Flight Invitational Review: Class of 2023
This past Saturday was the annual Indiana Flight Invitational. It is typically a really nice event, featuring most/all of the Indiana Flight teams, as well as many of the other top programs in the state. This year it saw programs…
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Continue ReadingThis past Saturday was the annual Indiana Flight Invitational. It is typically a really nice event, featuring most/all of the Indiana Flight teams, as well as many of the other top programs in the state. This year it saw programs like IGB, Indiana Elite S.W.I.S.H., Indiana’s Best, Lady Aces, Lady Region Elite, Nike Lady Gym Rats, Shelby Sting, and Sky Digg Elite all represented in the high school divisions. Below is a look at eight young ladies from the Class of 2023 who I wanted to point out from their play on Saturday.
Asiah Baxter, 5-9 F, Warren Central H.S., IGB-Morse Gold
The IGB-Morse Gold group has challenged itself this Spring by playing against older competition in multiple tournaments. They are playing against girls two to three years older, and they are having success and should improve quickly. While the guards are considered the strength of this team, Asiah has been nothing but consistent game-in and game-out. She has a great frame, strength, long arms, and she’s fairly bouncy. She plays with a great motor and pursues rebounds out of her area, and she finishes around the rim and through contact often. I’m not sure how much she’ll grow, so continuing to develop that mid-post to perimeter skillset will be key for her going forward, but I really like the toughness and effort she possesses as a basketball prospect right now.
Ashlynn Brooke, 5-6 PG, Pioneer H.S., Indiana’s Best-Elliott 16U
Unless you have seen this team or are from the Logansport area, there’s a good chance this is the first time you’ve seen Ashlynn’s name, but I assure you she can play. In fact, during at least one game Saturday, the opposing team ultimately had to take a defender and play full denial defense on her, and she still scored nearly 30 points. She is still a little thin, as expected for a youngster, but she’s emotionally mature and tough on the court, she has good quickness and balance, some length, and she plays with a motor. If I didn’t tell you she was an 8th Grader, you’d probably think she was a Sophomore, like most of the others on her team. She is heady, savvy, and patient, she picks her spots, and she can shoot/score, distribute, and defend. In a 2023 class loaded with point guards, she will be one to keep an eye on for the next four years.
Hadlee Cook, 6-1 C, Logansport H.S., Indiana’s Best-Best 15U
Over the last few years, the Logansport program has struggled for size and true post play, but Hadlee should change that very soon. She is a big-bodied pure post, she has decent hands and feet, and against her peers she’s just tough to move. Now, for the high school level and playing against older kids, she will need to build true strength and not just rely on her size, plus she could definitely stand to be more explosive in all directions. However, if over the next year or so she can develop a go-to move and a counter, she could be a really nice collegiate post prospect, plus she still might have another couple of inches left in her.
Layla Gold, 5-11 F/C, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis), IGB-Morse Gold
Layla is another nice front-liner from the talented IGB-Morse Gold squad. The first time I saw them, I definitely took notice of her height, tremendous length, and her ability to fluidly move around the floor. But this time I was able to see her do some really nice things skillfully and affect the game at both ends of the floor. I think what impressed me the most, is that even though she’s thin right now, she doesn’t mind contact, and she didn’t back down from the stronger, more physical upperclassmen. She has some touch, a variety of finishing moves around the basket, and I think she can either develop into a really nice back-to-the-basket post, or she’s athletic enough to eventually become a nice face-up ‘4’ who could play in the mid-post or farther out.
Nevaeh Jackson, 5-10 F, Fort Wayne Carroll H.S., Nike Lady Gym Rats Platinum
Saniya Jackson, 5-10 F, Fort Wayne Carroll H.S., Nike Lady Gym Rats Platinum
Based on what I saw Saturday, I’m guessing Fort Wayne area middle school teams have had their fill of the Jackson twins and are happy they’re moving on to high school next year. Right now their games are so similar, it was just easier to group them together. Both are tremendously long, fairly fluid, and they have good all-around athleticism. They are a little thin and could use some strength, but they both look like they still have some inches left to grow. They can post up and play comfortably around the block, they are solid in the mid-post, but they also looked capable around the perimeter. If they do continue to grow and develop their skillset, you are looking at a set of twins who could end up being 6-0+ inside-out forwards with great versatility and who compliment each other well.
Ashlynn Shade, 5-8 PG, Noblesville H.S., IGB-Morse Gold
Earlier this Spring when I saw the IGB-Morse Gold team at the Shamrock Classic, I felt like they were all trying to share the ball maybe a little too much, figuring out their roles, etc., which is typical for a young team early in a season. But Saturday Ashlynn was outstanding. She started to take over games and enforce her will on her opponents. While they did lose to a very good and guard-heavy Gym Rats Tan group, they beat nice teams in the Indiana Flight Storm and Indiana Elite S.W.I.S.H., and Ashlynn was a big reason why. Physically, she already has some muscle tone, she’s long, and she’s a solid all-around athlete. Skillfully, she plays with a good handle and an accurate jump-shot, but it’s her ability to think the game like a Varsity guard that is most impressive. It’s evident she will hear from a wide range of Division-I programs this Spring & Summer.
Linzie Wernert, 5-8 F, Lanesville H.S., Indiana Flight Yellow (South)
Talent at the small school level is typically cyclical, and Lanesville is riding high right now due to a strong 2021 class. If you now add in a player like Linzie to that group, they are just going to continue to improve and be that much deeper the next couple of years. Linzie is a strong-for-her-age forward who does a variety of things well. She is tough, physical, and aggressive in the mid-post and on the interior, plus she can play outside comfortably, handle the ball a little, and knock down the occasional jumper. She’s a physical rebounder, she plays with a good motor, and she is a willing defender who can guard wings and some posts. At 5-8, she will need to continue developing her perimeter skillset and her explosiveness, but she is already a really nice basketball player.