A First Look: Carmel

Saturday, November 3rd, I had the opportunity to see Carmel take on a talented and deep Homestead team, falling 64-43. The Greyhounds made it a game for about three quarters, but in the end, the Spartans were just too much for Carmel. After an adventurous and very public offseason, Carmel looks to blend a handful of experienced veterans with several young but talented newcomers. They should be able to compete with most of the best teams this season, but they’ve already faced both Homestead and talented Class 3A Northwestern. Playing in the MIC, the schedule won’t get any easier, so they’ll have to find a way to come out and perform at a high level every single night. They will definitely be battled tested come tournament time. The Greyhounds are back in action tomorrow night, as they travel to Zionsville to take on the Eagles. Below is a look at seven prospects who stood out against Homestead.   [caption id="attachment_17463" align="alignright" width="239"] Senior Wing Reagan Hune[/caption] Reagan Hune, 2019, 5-9 W Reagan is a long, fluid, athletic, and somewhat smooth wing prospect. She seemingly glides around the floor and often makes it look easy to get from A to B. She is skilled with the ball in her hands and can create scoring opportunities for herself or others, plus she has nice shooting mechanics and is great at 1-dribble and 2-dribble pull-up jumpers. She rebounds her position fairly well, but I’m most intrigued by her defensive versatility and potential, as she can defend most perimeter players and some forwards. She has drawn some light Division-I interest, and that could pick up this Winter as other prospects commit, plus she has a lot of small college interest. She is definitely a talented kid, and now in a leadership role this winter she could start to see her recruiting pick up.   Mackenzie Wood, 2019, 6-1 F Before this season, Mackenzie had gotten a little taste of Varsity action. Now, she’s relied upon to bring a presence to the interior for the Greyhounds. She had an outstanding travel ball season, and she’s a long, fairly athletic, skilled, and versatile inside-out forward. She is playing much stronger and more aggressive on the interior, plus she is still capable of playing comfortably around the perimeter. She even knocked down a rhythm 3-pointer against Homestead from the top of the key. Mackenzie ended her recruiting during the Fall, committing to the University of Pennsylvania in the Ivy League.   Sophie Bair, 2019, 5-9 W Sophie is a very unique style of player. Physically, she has tremendous length, fluid athleticism, and a smoothness to her. Skillfully, she grew up as more of a point guard, so she can still handle and pass the ball like a point guard, and she rarely makes mistakes with it. I would call her more of a point forward at this time, but she always plays with a good motor and a solid basketball IQ. She has needed more strength for a while now, plus I’d like to see her more aggressive in a scoring capacity, though that doesn’t seem to be her personality or role. Defensively, I think she has the tools to become a versatile defender at the next level, and I think she could be a small college steal at this point in time.   Macy Berglund, 2019, 5-9 F Macy has always been a high-motor kid, but during this grassroots season she took it to another level. She was as aggressive as I’ve ever seen her, and she showed off a much more diverse skillset. For Carmel, she plays more of an interior role out of necessity, because she’s one of the stronger, tougher kids on the roster. I think for the next level, she could be an inside-out forward who continues to play strong inside, but also who can hit the occasional shot from the perimeter and put it on the floor and attack the basket. A lot of that will depend upon her ability to defend the perimeter, though.   [caption id="attachment_11292" align="alignleft" width="181"] Freshman Wing Kate Clarke[/caption] Kiara Gill, 2020, 5-3 G Kiara is a new name to me, but not a new family to me…let me explain. Kiara is the daughter of former Indiana Pacer and current Fox Sports Indiana Pacers reporter Eddie Gill. Now, I have watched his son (also Eddie) play for Carmel the last few years, but I don’t ever recall seeing Kiara on any Carmel teams. She is a shorter guard, strong, quick / fast, and aggressive. She has a nice presence and toughness about her, but she does need to play a little more under control at times because she only knows one speed…all out. She definitely flashed physical ability, some skill, and a solid feel for the game, and she did so in a starting role. But change-of-pace play will really benefit her game and the team moving forward.   Bridget Dunn, 2021, 6-1 F Bridget is an exciting young prospect who has an impressive game and great potential. She was probably closer to 5-9 when she entered high school a year and a half ago, and she spent the Summer of 2017 playing more of a point guard position. Now that she’s grown, she still possesses a lot of the same skill, but she is now more of a face-up forward who can still do those things skillfully. She is incredibly long, fluid, and athletic. She reminds some of 2018 Carmel grad Blake Smith, who is now at Ball State, but I actually think Bridget is more skilled and comfortable around the perimeter. She handles the ball in transition very well, and she even comfortably knocked down a 3-pointer against Homestead. Her upside will depend on her ability to gain necessary strength for the next level, but she has a bright future.   Kate Clarke, 2022, 6-0 W Kate has already drawn a great deal of attention from college recruiters, and rightfully so. She is a long, fluid, and smooth wing forward who has a beautiful jump-shot. Against Homestead, she looked leaner, quicker / faster, and she is getting her shot away quickly as well. I really like her mechanics and accuracy at such a young age, and I think her range and consistency will really improve as she continues to gain strength. She handles it competently as well, but what she’ll need to prove moving forward is that she can defend guards / wings off the dribble effectively. If she can do that, then throughout her career she will likely hear from most Division-I schools who get a chance to see her.   Header photo of Carmel's athletics logo courtesy of Jim Inskeep's Twitter page. Photo of Reagan Hune courtesy of her own Twitter account. Photo of Kate Clarke courtesy of Ben Andrus' Twitter account.