Rankings Review: Class of 2022 Forwards & Posts
In recent memory, the Class of 2016 will go down as one of Indiana’s best ever. While there are more than 40 girls from that class who have attended Division-I schools, it’s known more for its headliners…stars like Jackie Young, Tyasha Harris, Lindsey…
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Continue ReadingIn recent memory, the Class of 2016 will go down as one of Indiana’s best ever. While there are more than 40 girls from that class who have attended Division-I schools, it’s known more for its headliners…stars like Jackie Young, Tyasha Harris, Lindsey Corsaro, Jayla Scaife, Ae’Rianna Harris, Kristen Spolyar, and plenty of others. I first started evaluating women’s basketball prospects when these ladies were in 7th Grade, and I think the Class of 2022 has a chance to develop into something close to 2016, but a lot of that revolves around the continued development of this frontline group of talented individuals. Below is a look at the Top-15 forwards and posts in the Class of 2022:
1. Ayanna Patterson, 6-3 W, Homestead H.S.
I’ve profiled Ayanna several times on here, and for good reason. She’s our #1 overall prospect in this class, and she could possibly be the same in the state, regardless of class. She entered her Freshman season having already picked up more than 30 high-major Division-I offers without even playing a high school game. She is long, fluid, bouncy, and she plays with a very good motor. She can play point forward, work out of the mid-post, or even take shorter defenders to the block and finish over them. Could she use a little work? Absolutely. What young player doesn’t? But she gets in the gym regularly in the off-season. Will she set any sort of records? Maybe, maybe not, but she isn’t that type of player. She is such an unselfish star, she wants to win more than anything, and she tries to fit in and involve her teammates. As she gets stronger, though, watch for her game to really get scary-good.
2. Mila Reynolds, 6-1 F, South Bend Washington H.S.
In any normal class, Mila would likely be the clear #1 option for best prospect in a class. While Ayanna is probably contending to be one of the top two or three players in the country, in my opinion, Mila is one of the Top-25. She has length, wiry strength, and very good athleticism in all directions. Right now she’s probably most effective in the mid-post, but she too can handle the ball in transition and create for her teammates, plus she can knock down the occasional perimeter jumper. She is a very good passer, a versatile defensive player, and she will allow her future college team so much flexibility because she’ll be able to play multiple positions at both ends of the floor. If you have been watching any of the women’s NCAA Tournament, she reminds me a little of Oregon’s Satou Sabally stylistically, but I think at the end of the day Mila will be more perimeter oriented.
3. Kate Clarke, 6-0 W, Carmel H.S.
Depending on her future development, Kate is another player I can see discussed on a National level. She is an absolute threat at the offensive end of the floor. She has some wiry strength, a pure jump-shot with a little range, and she has worked to speed up her release to the point that she needs very little space to get her shot away. As she continues to develop strength, look for her shot to be (1) more consistent and to (2) stretch in terms of range. This year she is starting to be more of a scorer and not just a shooter, which is great, and she looks much more aggressive on the boards. I would like to see her begin to understand angles a little better at the defensive end of the floor, but she does at least give effort down there.
4. Lilly Stoddard, 6-3 F, Crown Point H.S.
Lilly is one of those prospects who has as much upside as anyone in this class, but she’s still in the developmental stages of her career as she works to gain strength. She does look like she has added muscle-mass in the last year, especially in her legs, which is good considering she needed a much stronger base. She’s playing much more physical on the interior, trying to seek out contact, and she uses her tremendous length to keep the ball high. She has good bounce and all-around athleticism, and I think as she continues gaining the necessary strength for the next level, we’ll see her become an even better and smoother pure athlete. She is effective in the mid-post and she is much more effective around the low-block, but like I said, she is very recruitable because of her high-level potential, and Elite-8 representative Iowa has already thought enough of her to extend an offer.
5. Alyssa Crockett, 6-1 F, Westfield H.S.
I feel bad because I’m just now getting to Alyssa, and she’s someone who I really enjoy watching play. She has a chance to be a Top-100 prospect Nationally at the end of the day, but that just shows you how deep this frontline group really is. Alyssa is a wiry strong, fairly smooth and athletic combo forward who can play in the mid-post, but she can also handle the ball in transition and initiate the offense. She’s capable of knocking down an open 3-pointer when set and in rhythm, and she’s a pretty good passer off the move. She too will need to continue getting stronger, and her handle could use a little tightening, but I think her game suggests she’s leaning more towards becoming a wing than an interior player long-term. My gut tells me we’ll see a big jump in her productivity between today and a year from now.
The Next 10:
6. Natalie Niehaus, 5-9 W, Castle H.S.
7. Myah Montgomery, 5-11 F, Southridge H.S.
8. Katie Egenolf, 5-10 W, Center Grove H.S.
9. Diana Burgher, 5-11 F, North Harrison H.S.
10. Jaelynne Murray, 5-9 W, Pike H.S.
11. Davinna Smith, 5-10 W, Merrillville H.S.
12. Meredith Weiss, 5-11 F, Vincennes Rivet H.S.
13. Rayah Kincer, 5-9 W, Franklin Central H.S.
14. MyKayla Moran, 6-3 C, Hamilton Heights H.S.
15. Ellie Wilkerson, 5-9 W, Plainfield H.S.
Header photo of Ayanna Patterson of Homestead High School. Photo provided by the family through the Always 100 program.