Class of 2020 Rankings Review
Last Monday, January 7th, we released an updated list of 2020 prospects. It was the first time since late-August that this list has been updated, and it has been expanded. We’ve gone from 100 to 150 total prospects during this…
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Continue ReadingLast Monday, January 7th, we released an updated list of 2020 prospects. It was the first time since late-August that this list has been updated, and it has been expanded. We’ve gone from 100 to 150 total prospects during this installment. There was a little movement, as a few Juniors have developed their game and really stepped up this season. There are still a few “sleepers” and players who are developing their game later than others, so this list will remain a little fluid over the next year. With that said, below is a more in-depth look at our current Top-10 list for the Class of 2020.
1. Madison Layden, 6-1 W, Northwestern H.S.
Madison has been nothing short of outstanding this season, and she has led her team to a 20-3 record (17-1 vs Indiana teams). She is long, athletic in all directions, and just all-around smooth. She can handle and run offense, she’s a tremendous passer, and she makes everyone around her better. She probably does as good a job as anyone at balancing when to score with when to move the ball around. Madison has also shot it really well all season (45% from 3-point range; 89% from the FT line). On the season, the Purdue commit is averaging 21.2 points, 7.2 assists, 5.1 steals, and 4.8 rebounds per game. Look for her to be a leading candidate for Miss Basketball in 2020.
2. Sydney Parrish, 6-2 W, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
For as good as Layden (above) has been, Sydney Parrish has been equal to the task. She has very good ball skill, especially at 6-2, she is an accurate perimeter shooter with range well beyond the 3-point line, but most importantly, she’s displaying how great she can be when she’s healthy, leading Hamilton Southeastern to a 20-1 record (20-0 vs Indiana teams). Sydney is averaging 21.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. She will battle Layden to the wire for the Miss Basketball award. Sydney recently announced her final schools, which include Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and UCLA.
Ra’Shaya Kyle of Marion
3. Ra’Shaya Kyle, 6-5 C, Marion H.S.
Ra’Shaya is one of the toughest matchups in the state, regardless of position or graduating class. Her combination of size, athleticism, and skill are just a handful for opponents. She is long, wiry strong, fluid, and she runs the floor well North / South. In the half-court, she can post around the block and finish with a variety of post moves, or she can step away from the basket and knock down the 15-footer. In the full-court, she can comfortably push the ball in transition and initiate the offense. Defensively, she covers so much ground to deter and block shots, that opposing teams tend to settle for a lot of jump-shots when she’s in the game. She has earned several high-major Division-I offers but has yet to make a decision.
4. Keegan Sullivan, 5-11 W, South Bend Saint Joseph H.S.
Keegan is one of the smoothest ball-handlers and passers for a player her size. She is strong, physical, and assertive offensively, and she plays sort of a point forward position at Saint Joe. She just has a keen sense of seeing the game two and three passes ahead. The biggest question about her game in the past was always her perimeter shooting, but she addressed that, and it has become a consistent part of her arsenal over the last year. Ultimately, I think she’s a highly skilled ‘3’ at the next level, but if she can defend the ball a little better, I think she’ll play some guard as well. She has a slew of nice mid-major and high-major offers & interest at this point in time.
5. Kendall Bostic, 6-1 F/C, Northwestern H.S.
Kendall is so much fun to watch, because being a coach myself, we always stress to our “bigs” how hard we want them to play and how we want them to rim-run, and Kendall is the epitome of that. I don’t know that there is a harder working post in the state, regardless of class. She is strong, powerful, and physical, and she plays much taller than she is because she knows how to use her frame to create space inside. She has good, soft hands, she can finish in a variety of ways around the basket, and she has started to put together a really nice face-up game over the last year or so. Kendall has already given a verbal commitment to Michigan State University, and she certainly fits their style of play.
6. Jasmine McWilliams, 5-10 W, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
Let’s just say that Jasmine’s transition from Carmel to North Central has been pretty smooth and seamless this season. She is such a nice athlete, she is playing with a good motor, and she’s affecting the game at both ends of the floor. Offensively, her length and explosiveness make her incredibly tough to defend off the bounce. She gets to the rim at will and can finish through contact. Her perimeter shot could still use some consistency, but that has improved over the years. What’s most impressive, though, is her attention to the defensive end of the floor this season. She is creating turnovers and defending better players more often. She recently gave a verbal commitment to Northwestern University in the Big Ten.
Dash Shaw of Gary West Side
7. Dash Shaw, 5-6 G, Gary West Side Leadership Academy
In my opinion, Dash would be my choice for the best player in Indiana in 2020 who virtually no one talks about. Dash spent her Freshman season playing alongside 2017 Indiana All-Star Dana Evans (University of Louisville), and now it appears that Dash is trying to emulate Dana in many ways. Dash is an explosive scorer who can put up points in bunches. She averaged 14.9 as a Freshman, 22.2 as a Sophomore, and she’s currently at 25.3 as a Junior. But, what’s most impressive this season, is that she is playing much more efficiently, attempting fewer 3-pointers but shooting 10% better outside (38%), 4% better overall from the field (52%), and 6% better from the line (78%). She has a great deal of varied college interest, so coaches have taken notice.
8. Nangely “Nan” Garcia, 5-11 F, Jeffersonville H.S.
Nan is a unique style of player, because she takes a strong, physical, and athletic frame, and she showcases a great deal of skill at all levels offensively. She has a solid handle and can attack the basket strong straight-line from the perimeter, she has a really nice mid-post game and can hit the 15-footer consistently, and she’s an assertive interior player who can dominate smaller defenders around the block. She is somewhat one-directional as an athlete, so her lateral quickness will need some work, but she’s so long, bouncy, and she plays with a great motor. She has drawn offers and interest from some of the better mid and high-major Division-I schools in the Midwest.
9. Ella Collier, 5-10 G, Danville Community H.S.
Ella has always been a very good perimeter shooter, and she would be one of the top shooters in any class, but in a 2020 class thin on shooters, she stands out in a big way. Ella is extremely long, fluid, and smooth athletically. She has good end-to-end speed, and her ability to handle the ball and run offense has really improved. She is the perfect fit in a motion system offensively, and she’s definitely someone I would run off screen after screen. She does need to get stronger, and I think she could improve her on-ball defense a bit, but she’s a highly intelligent player and makes adjustments, uses her length, and takes good angles defensively. Like all of these girls, she is drawing a lot of Division-I interest.
10. Rachel Loobie, 5-11 F, Franklin Central H.S.
After missing most of her Sophomore year, it’s good to see Rachel playing this season healthy. She is a wiry strong, very athletic, and versatile forward. She is bouncy, long, and plays with a solid motor. Rachel is really good in the mid-post, and ultimately, that’s probably where she’ll play a lot in college early on, but she is strong enough to go to work on the block at times, and she’s skilled enough to occasionally play around the perimeter comfortably too. I think once she gets to college, she’ll have a coach spend a lot of time working on her perimeter game, because she’s far too athletic to just play inside of 15-feet. She too has drawn plenty of Division-I interest / offers over the years.
Header photo of Sydney Parrish of Hamilton Southeastern High School; photo courtesy of Gary Brockman of the Indianapolis Star at www.indystar.com. Photo of Ra’Shaya Kyle courtesy of mariongiantssports.com. Photo of Dash Shaw courtesy of nwitimes.com.