Regional Review: Upperclassmen

Saturday I was able to see the morning games of the Charlestown Regional. Salem knocked off defending State Runner-Up Greensburg, while Gibson Southern took care of Vincennes Lincoln. Below is a look at ten Seniors and Juniors from the two games who stood out to me. Prospects are arranged by graduating class, then alphabetically by last name. To the best of my knowledge, each of these girls is still uncommitted in terms of which college they plan to attend.   [caption id="attachment_11531" align="alignright" width="150"] Alison Hein[/caption] Alison Hein, 2019, 6-1 F, Vincennes Lincoln H.S. Alison is one of the best remaining prospects in Indiana’s Class of 2019. She has a wiry strong frame, she moves around the floor fairly well in all directions, and she’s both skilled on the block and capable of knocking down a perimeter jumper. She has really good length, and she plays with a very nice motor. She also has a good understanding of the game. I’m not sure why someone hasn’t come in and scooped her up (in terms of recruiting), but if she’s wanting to play college basketball, she can definitely help a variety of programs immediately.   Tabby Klem, 2019, 5-9 F, Gibson Southern H.S. Tabby is another player who I’m surprised isn’t already committed somewhere. She has a fairly strong frame, she doesn’t mind physicality, and she plays with a really good motor. The draw to Tabby has always been her soft touch and her ability to knock down shots consistently at all levels. Shooting has always been a premium at the college level, so I think she should be attractive to most small college programs. I like the fact that she is comfortable on the wing offensively, but she is also willing and capable of playing in the mid-post and on the interior as well.   Mackenzie Underwood, 2019, 5-7 F, Salem H.S. Saturday was actually my first time ever seeing Mackenzie play, and there are a lot of qualities about her game that have me intrigued. She has a long and lean frame, she is North / South fast, somewhat bouncy, and she seems to play with an endless motor. She does go almost too fast at times and needs to learn how to change speeds a little bit, but you have to love her energy and effort. She is left-handed and strong attacking the basket to her left, plus she showed a nice touch at the free throw line. I would definitely like to see more of her, but I think she could help a small college in a versatile wing / forward role.   Darrian Carmean, 2020, 5-8 G, Vincennes Lincoln H.S. Last year when 2018 graduate Abi Haynes (Ball State) was out injured, Darrian stepped up in a big way and managed ball-handling duties for Lincoln throughout most of the year. This season she appears to be sharing those duties a little more with the addition of Dani Kroeger (2022) to the roster. Darrian is a capable ball-handler, and when she is able to go off the bounce, she is so smooth and fluid attacking the rim. While first impressions indicate she’s probably more of a playmaker, she is shooting an impressive 41% from 3-point range, knocking down nearly a pair of 3s per game. She has really good length, and she can use that to benefit her defensively as well.   [caption id="attachment_13493" align="alignleft" width="166"] Aliyah Evans[/caption] Aliyah Evans, 2020, 5-10 F, Greensburg H.S. Aliyah is an interesting and unique style of forward. She looks like more of a power forward, and she does a nice job of using her strength and physicality to her advantage. But she grew up as more of a wing and has really good ball skills, plus the ability to knock down rhythm jumpers to the 3-point line. I think she’s a versatile inside-out threat who can hurt opponents in a variety of ways. Defensively, I think if she can prove to defend the ball on the wing a little better, that will affect her recruiting as much as anything, because offensively she has a nice skill package.   Leah Miller, 2020, 5-6 G, Salem H.S. Leah played extremely well in their matchup with Greensburg, and she’s had a nice season altogether. She is a strong, physical, and aggressive combo guard. She has good ball skill and can run offense efficiently, but she’s also a really nice scorer who can hit shots with range or get to the basket and finish. She seems to be a really quick decision-maker and also has a quick release on her shot, making her that much more difficult to defend. I think she’s a really nice basketball player who understands the game and can make plays at both ends of the floor. I’ll be curious to see what her recruiting looks like this Spring.   Micha Morrison, 2020, 5-5 G, Greensburg H.S. Micha has been a Varsity contributor since her Freshman year, but this season she was thrust into more of a leadership role. She is a long, lean, and very active scoring guard who can impact the game at both ends of the floor. She is good going to the basket for scores, she has a nice mid-range game, and she’s a capable perimeter shooter when open and in rhythm. She has typically been a feisty defensive player who is quick enough to defend point guards as well. If at some point she can show good ball skill and the ability to manage a team as a point guard, I think that would benefit her from a recruiting standpoint.   [caption id="attachment_27389" align="alignright" width="154"] Lettie Nice (in black)[/caption] Lettie Nice, 2020, 6-1 C, Salem H.S. Lettie is what I would call an opportunistic post player. She has good size, length, and she plays with a very good motor. She doesn’t always sit down and drive defenders back, but she gets a lot of baskets off of their guards’ penetration, and they do some nice ball-screen-and-roll stuff with her as well. She outworks opponents for offensive rebounds, and she just finds herself in the right place at the right time a lot. She isn’t the most explosive post, but she does rim-run hard and she gives effort every possession. If she can either be a bit quicker laterally or become dominant physically on the block and drive defenders every chance she gets, I think her recruiting would take off, because she tries to play the right way.   Meredith Raley, 2020, 5-11 F, Gibson Southern H.S. Meredith has done a nice job developing her game over the last couple of years. She has a wiry strong frame, good length, solid hands, and the ability to establish position on the block and score with post moves. But she’s also versatile, she can knock down a perimeter jumper, and she can go by defenders straight-line to the basket and finish that way. I think, ideally, she’s best-suited for the mid-post, but all-in-all she is just a nice inside-out forward. I believe she finished with 28 points against a Vincennes Lincoln group who has a pair of really nice frontline prospects.   Hope Tomlinson, 2020, 5-5 G, Salem H.S. Hope was limited to just a handful of minutes Saturday morning due to an illness, but she still showed some flashes of what I’ve seen previously. She is a wiry kid for her height, she moves around the floor well in all directions, and she always plays hard. Traditionally she has played more off the ball because of the presence of classmate Leah Miller (above), but Hope is starting to show more ball skill now and the ability to make plays for others. I would like to see her at full-speed, because she’s a double-digit scorer for a really good and deep team.   Header photo of Meredith Raley of Gibson Southern High School; photo courtesy of Mike Lawrence of the Evansville Courier & Press.