Indiana All-Star Team Announced

Thursday the Indiana All-Star Committee, headed up by new Indiana All-Star Director Mike Broughton, in coordination with the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and the Indianapolis Star, announced the names of the 13 Seniors who have been selected for the 2019 Indiana All-Star Team. While the team has been named, the coveted Miss Basketball Award will be announced on May 5th at the IndyStar Indiana Sports Awards ceremony, and the winner will come from the group below. As for the team itself, they will play three games this June. They will play one game against the Indiana Junior All-Stars as a tune-up, then they will play two games against the Kentucky Seniors…one in Kentucky and one in Indiana. This team is a very interesting mix of size, skill, and versatility. It is a deep point guard class, and there are four of those. There are also a pair of combo guards and a shooting guard. Up front, there are five versatile forwards who compete hard and who can all play inside and out…all topping 6-0, by the way…and there’s a 6-4 true post to patrol the middle when necessary. LaPorte County is well-represented, with four players hailing from three schools there. There are a pair of players from Northeast Indiana, a pair of players from Southern Indiana, a player from East Central Indiana, two players from Indianapolis, and two players from the Central Indiana suburbs. Below I’ve highlighted each of the 13 Seniors who have made the team, and they are arranged alphabetically by last name.   [caption id="attachment_15618" align="alignright" width="128"] Jorie Allen[/caption] Jorie Allen, 6-0 F, Bedford North Lawrence H.S. (Indiana) 19.1p, 3.3a, 8.0r, 1.3s Jorie has been “on the map” since her Freshman year, and she has done nothing to disappoint. She is a strong and physical forward, she plays with a good motor, but she also possesses a versatile skillset. She is probably best in the mid-post, but she can take smaller defenders to the low-block, she can knock down the occasional 3-pointer, and she can handle the ball in transition and initiate the offense. Shaila Beeler, 5-7 PG, Warren Central H.S. (Indiana) 11.8p, 7.9a, 2.1r, 1.8s Shaila is a strong, quick, and athletic lefty point guard. She is always in control of the ball, she is very difficult to contain off the bounce, and she is an excellent passer who finds teammates on time / on target. When she’s engaged, she can also stand out at the defensive end of the floor, especially on the ball. Her combination of strength and quickness should be a nice asset to this team.   Sydney Freeman, 5-7 PG, Central Noble H.S. (Ball State) 18.3p, 4.6a, 4.7r, 5.0s Sydney has had quite the career for Central Noble, setting the school single-season and career records for scoring, assists, and steals. She has played with a veteran poise ever since I can remember, and she can struggle early in a game and still destroy you late. She has very good ball skills, length, and North / South speed. She is also a very good shooter with deep range.   Carissa Garcia, 5-6 PG, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran H.S. (Northern Kentucky) 19.2p, 3.1a, 6.1r, 2.5s When Carissa committed to Northern Kentucky following the Summer between her Sophomore and Junior years, I think a lot of people thought what a great “steal” that was for NKU. She is highly skilled with the ball, and she has a very creative, almost “playground” type of feel for the game. She plays with a great motor, she has good speed and quickness, and she has become an effective scorer over the years.   [caption id="attachment_32939" align="alignright" width="150"] Amaya Hamilton[/caption] Amaya Hamilton, 6-1 F, Hamilton Southeastern H.S. (Duquesne) 11.7p, 2.0a, 6.6r, 1.4s Amaya’s contributions to the game and to this team will go a lot farther than the stat sheet. She is incredibly long, fluid, and athletic. She plays with a good motor, and she plays with a great deal of versatility. She can play in the mid-post and shoot or attack, she can post smaller defenders, and she can hit an open 3-pointer. She is every bit as versatile defensively, as she can defend four positions well.   