An Oversight? Class 1A Sleepers

Indiana is blessed to have so many quality basketball players, and with more than 400 high schools in the state, there are anywhere from 7,500 to 8,000 girls playing throughout the state in a given year. PGH Indiana currently has 375 girls ranked between 2019 and 2022, so it’s impossible for us to rank everyone. Prospects are omitted by accident, sometimes they fly under the radar unseen, or they are just outside of our lists. Regardless, since we are previewing Class 1A this week, I wanted to take the time to highlight eight talented young ladies who are college prospects, and who for one reason or another were unranked the last time we published our lists. They certainly deserve to be pinnacled for their abilities.   [caption id="attachment_12459" align="alignright" width="203"] Dalina Meyer (#10) of Tecumseh[/caption] Dalina Meyer, 2019, 5-9 G, Tecumseh H.S. I haven’t been able to see Dalina in a little while, because her high school is several hours away and she didn’t play travel ball this summer, but I did see her a few times during the 2017 grassroots season. She has some length, fluid athleticism, and good all-around skill. She can hit a perimeter jumper fairly consistently, she’s good attacking the basket, and she’s a really nice scorer at the 1A level. She is definitely a “sleeper” in 2019 because of her location and lack of exposure to college coaches, but I think she could be a really nice small college 2-guard somewhere.   Sahara Bee, 2020, 5-11 F, Morgan Township H.S. I saw Sahara for the first time this July at the IBCA Top-100 Showcase at Ben Davis High School. She is a nice-looking power forward with a wiry strong frame, good athleticism in all directions, and some bounce to her. She is probably best-suited as a face-up ‘4’ in the mid-post right now, but she’s a highly productive pursuing rebounder from there, and she is strong enough to go inside and post smaller defenders. I think as she ages and gets stronger, she could become a 20 & 15 kid every night.   [caption id="attachment_12463" align="alignleft" width="213"] Maddi Fulks of Bethesda Christian[/caption] Maddi Fulks, 2020, 5-4 G, Bethesda Christian School Maddi is very fun to watch, and she’s someone who is just outside of our 2020 Top-100 list. When we expand it in December, she’ll likely make the cut. She is a strong, tough-nosed, and somewhat physical guard, and she’s a big-time scorer for Bethesda. She can hit shots with range, she has a quick handle and can create space, and she’s a playmaker off the dribble. She’s probably more of an off-the-ball scorer right now, not really a true point guard, but she can play point when needed.   Samantha Kuhn, 2020, 5-10 F, Fremont H.S. Samantha really snuck up on people in Northeast Indiana, even her own high school coach. I can remember back to her Freshman year, and she didn’t play much early on, but by the Sectional she was arguably their best player. She has really good length, she’s a fluid athlete, and she’s comfortable in the mid-post or around the perimeter. She’s not really a perimeter scorer, but she can defend the ball some, and she’s good slicing to the basket. She keeps getting better with more strength.   Madison Stamm, 2020, 5-7 W, Anderson Prep Academy Madison just made the move from 4A Mount Vernon High School (Fortville) to 1A Anderson Prep Academy, and she should see her playing time and statistics increase tremendously. She’s a solid athlete, she has a wiry strong frame, and she plays with a good motor. She’s always in the gym working, and she has a pretty nice jump-shot. She can get really hot and hit several in a row. I think this year, with more opportunity, she’ll develop into more of a complete scorer.   [caption id="attachment_12460" align="alignright" width="228"] Jayden Worthington of Oregon-Davis[/caption] Jayden Worthington, 2020, 6-0 C, Oregon-Davis H.S. Jayden is a wiry strong, somewhat physical, hard-working interior player for the Lady Cats. She gets a lot of easy stuff because she just out-hustles her opponents in transition, and she beats them to the boards in the half-court. She has good hands, decent footwork, and she has solid post moves around the block, so if she can expand her game a little away from the basket, I think she could be a really nice small college post. She’s intriguing, and she’s a nice athlete as well.   Paige Ledford, 2021, 5-11 C, Jac-Cen-Del H.S. Paige is another nice, young, highly productive post. She has good hands, a soft lefty touch around the basket, but she’s also somewhat of a face-up ‘5’ and can hit shots in the mid-post facing the rim. She plays with a great motor, knows how to use her body and play physical inside, and she seems like she’s passionate about the game. If she can continue to stretch her game as she ages, she could be a nice small college scholarship kid for sure.   Ally Madden, 2022, 6-1 C, Blue River Valley H.S. Ally is one of those kids who probably should be on our 2022 Top-50 Watch List, but she was someone I didn’t see until after those lists were published. She’ll no doubt make our expanded 2022 rankings in December. Ally is a big-bodied post who has broad shoulders, a strong frame, but she has some length in her legs, and she might still grow another two to three inches. She’s more of a true back-to-the-basket post, and she’s just physically imposing right now against her peers inside.   Header photo of Samantha Kuhn (#32) of Fremont; photo courtesy of kpcnews.com. Photo of Dalina Meyer courtesy of duboiscountyherald.com. Photo of Maddi Fulks courtesy of flyergroup.com. Photo of Jayden Worthington courtesy of thenewsdispatch.com.