Indianapolis, Indiana: Naptown
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The featured image is of Natalia Franklin Natalia Franklin 6'1" | C Lawrence North | 2024 State IN (2024) of Lawrence Central High School (in red). Indianapolis has a multitude of nicknames, from Naptown, to the Circle City, as well…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Natalia Franklin Natalia Franklin 6'1" | C Lawrence North | 2024 State IN (2024) of Lawrence Central High School (in red).
Indianapolis has a multitude of nicknames, from Naptown, to the Circle City, as well as The Crossroads of America. It is home to the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, as well as colleges of all sizes. The Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Madam Walker Legacy Center, Clowes Memorial Hall, and the Murat Theatre, among other venues, also bring a number of events to the Hoosier State’s capital city. And if you’re into speed, you can always venture over to Speedway, Indiana, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway…The Racing Capital of the World.
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. This article will focus on Indianapolis itself, specifically those prospects who play at the more than 40 high schools within Marion County. Of the 13 schools in the state with an enrollment greater than 3000 students, five of them are located inside the Indianapolis city limits, including three of the four biggest (Ben Davis-4557, Warren Central-3868, & North Central-3709).
Year after year, Indianapolis produces a great deal of talent and highly ranked teams, so it should come to no one’s surprise that players like 2021 Miss Basketball Jayla Smith (Lawrence North) comes directly from Naptown, as did prospects like Tanyuel Welch (North Central 2022), Ariana Wiggins (Heritage Christian 2021), Meg Newman (North Central 2021), Khera Goss (Ben Davis 2020), Jasmine McWilliams (North Central 2020), Shaila Beeler (Warren Central 2019), and Rikki Harris (North Central 2019). All of those ladies were Indiana All-Stars and are currently playing at Division-I schools.
At the same time, with so many big schools and so many schools in such a small area, prospects can often go underrecruited and even unnoticed at times within their own area/school. I often encourage small colleges to visit Indianapolis and watch entire rosters at schools, not focusing solely on one or two players, because there are several hidden gems each year in Naptown. With that said, I wanted to take the time to highlight a handful of girls who may not often grab the spotlight, but who deserve their share of recognition for their basketball abilities. All of these girls are strictly from schools in Marion County and Indianapolis.
Nakiya could make a big impact for North Central this season. She is a strong, physical, assertive frontline prospect who loves to seek contact. At the same time, she has nice athleticism at her size, and she will often rebound outside of her area. She plays with a solid motor, and she can change a game on the interior. Defensively, she rarely allows her opponent to gain position, and again, she will rebound at a high rate. She drew Division-I interest early in her career but should have her best opportunity for minutes this season.
I really like Cadence’s game, and I feel like she is someone very overlooked. She is a strong, athletic combo guard who can contribute in a variety of ways each time out. She has a solid handle and can run offense from time to time, but she’s also a multilevel scorer who can knock down an open jumper or attack the basket and finish through contact. She just has an instinct for scoring the basketball. Defensively, she shows a similar versatility, being able to defend bigger point guards, all 2s, and smaller wings.
Maykayla was injured a year ago and missed significant time because of it, including the 2021 grassroots season. She should help lead the frontline for the Wildcats this year, and she plays with a quiet toughness and assertiveness. She is powerfully strong, very physical, and she loves to initiate contact inside. She has some touch to about 12-feet, and she can work the short corners and mid-post a little. But it’s her ability to play with her back to the basket against taller girls that stands out.
Scottlynn is a long, wiry-strong, and rangy frontline prospect. There is a lot of competition at Ben Davis upfront, with Seniors like Cristen Carter Cristen Carter 6’3″ | C Ben Davis | 2023 State IN and Taylor Guess Taylor Guess 6’1″ | PF Ben Davis | 2023 State IN in the fold, but Scottlynn has some intriguing qualities to her game as well. She has some touch to near the 3-point line, she can go off the bounce two to three dribbles and get somewhere with it, and she has a variety of moves around the block. Defensively, she can use her length to defend taller girls, but she can also come out on the floor and defend wings.
Claire is a gritty, tough-nosed, hard-working, therefore enjoyable player to watch. She does a little of everything as a combo guard, from running offense and finding open teammates, to knocking down shots consistently from the perimeter (29-81, 36% in 2021-2022), to attacking the basket and scoring/drawing free throw attempts. She is always willing to get on the floor for loose balls, she rebounds her position well, and she has good instincts defensively and can turn over her opponents, whether she’s on or off the ball.
Joslyn saw a lot of opportunity last season as a Freshman, and this year she will likely be a key piece to their puzzle offensively. She is a fairly strong, active, and athletic wing who plays with a nice motor and toughness. She can knock down an open jumper outside, and that is steadily improving, but she’s still probably best attacking the basket. Joslyn will also rebound her position plus get after it defensively, and she can comfortably defend a variety of bigger guards and wings.
Additional Marion County Prospects in Our Rankings for 2023-2025:
Trinity Archey
Trinity
Archey
5'6" | CG
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
Asiah Baxter
Asiah
Baxter
5'10" | SF
Warren Central | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Warren Central H.S., committed to Ohio U.
Caroline Bell
Caroline
Bell
5'9" | PF
Bishop Chatard | 2023
IN
, 2023, Bishop Chatard H.S.
Giavonnie Belton
Giavonnie
Belton
5'7" | SG
Pike | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Pike H.S.
Imani Benson
Imani
Benson
5'11" | PF
Warren Central | 2023
IN
, 2023, Warren Central H.S.
Cristen Carter
Cristen
Carter
6'3" | C
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Ben Davis H.S., committed to Miami-OH
Kirsten Clark
Kirsten
Clark
5'9" | SG
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Ben Davis H.S.