Rikki Harris, 5-10 G, Indianapolis North Central H.S. (Ohio State) 12.2p, 2.4a, 3.6r, 1.2s Rikki has had a roller coaster of a ride throughout high school, and it revolves around her health. She has missed games injured, played games while injured / hurt, but when she’s healthy, she’s possibly the most talented player in Indiana’s 2019 class. She is an explosive scorer, a skillful player, and she has physical talent and good length. Look for her to possibly be a mismatch offensively for this team come June.   Lilly Hatton, 6-1 F, North Harrison H.S. (Wofford) 23.7p, 1.5a, 9.9r, 4.2b Lilly had an outstanding high school career at North Harrison, as she topped the 2000-point mark. She also posted 950 rebounds and 490 blocked shots. Additionally, Lilly was a huge part of the North Harrison teams that reached the Class 3A State Finals in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. Lilly is a tough-nosed, physical, hard-working forward who can play inside or knock down an open 3-pointer.   Emma Nolan, 6-1 F, Marquette Catholic H.S. (Saint John’s) 19.9p, 2.3a, 8.3r, 2.4s Emma had a nice Senior season, and I selected her as the Class 1A Most Outstanding Player last week. She plays with a good motor, she is skilled at all levels offensively, and she’s a solid athlete. What I like most about her game, is that she typically starts inside and works her way out. She is good scoring it and rebounding it around the paint, but she can also knock d/own the 3-pointer comfortably as well. She is very versatile.   Maddie Nolan, 5-8 G, Zionsville Community H.S. (Miami-Ohio) 13.6p, 3.0a, 3.8r, 2.4s Heading into July last Summer, I would have said Maddie was probably the leading candidate for the Miss Basketball award. But an ACL injury not long after the 4th of July, and Maddie ended up missing the first 22 games of her Senior year. Upon her return, Zionsville went 4-1, with their only loss coming in 2OT to Homestead in the Regional. Maddie is a tough competitor, a skilled guard, and a nice all-around ballplayer.   Sophia Nolan, 6-1 F, Marquette Catholic H.S. (Saint John’s) 17.7p, 2.9a, 7.9r, 1.8s Sophia was outstanding for Marquette in the Semi-State round, and her play was the biggest reason they escaped a tough Northfield team. She then followed it up with a really nice performance in the State Finals. She, like her sister Emma (above), adds a great deal of versatility at the forward spot. She plays a little more around the perimeter and is a good shooter, but she can also post and rebound at a high level on the interior.   [caption id="attachment_32940" align="alignright" width="161"] Hannah Noveroske[/caption] Hannah Noveroske, 6-4 C, Michigan City H.S. (Xavier) 21.9p, 12.2r, 2.7s, 5.8b I recently highlighted Hannah as the Class 4A Comeback Player of the Year, and for good reason. She had a tremendous Senior season considering it began just nine months after an ACL injury. She was selected to the 2018 Junior All-Star Team “Core” unit, but wasn’t able to participate. She is big, strong, and physical, she plays with a great motor, and she has good hands and all-around skill for a true post.   Riley Ott, 5-5 PG, LaPorte H.S. (Purdue Fort Wayne) 17.2p, 3.3a, 4.5r, 3.2s Riley is a joy to watch because she is one of the toughest pound-for-pound kids in this class. She isn’t very tall and she’s somewhat slender, but she competes at a high level every possession, she isn’t afraid of contact, and she plays through pain. She is very quick / fast, feisty, and she can shoot, score, and distribute it offensively, plus she’s good on the ball or in “help side” defensively. She is a true energy-giver.   Cameron Tabor, 5-9 G, New Castle H.S. (Davidson) 24.0p, 4.3a, 8.7r, 2.2s Cameron put together quite a career for the Lady Trojans. After playing a minimal role as a Freshman, 1627 of her 1668 career points came over her last three years. She is now New Castle’s all-time leading scorer on the girls’ side, and she’s second all-time when you include the guys. That’s impressive considering the school’s basketball history. She will bring high-level perimeter shooting to this team.   Header photo of Chyna Anthony of New Albany High School during one of the 2017 games with Kentucky; photo courtesy of Sarah Stier of the Indianapolis Star at IndyStar.com. Photo of Jorie Allen courtesy of dailyjournal.net. Photo of Amaya Hamilton courtesy of readthereporter.com. Photo of Hannah Noveroske courtesy of heraldargus.com.