November Wrap-Up (Part 2)

Throughout the month of November, I had the opportunity to see Ben Davis (5-4), Southport (1-8), and Tipton (6-1) at various points. Ben Davis has had a solid season so far, as they’ve knocked off Cathedral, Mooresville, and Lafayette Jefferson. They have a brutal remaining schedule, with a trip to Lawrence North tonight, and games remaining against Roncalli, Heritage Christian, Avon, North Central, Pike, Center Grove, and Carmel. Southport also plays a tough schedule, and they’ve already had their hands full with the likes of Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, and Bloomington South, just to name a few. The Cardinals are back in action at home tonight against Bloomington North. Tipton has proven itself to be one of the better teams in Class 2A, and their only loss was by just eight points to Class 3A power Northwestern. The Blue Devils still have some tough ones remaining at Lapel, at Northfield, and in January at home against rival Hamilton Heights. They travel to West Lafayette tomorrow for a tough conference matchup. Below, I take a look at a few prospects who stood out when I saw these three teams play.   Ambrea Wensey, 2019, 5-6 W, Ben Davis H.S. Ambrea is as tough as they come. She is strong, physical, active, and athletic for her frame. She plays with a tremendous motor, and she plays much taller than she is. She is mostly a driver to the basket, but she can hit an open jumper when set and in rhythm. Defensively, she shows a lot of versatility, being able to defend most guards, wings, and some forwards. I just like her all-around attitude towards the game, and her no-quit fight. She is a battler, and I think she could really benefit a small college program next year.   [caption id="attachment_11575" align="alignright" width="220"] Khera Goss of Ben Davis[/caption] Khera Goss, 2020, 5-10 F, Ben Davis H.S. Khera has always been a tremendous run & jump athlete. She is extremely long, fluid, and she has a lot of bounce in her. She does most of her work inside of 15-feet, grabbing numerous rebounds, and finishing around the basket. But so far this season, she has handled the ball a lot more for the Giants, she’s even initiated the offense quite a bit, and she is looking to shoot the 3-pointer on occasion. She isn’t completely comfortable outside, but by the end of the season she should be more of a wing than a forward. I really like her upside, and she has drawn a few Division-I offers already.   Cherrelle Newsom, 2020, 5-4 G, Ben Davis H.S. Like Ambrea Wensey above, Cherrelle plays much taller than she is. She is strong, tough-nosed, and quick (more quick than fast). She has really good length for her height, and she can be very feisty defending the basketball. Offensively, she is a very good perimeter shooter, she can create offense for others at times, or she can get to the basket and finish. I think she’s programmed more as a shooter / scorer, but she does have ball skills and could eventually be more of a point guard in college. I’ve always liked her game and her toughness / grit.   Alexandra “Lexie” Green, 2020, 5-8 PG, Southport H.S. I have been very impressed with the amount of growth and skill development Lexie has gone through over the past couple of years. She used to be a slender little guard, but now she has good height, great length, and she’s starting to show some wiry strength. She is a smooth slasher who attacks the basket with ease at times. As she continues to get stronger and finish through contact better, it has really helped her all-around game. She can knock down the open perimeter jumper as well, and she’s very feisty / crafty with her play. I think she has a chance at some Division-I interest if she continues to develop.   [caption id="attachment_12686" align="alignleft" width="203"] Cassidy Crawford of Tipton[/caption] Cassidy Crawford, 2019, 6-0 W, Tipton H.S. Cassidy has gotten off to a hot start, and she looks much stronger and more confident with her high school team than she did in the Summer. She is tremendously long, fluid, and smooth. With her school team, she looks to score it around the post and off the drive a lot more. She’s still a capable 3-point shooter, and she’s dangerous with any space, but I like her aggressiveness to the basket a lot more during the Winter. She was probably a little underrecruited because of her contrasting styles of play from one season to the next. She has already committed to the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne.   Kelsey Mitchell, 2019, 5-7 G, Tipton H.S. Kelsey is a tough, strong, physical guard. She is a solid athlete in all directions, she plays with a good motor, and she is strong attacking the basket. If you give her any space outside, she’s a capable perimeter shooter as well. Defensively, she is probably best defending wing guards and forwards, but offensively she can occasionally slide over and take on point guard responsibilities. She is currently uncommitted, but she has taken several visits to small colleges throughout the state. She should be a really nice college player and see the floor early in her career.   Gracie Phillips, 2020, 5-4 G, Tipton H.S. This month was my first time seeing Gracie play. She’s a strong guard who plays low to the ground. She is a solid game manager when she is in the point guard role, but she’s also a capable perimeter shooter off the ball. I like her poise, toughness, and physicality for her size, but I’m just not sure how to project her position-wise collegiately. I think she can play some point, but I also think she could be better off the ball. Either way, small colleges around the state should check her out this season.   Abigail Parker, 2022, 5-8 W, Tipton H.S. Abigail is a nice-looking young prospect. She is long, fluid, and wiry strong already. She is comfortable and assertive off the dribble, but she can also hit open shots when in rhythm. And what’s great, is she will only get better with more strength. You can tell she has worked on her skillset growing up, and just a little more strength and explosiveness will help her get to that next level developmentally. She could definitely see a variety of college interest over the next couple of years.   Header photo of Lexie Green of Southport; photo courtesy of the Southport Hudl account. Photo of Khera Goss courtesy of usatodayhss.com. Photo of Cassidy Crawford courtesy of her own Twitter account.