Alexia Cole
Alexia
Cole
5'9" | SF
Pike | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Pike H.S.
Ava Couch
Ava
Couch
5'10" | SF
Indy North Central | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
Laniya Early
Laniya
Early
5'10" | SF
Lawrence North | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Lawrence North H.S.
Gretchen Farley
Gretchen
Farley
5'7" | SF
Park Tudor | 2023
IN
, 2023 Park Tudor H.S.
Layla Gold
Layla
Gold
6'0" | SF
Cathedral | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Cathedral H.S.
Taylor Guess
Taylor
Guess
6'1" | PF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Ben Davis H.S.
Lailah Hadley
Lailah
Hadley
5'3" | PG
Purdue Polytechnic | 2023
IN
, 2023, Purdue Polytechnic H.S.
Sydney Horton
Sydney
Horton
5'7" | CG
Roncalli | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Roncalli H.S., committed to Trine
CeCe Mitchell
CeCe
Mitchell
5'8" | SG
Southport | 2023
IN
, 2023, Southport H.S.
Maya Mundy
Maya
Mundy
5'8" | SG
Perry Meridian | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Perry Meridian H.S.
Maeve Perry
Maeve
Perry
6'2" | C
Brebeuf Jesuit | 2023
IN
, 2023, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory, committed to Denison
Leah Petty
Leah
Petty
5'8" | SF
Warren Central | 2023
IN
, 2023, Warren Central H.S.
Autumn Rucker
Autumn
Rucker
5'8" | SF
Pike | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Pike H.S.
Hannah Ruddle
Hannah
Ruddle
5'7" | PG
Homeschooled | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Homeschooled, committed to Bethel-IN
Lela Scott
Lela
Scott
5'10" | SF
Southport | 2023
IN
, 2023, Southport H.S.
Sanaa Thomas
Sanaa
Thomas
5'5" | PG
Warren Central | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Warren Central H.S.
Kaleah Toomer
Kaleah
Toomer
5'10" | SF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Ben Davis H.S.
Maliya Turner
Maliya
Turner
5'4" | CG
Ben Davis | 2023
IN
, 2023, Ben Davis H.S.
Monica Williams
Monica
Williams
5'10" | SF
Lawrence North | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, Lawrence North H.S., committed to Ohio U.
Catherine Cline
Catherine
Cline
6'0" | SF
Cathedral | 2024
IN
, 2024, Cathedral H.S.
Sincere Coleman-Francis
Sincere
Coleman-Francis
5'9" | SF
La Lumiere Prep | 2024
IN
, 2024, Ben Davis H.S.
Morgan Crowe
Morgan
Crowe
5'8" | SF
Pike | 2024
IN
, 2024, Pike H.S.
Natalia Franklin
Natalia
Franklin
6'1" | C
Lawrence North | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Lawrence Central H.S.
Jadyn Harris
Jadyn
Harris
6'3" | C
Pike | 2024
IN
, 2024, Pike H.S.
Kaitlyn Hoff
Kaitlyn
Hoff
5'11" | PF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
Candyce Hollins
Candyce
Hollins
5'10" | SF
Warren Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, Warren Central H.S.
Denyha Jacobs
Denyha
Jacobs
5'7" | SF
Warren Central | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Lawrence Central H.S.
Kaiden Kreinhagen
Kaiden
Kreinhagen
5'8" | SF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
Taylor Lewis
Taylor
Lewis
6'2" | C
Cathedral | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Cathedral H.S.
Veronica Lugo
Veronica
Lugo
5'4" | CG
Warren Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, Warren Central H.S.
Koryn Marshall
Koryn
Marshall
5'8" | SF
Heritage Christian | 2024
IN
, 2024, Heritage Christian H.S.
Alexis Warren
Alexis
Warren
6'1" | C
Pike | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, Pike H.S.
Emani Washington
Emani
Washington
5'7" | CG
Lawrence North | 2024
IN
, 2024, Lawrence North H.S.
Carys Wilson
Carys
Wilson
5'10" | SF
Franklin Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, Franklin Central H.S.
Adrianna Woods
Adrianna
Woods
5'8" | SF
Lawrence North | 2024
IN
, 2024, Lawrence North H.S.
Daneijah Wynn
Daneijah
Wynn
5'11" | PF
Lawrence Central | 2024
IN
, 2024, Lawrence North H.S.
Laila Abdurraqib
Laila
Abdurraqib
5'7" | PG
Lawrence Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Lawrence Central H.S.
Gabrielle Burrus
Gabrielle
Burrus
5'2" | PG
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
Allanah Gilbert
Allanah
Gilbert
6'2" | PF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2025
IN
, 2025, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
Soriah Gouard
Soriah
Gouard
5'9" | SG
Decatur Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Decatur Central H.S.
Lily Graves
Lily
Graves
5'11" | SG
Franklin Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Franklin Central H.S.
Kya Hurt
Kya
Hurt
5'7" | PG
Lawrence North | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Lawrence North H.S.
Jaylah Lampley
Jaylah
Lampley
6'2" | SF
Lawrence Central | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Lawrence Central H.S.
Emma Mcvey
Emma
Mcvey
5'7" | SG
Franklin Central | 2025
IN
, 2025, Franklin Central H.S.
Sara Rosko
Sara
Rosko
5'3" | PG
Roncalli | 2025
IN
, 2025, Roncalli H.S.
Savannah Schafer
Savannah
Schafer
5'9" | SF
Brebeuf Jesuit | 2025
IN
, 2025, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory
Ashiyah Teague
Ashiyah
Teague
6'0" | PF
Lawrence North | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Pike H.S.
Jamaya Thomas
Jamaya
Thomas
6'1" | C
Lawrence North | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, Lawrence North H.S.