Indiana, the “Pocket City” as Evansville is so aptly nicknamed, is actually closer to Louisville (123 miles), Nashville (153 miles), and Saint Louis (167 miles), than it is to Indianapolis (172 miles).
But it is the third largest city in Indiana by population, and year after year Evansville turns out quality basketball prospects. Recent graduates like Natalie Niehaus (Castle 2022), Alaina Thorne (Washington 2022), Rebekah Gordon (Heritage Hills 2021), Ryleigh Anslinger (Reitz Memorial 2021), Meredith Raley (Gibson Southern 2020), Kenna Hisle (Evansville North 2020), Grace Waggoner (Vincennes Rivet 2019), and Jossie Hudson (Mater Dei 2019) all hail from Southwest Indiana. Several of those ladies are currently participating in collegiate athletics.
There are many quality players in the Evansville area often overlooked, so I highly encourage small colleges to make the trek down there a couple of weekends each year during the winter to check them out. Below I wanted to take the time to highlight a handful of girls who may not often grab the spotlight throughout the rest of the state, but who deserve their share of recognition for their basketball abilities. Not all of these prospects are technically in Evansville, but they are from that Southwest region of the state.
Lydia Betz
Lydia
Betz
5'10" | SF
Forest Park | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-10 W, Forest Park H.S.
– Lydia is a kid who has somewhat flown under the radar because she committed to the University of Indianapolis a while ago. However, with a coaching change this Spring, she has reopened her recruitment. She is a fairly strong wing prospect, she has good length, and she’s a solid all-around athlete. She does a nice job of handling the ball and operating as a point forward, but she also has some touch around the perimeter, and she can get to the basket and finish. She is a versatile wing forward who a lot of small colleges would love to have on their rosters.
Rhylan Kalb
Rhylan
Kalb
5'10" | PF
Northeast Dubois | 2023
IN
, 2023, 5-10 F, Northeast Dubois H.S.
– Rhylan is all motor and is in constant motion. She has a fairly strong frame, some length, and she’s a balanced athlete. But it’s her willingness to fly around and make hustle plays, grab offensive rebounds to give her team second chances, and defend multiple positions that stand out the most about her. She can score it a little from all three levels, but she’s probably most comfortable in the mid-post. If she were a little more dynamic off the bounce, I’d probably call her more of a wing forward than a combo or power forward.
Gracie Kramer
Gracie
Kramer
5'4" | PG
Vincennes Lincoln | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-4 PG, Vincennes Lincoln H.S.
– Gracie is a gem of a guard who small colleges would really enjoy having. She is tough, strong for her size, and she plays with an outstanding motor. She’s also a distance runner, so she can go for days. She plays with her head up, scanning the floor, and she can make tougher passes look simple at times. She also has some range outside, she can get into the defense and draw “help”, and she does a nice job of finding open teammates consistently. I also like her ability to sit down and defend the ball with effort, quickness, and grit.
Anna Herman
Anna
Herman
6'3" | C
Vincennes Rivet | 2024
IN
, 2024, 6-3 C, Vincennes Rivet H.S.
– Anna is not well-known on the state level, because she doesn’t participate in grassroots basketball. She is also a nice volleyball player, so her attention turns there during the offseason. However, when she’s on the court in the Winter, she has a solid to strong frame, some length, and she moves well at her size. She has good hands, solid footwork, plus she can play a little in the mid-post or short corners, consistently knocking down face-up jumpers. If she ever chose college basketball as her path, I think there would be many schools interested in her.
Macy Sexton
Macy
Sexton
5'10" | PF
Vincennes Lincoln | 2024
IN
, 2024, 5-11 F, Vincennes Lincoln H.S.
– When Macy was younger, she was probably more athlete than ballplayer. Now, though, she has started to settle into a comfort zone, and she does a really nice job of using her athleticism and her developing strength to make an impact at both ends of the floor. She is a pursuing rebounder who has a nose for the ball. She is also a versatile defender who can take on most wings and forwards. Offensively, she’s great in the mid-post, where she can attack or hit the 15-footer. If she could be a little more dynamic at 20-feet, I’d call her more of a wing.
Hannah Bledsoe
Hannah
Bledsoe
6'0" | PF
Barr-Reeve | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, 6-0 F, Barr-Reeve H.S.
