Manual Extravaganza - 2019 Prospects

This past Friday, December 21st, Emmerich Manual High School hosted their annual girls’ extravaganza, featuring six games and 12 different teams from Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee. In this article I’ll take a look at eight 2019 prospects who intrigued me throughout the day. Two follow-up articles, coming very soon, will feature prospects in the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 who I thought stood out as well.   [caption id="attachment_21543" align="alignright" width="218"] Trinity Brady of Hamilton Heights[/caption] Trinity Brady, 2019, 5-10 W, Hamilton Heights Christian (TN) Trinity left Lawrence North for Hamilton Heights Christian back early in the Fall, so it was nice to see her get the opportunity to play a game in her home city. While she was always capable of knocking down open jumpers, the Nebraska commit looked very comfortable shooting it from the perimeter Friday, even specifically seeking jumpers most of the game. She’s still a tough matchup because of her combination of strength and athleticism, plus she plays with a nice toughness and physicality. I would probably call her more of a ‘3’ for defensive purposes, but offensively she’s skilled like a guard.   Sylare Starks, 2019, 5-8 W, Homestead H.S. Sylare is one of the more versatile wings in the state. Offensively, she can handle the ball and run offense, she’s a capable perimeter shooter, and she’s really good attacking the basket and scoring around the paint. She possesses such a nice combination of strength and athleticism. Defensively, she can guard a variety of guards and forwards, and once she commits herself to that end of the floor every possession, she could be a very effective defender because she definitely has the physical talent for it.   Haley Swing, 2019, 6-0 F, Homestead H.S. I’ve been as excited with Haley’s development in the last year as just about anyone in this 2019 class. She looks a little stronger, but she’s playing with a great deal more physicality and toughness. She’s rebounding the ball much better and scoring it around the block more, whereas she used to be more of a face-up forward in the mid-post. She’s still a skillful forward facing the basket, but with the changes that have happened in her game, she now presents a tough matchup as an inside-out threat who can score at all levels. She has already committed to Grand Valley State University.   [caption id="attachment_21544" align="alignleft" width="300"] Jazmyn Turner of Marion[/caption] Jazmyn Turner, 2019, 6-1 F, Marion H.S. I’ve seen Jazmyn a couple of times already this Winter, and she is such a different, more confident player as a Senior. She is tremendously long, bouncy, and athletic North / South. She still plays around the perimeter maybe a little too much for me, but she’s doing a solid job of driving it to the basket and finishing around the rim. She’s also a much more comfortable shooter to about 15 to 17-feet, and that’s definitely scary for opponents as she continues to gain confidence outside. I think she’s one of the more talented 2019s still available, and I’d expect her recruiting to pick up very soon.   Gracie Johnson, 2019, 5-1 PG, Martinsville H.S. The mighty mite from Martinsville continues to be one of my favorite players to watch. 5-1 might be generous for Gracie, but she understands how big she is, and she doesn’t force action against taller, longer players. She plays with great pace, she understands the game and has a good all-around feel, and she balances being a true point guard with knocking down the occasional jumper or scoring around the basket. She made a couple of nice plays down the stretch against Chicago Marshall (IL), including a baseline floater over a post player. She has already committed to Cumberland University.   Rikki Harris, 2019, 5-10 G, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis) As much as Rikki has battled injuries throughout her career, it’s always nice to see her on the floor for North Central. She is an automatic bucket when she touches the ball, and she can score it comfortably at all levels. I especially liked how much she used the post against smaller defenders on Friday. That’s an incredible tool for her to use to get an easy basket. She is long, athletic, and smooth, plus she plays with a good motor. She’s already a solid defender, but I’d like to see her become an elite defender, because she has the physical tools to get there. She is headed to Ohio State University next season.   [caption id="attachment_21545" align="alignright" width="194"] Megan Sheridan of Zionsville[/caption] Megan Sheridan, 2019, 6-1 F/C, Zionsville Community H.S. Megan has been as impressive as any of the Eagles this season. She is a long, athletic, and fairly well-rounded front-liner who has become a bigger offensive option for them this year. Her motor is nice, and she often rebounds outside of her area. Defensively, she creates a presence in the paint and offers good help to her teammates. Offense has been her biggest area of improvement, as she can now score it consistently on the block or facing the basket to about 17-feet. If she wanted to play college basketball, that would definitely be an option, but she is committed to Butler University for volleyball.   Delaney Richason, 2019, 6-1 F, Zionsville Community H.S. I’ve always been a fan of Delaney’s game, and for as good of a high school career as she has had, I still think she’ll be even more effective at the collegiate level. She is very long, fluidly athletic, and she has really worked on her ball skill. This year she is handling it much more around the perimeter, and she’s even bringing it up the floor in transition and triggering the offense from time to time. She’s a capable perimeter shooter as well, but I really like how she’s starting to get a little grittier and battle more on the interior. She’ll be a nice face-up forward for the University of Vermont going forward.   Header photo of Homestead vs. Indianapolis North Central. Photo of Trinity Brady courtesy of Vincent Brady's Twitter account. Photo of Jazmyn Turner courtesy of Marion's Hudl account. Photo of Megan Sheridan courtesy of timessentinel.com.