Evaluations: Hamilton Southeastern vs. Carmel

There were some standout performances in the Carmel vs. HSE game that took place at 1:30 the day after Thanksgiving. Lots of prospects stood out to me and it was a competitive game. HSE got off to a fast start in the third quarter stretching their lead to 10 and would never look back. They cruised in the fourth quarter outscoring Carmel 21-8. HSE would take the win, 62-43. The big story in the game was the turnovers by Carmel and the ability to turn those turnovers into points by HSE. HSE had 14 steals in the game while Carmel only had a couple.

Carmel

Kate Clarke – 6’0 SG – 2022 
Clarke was impressive to me once again. At this stage, you kind of know what you’re getting when Clarke is on the floor. She is going to patrol the 3-point line and shoot the ball if she has any type of space. Clarke doesn’t need any room to get a shot off and she doesn’t take poor shots. Length allows her to be pretty solid on defense but right now in her development you can expect her to mainly be shooting the ball, which she does extremely well. Put the ball on the floor a few times but was unable to finish at the rim. Once she adds strength this is something that will take her offensive game to the next level. 9 points, 1 steal

Regan Hune – 5’10 SF – 2019
Hune was much more impressive to me in this one. She was all over the floor doing all the little things. She was able to shoot the ball a little better and I think her game is elevated so much when her outside shot is falling. Very good at running the floor with the ball and has the ability to make things look easy with the ball in her hands. In this game, she played more off an off-ball spot which allowed her to rebound really well. She goes to the boards tough and is scrappy when balls are loose. Hune is a player that you can count on to be on the floor the entire game. – 16 points, 8 rebounds

Mackenzie Wood – 6’2 PF – 2019
Wood was in foul trouble a little bit in this one but still found a way to contribute. She moves pretty well without the ball and is able to do more things than just score the ball. Wood was able to do a lot of different things that didn’t show up in the scorebook. She drilled a 3-pointer and grabbed six rebounds. A very solid game from Wood, even though she didn’t score a ton. Her weak side defense was solid and she was solid rotating to the ball. Good rebounder who high points the ball on the way down. Little passive on the offensive end but as the season goes deeper, that will change. – 5 points, 6 rebounds

Bridget Dunn – 6’2 PF – 2021
Dunn didn’t do much in this game but you could see the upside that she possesses. Dunn has skill that a lot of players who play down low don’t have. She was all over the floor but just couldn’t get her shot off. She rebounded the ball really well but the length of HSE on the defensive end hurt her a bit on the offensive end. A high upside player who has the ability to stretch it out and play on the perimeter as well. Very good floor vision and can pass out of the post pretty well. Once she gets totally comfortable in the flow of the game, she will be a great asset to have on the floor for Carmel. – 3 assists, 1 block

Kiara Gill – 5’4 PG – 2020
Gill was someone that I didn’t really notice in the first game I saw this year but against HSE she really impressed. She is a quick lead guard who shifts into high gear from the opening tip. She is very controlled with the ball and can handle it pretty well. Didn’t do much other than control the offense but she did that very well in this game. She is someone that is a change of pace guard and has a high basketball IQ. Had the task of guarding Sydney Parrish and did a formidable job given the height difference. Most of Parrish’s points came at the line in this one. – 3 points

HSE

Sydney Parrish – 6’2 SG – 2020
By Parrish’s standards, I would assume she says that she had a bad game. Sloppy with the ball at times, forced a few shots, and was 11/16 at the free throw line. She presents such a match-up problem for opposing defenses that it is tough to have much of a knock on her game. Anytime she crosses the volleyball line, she is in range to shoot the ball. She was very good at getting to the line since her shot wasn’t following. I saw some very high IQ defensive plays and you can tell she is the leader on the team. Parrish is a player who does a ton of things right, and each game she shows you something a little different. A good ball handler who can create for others. She will fill up the stat sheet in every game and she did that today. – 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist, 1 block

Malea Jackson – 5’6 G – 2019
Jackson was a defensive menace today. She had five steals and kept getting her hands in on the ball. Jackson showed me a very solid mid-range jumper, one that is going to have a lot of success at the next level. She is able to provide really good defense as well as very solid offense en route to being able to help her team win. Capable ball-handler who could excel at the next level at the point guard position. A great pickup for DII Illinois-Springfield. A really good all-around player who is going to get a lot of attention this year on the defensive side of the ball – 11 points, 5 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Jackie Maulucci – 5’8 SG – 2020
Maulucci was counted on to make free throws down the stretch to ice the game and she did just that. She was 8-of-11 from the charity stripe in the game and was able to really handle the ball well for HSE. Maulucci was most impressive to me with how composed she was under pressure. She kept getting pressured and handled it really well. Was very good on the defensive end and you can see that she really knows where to be once the ball is up in the air. A long, lengthy combo guard who I think still has a lot of untapped potential. – 12 points, 2 blocks

Tayah Irvin – 6’2 F – 2019
Irvin was one of the best players in this game despite not scoring a ton of points. Irvin was active on both ends of the floor and showed me that she can guard really anyone on the court. Will need to gain a little strength but isn’t weak by any stretch. Pretty solid ball handler and can play both with the ball on the perimeter and on the inside. She is very fluid in her movements and is really able to force opposing players to give up the ball quickly when they are driving with her speed and length. Going to be a lot of good games from Irvin at the next level. – 4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Amaya Hamilton – 6’1 F – 2019
Hamilton was someone who attacked the boards hard for HSE. Early on, they really struggled to get rebounds – mainly offensive ones, but Hamilton stepped up. She was able to crash the boards hard and because of that, she was able to get points off of them. Very active on the offensive end and her court vision was really solid for HSE today. Was poise in the face of pressure and stepped up today. Someone who is able to step out and hit a jumper, she did all of her work inside today. Very fluid and bouncy on the floor. – 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists