Rankings Review: 2021 Centers
On Thursday, March 28th, we posted our updated rankings for the Class of 2021. While there has been some talk that the class doesn’t necessarily rival the 2020 or 2022 classes around it, in my mind there are still several…
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Continue ReadingOn Thursday, March 28th, we posted our updated rankings for the Class of 2021. While there has been some talk that the class doesn’t necessarily rival the 2020 or 2022 classes around it, in my mind there are still several really nice prospects to consider. Below is a look at the Top-10 centers in Indiana’s Class of 2021:
1. Chanteese Craig, 6-1 C, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran H.S.
At times, Chanteese can be an absolute monster in the paint. She is a big-bodied, powerful, and physically imposing true post. But she is also very skilled. She has soft hands and can finish either direction, she has decent touch in the mid-post and can play facing the basket at times, plus she is a very good downhill passer, often hitting cutters for easy scores. I would like to see her play with some sense of urgency at the defensive end of the floor, and she’ll definitely need to work on her explosiveness. Unfortunately, Chanteese missed this high school season, so hopefully she’ll be able to put in a full grassroots season to help boost her recruiting. She did draw a lot of interest and some offers last Summer.
2. Sydney Jaynes, 6-2 C/PF, Trinity Lutheran School
Sydney is a highly skilled frontline player who does a little of everything well. For Trinity Lutheran, she handles the ball a lot because she’s their best option to do so. She’ll bring it up the floor in transition and even initiate the offense from the top of the key. She is a very good shooter in the 15 to 17-foot range, a great passer from that area as well, and she can knock down the occasional 3-pointer when set and in rhythm. She has a wiry strong frame, really good length, and she moves around the floor solidly in all directions. I really like her combination of size and ability to play inside or out. I’d almost call her a pick-and-pop ‘5’ at the next level, and she can be such a mismatch at times skillfully.
3. Brynn Shoup-Hill, 6-2 C, Goshen H.S.
Brynn is a really nice prospect who has already drawn some Division-I looks because of her potential and her play last Summer. She has broad shoulders, long arms, and she moves around the floor fairly well and even has some bounce to her. She has an athletic frame, but she does still need to get stronger. She prefers to play facing the basket at times, and she is a very good mid-post scorer, but I also think she could be much more dominant if she played inside-out and used her athletic tools around the basket. She does that a lot more in high school during the Winter, but she almost settles for jumpers a little too much in grassroots ball. I do think she has a ton of upside, though, because she’s a nice athlete at her size, and she does have the ability to play on the block, in the mid-post, and I even think she’ll eventually be able to play around the perimeter comfortably at times.
4. Gigi Eldredge, 6-0 C/PF, Westfield H.S.
I really like Gigi’s game and upside, and I think she’s been a little undervalued in terms of her recruitment so far. She is a strong frontline player with a great frame, she has broad shoulders, some length, and she plays with a good motor and doesn’t mind physicality. She spends some time around the block and uses contact to find her way to the basket, but she can also flex out and play in the mid-post or the short-corners and knock down the 15-footer. As she continues to develop her game, it would benefit her to work on that face-up game, especially making a dribble-move or two to get to the rim from the mid-post and finish. She is a solid athlete, so I think this could be a nice counter if defenders close out to her too hard.
5. Mariah Dickerson, 5-11 C, Evansville Mater Dei H.S.
After suffering a May 2018 ACL injury, Mariah returned to the court in mid-December, but it wasn’t until mid-January that she started to find her stride and really start to contribute to Mater Dei’s Semi-State run. She is a strong, almost powerful interior player. She has a broad frame and loves to play with contact. But she is much more athletic than she might appear at first glance, and she has soft hands and a soft touch in the mid-post. I can’t wait for July, once she’s regained a lot more of her explosiveness, because even at 5-11, I think her combination of skill, athleticism, and power allow her to play with a great deal of versatility, and I can definitely see her drawing some Division-I interest…again, assuming she returns to form like I saw her last April.
The Next 5:
6. Amber Austin, 6-0 C/PF, Homestead H.S.
7. Arial Ford, 6-0 C, Pike H.S.
8. Dynasty Witherspoon, 6-2 C, Indianapolis North Central H.S.
9. Lauren Carie, 6-1 C, Vincennes Rivet H.S.
10. Allison Shaffer, 6-0 C, Brownsburg H.S.
Header photo of Chanteese Craig of Fort Wayne’s Concordia Lutheran High School. Photo courtesy of her own Twitter account.