Spring Bling Review – Part 2
Saturday I attended the Always 100 Spring Bling at the SportONE Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is hosted by both the Always 100 program and the SMAC program out of Ohio. Since I only had the one day available…
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Continue ReadingSaturday I attended the Always 100 Spring Bling at the SportONE Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is hosted by both the Always 100 program and the SMAC program out of Ohio. Since I only had the one day available to attend, I sought out specific teams and players to see, therefore I wasn’t able to see everyone in attendance, and I did miss seeing several talented individuals. However, in what I did see, below is a look at eight girls in Indiana’s classes of 2022 and 2023 who I thought made an impression.
Alayna Boots, 2022, 5-4 PG, Prairie Heights H.S., Always 100 Hoopsters
Prairie Heights hasn’t exactly been a basketball powerhouse over the last few years, but now the backcourt combination of Alexis German (2020) and Alayna Boots should be really solid next season. Alayna is shorter, but she’s quick/fast, she plays with a good motor, and she’s somewhat feisty. She is in on just about every play and tries to make an impact at both ends of the floor. I still need to see more of her, but my first impressions of her were pretty good.
Ally Madden, 2022, 6-1 C, Blue River Valley H.S., NuVision Sportz
Ally is a developing, young, true post who possesses quite a bit of upside. She has broad shoulders, long arms, and she looks like she still might grow another inch or two. She keeps the ball high in the post, but she does move around the floor fairly well and plays with a good motor for a big. As she matures and gains strength, she could be a dominant force around the rim. She will need a go-to move and a counter though, as she has been able to get away with just backing defenders down in the past.
Ayanna Patterson, 2022, 6-3 W, Homestead H.S., Always 100 Attack
By this point, Ayanna has gotten plenty of attention in regards to her skill, ability, potential, and offers. But for me, this weekend was about seeing her go head to head with some of the Midwest’s best 2020s and 2021s. She faced talent, strength, and physicality, a slow (or no) whistle most of the time, and she kept coming. Sure there were frustrations, missed shots, etc., but she continued to mix it up, seek out contact, and never overreacted emotionally. Even though she’s still gaining strength, she played strong, attacked the basket, and did finish through contact more often than not. I think she’s a talented player who “gets it”, and she will only get better and better…scary for everyone else.
Ky Swope, 2022, 5-6 G, Castle H.S., Nike Lady Gym Rats Maroon
This weekend was my first time seeing Ky, and in what I was able to see of her, she has nice upside. She played with a great motor, she has length, athleticism, and good speed/quickness in all directions. She is a playmaker offensively, and she can create for herself or others, and she is a pest defensively who can really hound and annoy opposing guards. I did not see her shoot any jumpers, so I would like to be able to evaluate that part of her game at some point, but I think she’s a nice point guard or combo guard prospect.
Gabrielle Dean, 2023, 6-3 C, Columbus East H.S., Indiana Elite
Gabrielle was maybe the most intriguing prospect I saw all day, because (1) she was a new name to me, (2) she has good size for her age, and (3) she has really good ability and potential in basketball. The question is whether or not she’ll stick with basketball, because she’s apparently a high-level volleyball prospect. If she does, I think she’ll see a lot of college interest in hoops, it just might take a little longer for her to develop her game skillfully. She has a frame that should be able to handle good muscle-weight, she has long arms, long legs, and she runs North/South well and has some bounce to her. She will need to work on her offensive skill around the basket, and she could stand to be quicker laterally, but she definitely has nice all-around talent and upside for the game.
Abby Fleetwood, 2023, 5-6 PG, Brown County H.S., Indiana Elite
Abby is a really nice, young, point guard prospect who plays with a nonstop motor. She has a solid/strong frame for a young guard, she has a quiet toughness to her, and she is the aggressor at both ends of the floor. She can handle it and run offense, she’s good attacking the basket, and she can knock down an open jumper. Defensively, she reads and anticipates well, and she has solid quickness and works hard to defend. Her North/South speed could improve just a little, and if she can become a knockdown shooter, she’ll be difficult to defend in high school.
McKenna Layden, 2023, 6-0 F, Northwestern H.S., Indiana Elite
If the last name sounds familiar, it’s because her mother is Northwestern’s Head Coach and her sister is a star wing for Northwestern. McKenna, though, is a little different than her older sister stylistically. She is incredibly long, still somewhat slender and will need to gain strength over the years, but she moves around the floor very well and has some bounce in her. She plays with toughness, doesn’t mind physicality, and she’s probably most comfortable in the mid-post. To me, at least, she’s probably a mid-post forward right now with a beautiful 17-foot jumper, who will likely extend herself to the perimeter throughout her career and develop into more of a pure wing with added maturity. I like her, and I think she still might grow a little more…definitely a nice, young talent with good upside.
Josie Trabel, 2023, 5-11 F, East Central H.S., Indiana Elite
Josie is a really nice, young ballplayer who is hard to label by position. She already has good wiry strength, she is a solid athlete, and she’s versatile skillfully. She can handle it a little in transition, she can hit a mid-range jumper consistently, and she’s strong enough and tall enough for her age to go to the block and work for easy scores. I think her physical potential is maybe a little different than Layden’s (above), but her positioning might be similar. She is most comfortable in the mid-post right now, but I can see her becoming a wing, maybe even a point forward type, with good size and strength. She’s one to keep an eye on as well.