– Hannah is an extremely long, somewhat slender, but fairly fluid frontline prospect with a great deal of upside. She has some similarities to an
Amber Tretter
Amber
Tretter
6'1" | PF
Forest Park | 2023
State
IN
(listed below), so at this point, Hannah will just need to finish growing and adding some strength to her frame. Offensively, she will seek contact, post hard, and she can finish with either hand around the basket. She also has a developing mid-post game and is solid at 15-feet. Defensively, she does a nice job of sitting down and using her length to affect passing lanes, plus she’s a good help-side defender.
Additional Southwest Indiana Prospects in Our Rankings for 2023-2025:
Devyn Barton
Devyn
Barton
5'6" | PG
Castle | 2023
IN
, 2023, Castle H.S.
Lydia Bordfeld
Lydia
Bordfeld
5'11" | SF
Evansville Memorial | 2023
IN
, 2023, Evansville Memorial H.S.
Trinity Britton
Trinity
Britton
5'5" | CG
South Spencer | 2023
IN
, 2023, South Spencer H.S.
Amiyah Buchanan
Amiyah
Buchanan
6'0" | PF
Evansville North | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Evansville North H.S., committed to Southeast Missouri State
Faith Fleetwood
Faith
Fleetwood
5'9" | SG
Vincennes Lincoln | 2023
IN
, 2023, Vincennes Lincoln H.S.
Emily Mattingly
Emily
Mattingly
5'10" | SF
Evansville Memorial | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Evansville Memorial H.S.
Jalyn Shelby
Jalyn
Shelby
5'11" | PF
Evansville North | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Evansville North H.S.
Amber Tretter
Amber
Tretter
6'1" | PF
Forest Park | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Forest Park H.S., committed to Miami-Ohio
Ava Weisheit
Ava
Weisheit
5'9" | SF
Gibson Southern | 2023
IN
, 2023, Gibson Southern H.S.
Kate Wenger
Kate
Wenger
5'11" | PF
Evansville Mater Dei | 2023
IN
, 2023, Evansville Mater Dei H.S.
Madelyn Dalton
Madelyn
Dalton
6'1" | C
Washington | 2024
IN
, 2024, Washington H.S.
Jenna Donohoo
Jenna
Donohoo
5'10" | PF
Tecumseh | 2024
IN
, 2024, Tecumseh H.S.
Chloey Graham
Chloey
Graham
5'9" | SG
Gibson Southern | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Gibson Southern H.S.
Josie Hayden
Josie
Hayden
5'8" | SF
Castle | 2024
IN
, 2024, Castle H.S.
Sophie Johnson
Sophie
Johnson
6'0" | PF
Evansville Memorial | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Evansville Memorial H.S.
Avery Kelley
Avery
Kelley
5'6" | PG
Evansville Memorial | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Evansville Memorial H.S.
Norah Miller
Norah
Miller
5'7" | CG
Evansville F.J. Reitz | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Evansville F.J. Reitz H.S.
Kierstin Niehaus, 2024, Castle H.S.
Aleyna Quinn
Aleyna
Quinn
5'9" | SF
Castle | 2024
IN
, 2024, Castle H.S.
Molly Schulte
Molly
Schulte
5'7" | PG
South Spencer | 2024
IN
, 2024, South Spencer H.S.
Matea Bradfield
Matea
Bradfield
5'4" | PG
Evansville F.J. Reitz | 2025
IN
, 2025, Evansville F.J. Reitz H.S.
Myla Browning
Myla
Browning
5'11" | SF
Evansville Memorial | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Evansville Memorial H.S.
Olivia Gilley
Olivia
Gilley
6'0" | PF
Washington | 2025
IN
, 2025, Washington H.S.
Mary Herman
Mary
Herman
6'3" | C
Vincennes Rivet | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Vincennes Rivet H.S.
Alex McKinley
Alex
McKinley
5'8" | SG
North Knox | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, North Knox H.S.
Kaelyse Mitchell
Kaelyse
Mitchell
6'5" | C
Evansville F.J. Reitz | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Evansville F.J. Reitz H.S.
Avah Montgomery
Avah
Montgomery
5'9" | SG
Southridge | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Southridge H.S.
Jordan Scott
Jordan
Scott
5'6" | PG
Castle | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Castle H.S.
Gabby Spink
Gabby
Spink
5'9" | CG
Gibson Southern | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Gibson Southern H.S.
Carlie Still
Carlie
Still
5'5" | PG
Heritage Hills | 2025
IN
, 2025, Heritage Hills H.S.