Mid-America Challenge Review (Part 4)
Last weekend was an incredibly busy time for me, as I travelled to Louisville Friday, back to Westfield for Saturday’s action, only to return to Louisville again Sunday. Being from Indiana, I spent my time watching several Indiana teams and…
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Continue ReadingLast weekend was an incredibly busy time for me, as I travelled to Louisville Friday, back to Westfield for Saturday’s action, only to return to Louisville again Sunday. Being from Indiana, I spent my time watching several Indiana teams and prospects I had yet to see, plus I checked in on some kids I felt like I needed to view one more time. I also spent some time watching several non-Indiana teams. Below is a look at eight non-Indiana prospects in the Class of 2021 who I thought played well Saturday at the Mid-America Challenge in Westfield, Indiana, when I was able to see them in action.
Sydney Affolter, 5-11 W, Marist H.S. (IL), Illinois Elite BlueStar 17U
What a difference growing from Freshman to Sophomore year makes. I saw Sydney last Summer and thought she had a chance to be a good one, but now I’m convinced. She is so much stronger and more explosive this grassroots season, she has good length, and she plays with a tremendous motor. She grabs a rebound or gets an outlet pass and just takes off in transition, attacking the basket with no regard for any defender. She is tough, physical, and determined. She has some touch from the perimeter, and consistency outside will be the next step for her to complete her game. But when she’s as strong going to the rim as she is, why deter from that. She already holds multiple Big Ten offers at this point in time.
Macey Blevins, 5-9 W, Wayne County H.S. (KY), Kentucky Premier-Cann EYBL 16U
I really enjoyed watching Macey play, and I think she is such a well-rounded wing that she fits in most systems. She can handle the ball and create or run offense, she is a very good perimeter shooter, and while she isn’t necessarily the most elite athlete, she is somewhat smooth in all directions. For those of you from Indiana who are fans of Lilliann Frasure (2021 prospect), I think Macey’s style of play would remind you of her. Macey is also a tough-nosed kid, with a wiry strong frame and some length. She plays with a very good motor, and I can definitely see her drawing a lot of Division-I interest this Summer.
Marie Kiefer, 6-1 F/C, Bishop Brossart H.S. (KY), Kentucky Premier-Cann EYBL 16U
Marie is one of those kids who absolutely looks the part, and she has tremendous upside, but she still needs some work to her overall game. She is pushing 6-2, and she has a great frame…long arms, wiry strength, and broad shoulders. She runs the floor well North/South, she has some bounce to her, and she has good energy bursts at times. Skillfully, she isn’t bad, and she can catch the basketball, knock down a 15-footer, and finish at the basket. But watching her, I felt like most of the time she didn’t really make a polished post move, and oftentimes she caught it and just went so fast that she was a little off-balance or out of control. Once she’s able to rein in her physical ability and play a little more patiently, I think she has enough physical talent to be a matchup problem.
Ava Learn, 6-0 F, Our Lady of Lourdes H.S. (NY), Philadelphia Belles EYBL 16U
Ava seems to be stuck between positions right now. I feel like she’s very good as a face-up/mid-post ‘4’, but it appears as though she’s trying to play more like a wing. She has really good length, but she’s somewhat slender and needs to add strength soon. She also is a very nice, fluid athlete in all directions. She does several things skillfully at a good level, but she’s just not necessarily elite at any of them. If over the next year or so she can enhance her perimeter skillset, she could develop into a nice Mid-Major Division-I prospect, because she has the height, length, and ability to be a problem outside.
Brooklynn Miles, 5-6 PG, Franklin County H.S. (KY), Kentucky Premier-Milby EYBL 17U
I was really impressed with Brooklynn, because I felt like for as much speed and quickness as she possesses, she does as good of a job as any point guard I’ve seen this year at controlling it and picking her spots to be explosive. She has good strength for her size, and she’s a nice all-around athlete as well. She has a very good handle, she plays with her head up at all times, scanning the floor, and she has a nonstop motor. If she can prove to be a consistent scorer from the perimeter (I’m not saying she isn’t yet, I just didn’t see her look to score), I think she’s highly recruitable because she has a lot of the other qualities you look for in a point guard. I also thought she was solid and disciplined defensively.
Ruthie Montella, 5-11 W, William Fremd H.S. (IL), Illinois Elite BlueStar 17U
Ruthie is a long, wiry strong, fluid, and smooth wing guard/forward. She isn’t necessarily the most explosive athlete, but she seemingly glides around the floor effortlessly. She has solid ball skills, she’s an accurate perimeter shooter, and she’s strong enough to absorb contact and get to the basket. She could still stand to build more strength, especially in her base and core, but she is an intriguing wing who can play a variety of positions both offensively and defensively. If she can continue tightening her skillset a little bit and maybe get just a little more explosive, I can certainly see her with a lot of Division-I interest.
Fernanda Ovalle, 5-10 W, Colegio de los Sagrados Corazones Alameda (Chile), Chilean National Team 16U
A lot of times when these National teams enter travel tournaments, they are somewhat overwhelmed. I felt like despite what the scoreboard said for a couple of the Chilean team’s games, they were competitive, tough, and didn’t back down from competition. Fernanda was probably the most impressive of their players. She is a really nice, fluid athlete with good length. She is a very good shooter from the perimeter, but throughout the day she showed more and more ability off the bounce. She is very well-rounded as a player, and is a point forward type with a jumper. She was difficult to stop from scoring/making plays at times. She could stand to defend a little better and be more on-balance at that end of the floor, but I could definitely see Division-I schools interested in recruiting her.
Francisca Rocha, 6-1 C, American Junior College (Chile), Chilean National Team 16U
Francisca was one of a few solid interior players for this Chilean team. She is a strong, physical post who plays with a great motor. She runs the floor North/South fairly well, but she does need work on her lateral mobility. She has solid hands, and she can establish herself on the low-block, but she’s not an overly aggressive scorer anywhere on the floor. She is definitely a solid rebounder and low-post defender, so if she can develop a go-to and a counter move of some sort, I could definitely see some Division-I and Division-II schools having a lot of interest in her.