Prospect Review: Upperclassmen

I wanted to take the opportunity and write about seven prospects from the classes of 2019 and 2020 who I’ve seen lately. These aren’t all of the upperclassmen prospects I’ve seen, but they are a handful who I thought stood out for one reason or another.   [caption id="attachment_25890" align="alignright" width="192"] Taylor Boruff of Taylor H.S.[/caption] Taylor Boruff, 2019, 5-11 W, Taylor H.S. Taylor is a very interesting combination of size, strength, and skill. The lefty transferred into Taylor this year from Northwestern, where she was the third leading scorer on last year’s Class 3A State Championship team. She is built somewhat like a power forward, with broad shoulders and a strong frame, but she has really good length, a nice feel for the game, and she handles and passes it like a guard. She is a capable perimeter shooter, but that’s an area she could probably make a little more consistent. She plays with sort of an old school tempo, and she creates offense for others by getting into the paint and collapsing the defense. She’s also good finishing inside through contact. She has committed to D1 High Point University in North Carolina.   Ariel Dale, 2019, 5-6 G, Northfield H.S. Ariel is a nice-looking scoring guard who can really shoot it from the perimeter. She has always been a wiry kid, but now she’s showing a lot more strength and the ability to absorb contact much better. If she can take that soft lefty touch and prove to be a well-rounded scorer instead of just a perimeter shooter, she could be a really nice scorer at the next level as well. She can handle it a little and run offense, and she gives effort at the defensive end of the floor too. She has already committed to play at Taylor University, and she should fit in nicely with their desire to shoot a lot of jumpers.   Sierra Southard, 2019, 5-5 G, Frankton H.S. Sierra is another old school style of player. She plays at an even tempo, she looks under control bringing it up the floor, and she stands on top most of the time directing the Frankton offense. She has a solid feel for the game, and she’s a good passer, but it’s her ability to knock down rhythm perimeter jumpers consistently that make her a threat. She has a solid frame and can handle contact, and she never looks rattled. I would like to see her invest in the defensive end of the floor just a little more. I think she could be a really nice small college guard.   [caption id="attachment_25895" align="alignright" width="144"] Kelcie Thomson of Northfield[/caption] Kelcie Thomson, 2019, 5-3 PG, Northfield H.S. Kelcie is a strong, tough-nosed, gritty lead guard who is a four-year Varsity starter. She has shot it much better this season, and she recently went over 1,000 points for her career. She is a bulldog attacking the basket, and she does a nice job of earning trips to the charity stripe. I’m not sure exactly what her recruiting looks like at the moment, but she could be a nice small college point guard because she is a highly productive kid who will battle at both ends of the floor.   Addie Gardner, 2020, 5-10 W, Frankton H.S. I’ve always liked Addie’s upside, and she looks like she has finally finished growing and is starting to show a little strength. Addie is extremely long, slender, and fluid, and she’s a skilled lefty shooter with range. She can attack off the bounce, and the stronger she gets, I think the more confidence she’ll have doing that down the road. She can make plays defensively because of her length, and she’s fairly quick-footed. If she can make her handle a little more dynamic, especially to her non-dominant side, I think she could become more of a true guard and see her recruiting take off.   Kelsey Hammond, 2020, 6-0 F/C, Carroll H.S. (Flora) Kelsey is an intriguing player with size who I’m fairly certain not many people know about. She is long, fairly fluid, and even somewhat bouncy. She moves around the floor defensively and causes problems with her length, plus she’s a solid rim protector. Offensively, she still needs to work on some finishing moves and polish her jumper a bit, but she can effectively score it in the mid-post and in well-enough at the high school level to be productive, she’ll just need to clean everything up for the next level. I think she could be a nice, versatile, mobile small college ‘big’ with some physical ability.   Bailey Tucker, 2020, 5-6 W, Frankton H.S. Bailey is the younger sister of University of Evansville Freshman Sydney Tucker (Frankton Class of 2018). Bailey is much stronger and a bit more physical than Sydney was, but Bailey does possess that family jump-shot. She has impressed me this year with her consistent production. A year ago, she was a role player who came in for a few minutes and knocked down a shot or two, but this year she is a much more assertive scorer who players a key role for them. She is a perimeter threat opposing teams must guard, and now she’s starting to put it on the floor and draw contact attacking the basket. She could be a potent small college wing shooter in a couple of years.   Header photo of Addie Gardner of Frankton High School; photo courtesy of Don Knight of heraldbulletin.com. Photo of Taylor Boruff courtesy of Taylor High School's Hudl account. Photo of Kelcie Thomson courtesy of wabashcountysports.com.