End Of July Wrap-Up: Part-1
With many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield July 21st & 22nd, and then went to Cincinnati for Certified…
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Continue ReadingWith many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield July 21st & 22nd, and then went to Cincinnati for Certified Basketball’s The Finale on July 23rd and 24th. I saw several teams from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, but below is a look at nine 2020 prospects specifically from Indiana who had nice performances when I was able to watch them.
Hannah Bolton, 5-4 G, Monroe Central H.S., Indiana Bears 17U
Hannah is smallish in stature, but she plays with a great deal of toughness and a real competitive fire. She has been known over the years as a very good perimeter shooter, but throughout this Spring and Summer she has shown the ability to handle the ball, run offense, create opportunities for others, and get to the basket for her own scores. That offensive versatility, along with a scrappiness defensively, has earned her a lot more attention, and she projects as a really nice small college prospect who can come in and give a team good minutes as either a point guard or a shooting/scoring guard.
Alaysia Davis, 6-0 F, Warren Central H.S., Nike Lady Gym Rats Bronze 17U
I have been singing the praises of Alaysia for a couple of years now, and I think she’s a real talent who has gone under-recruited for some time. She is strong, physical, and very athletic, and she can play on the block or in the mid-post equally well. In the game I saw, she had multiple quick-footed spin moves that resulted in scores, and she repeatedly jumped through defenders tugging on her arms for and-1 opportunities. She flashes a great deal of potential, and while her skillset could certainly use some fine-tuning, I don’t know that there are many prospects still available in 2020 who are as physically talented.
Aliyah Evans, 5-10 F, Greensburg H.S., Indiana Flight Storm 17U
In many circumstances, once a kid commits to a college there tends to be some complacency on their part, but in other situations, they play relieved/relaxed. The latter seemed to be the case for Aliyah after committing to Marian University in mid-July. In her first tournament since that commitment, she came out and played incredibly well offensively, probably scoring half of her team’s points. She was hitting shots at all levels, knocking down floaters, making dribble-moves to get into the lane, and she just looked so comfortable out there. She has always been highly skilled, but this was as dominant of an offensive performance as I’ve seen from her since after her Freshman year in 2017.
MacKenzie McMahon, 5-11 F, Bellmont H.S., Always 100 -Wright 17U
MacKenzie is starting to see a significant increase in college interest this Summer, as she has been outstanding. I don’t think many schools knew who she was before this Spring, and I’m honestly a little disappointed that I didn’t know much about her either, until I saw her in April. MacKenzie is a strong, very athletic, and incredibly hard-working forward. She absolutely destroys her matchups by literally sprinting end-to-end every possession, and she never stops moving. She has a really nice offensive game in the mid-post, and she’s working to stretch it to the perimeter. But she’s great on the boards, versatile defensively, and she’s the silently tough type of kid.
Sarah O’Day, 5-10 G, Plainfield H.S., Indiana Flight Attack/Silver 17U
The difference in Sarah’s play from a year ago to now is tremendous. She is playing so much stronger and more physical, she’s really honed her skillset, and she just looks like she’s enjoying the game much more thoroughly. She is still somewhat thin, but she’s a tough, fluid, and smooth wing guard who can handle it a little and knock down rhythm jumpers at all levels. This is a very deep class in terms of wings (2-guard and small forwards), and I think Sarah has been overlooked slightly because of that depth. I think wherever she ends up collegiately is going to enjoy her, because for as good as she is right now, her best days could still be well ahead of her.
Bayleigh Runner, 5-7 PG, Hamilton Heights H.S., Indiana Flight-Duke 17U
I sound like a broken record in this article, but Bayleigh is another prospect who I feel has escaped some schools and is sort of “sleeping” out there. She is long, quick/fast, and very tough-nosed for a fairly slender kid. She attacks the basket hard and seeks contact, when most guards fall back/fade away, or they just shy away from it altogether. She has a good handle, vision, and the ability to knock down open jumpers. I’ve also seen some leadership qualities out of her. When she pushes her younger teammates to be better, they typically always respond, which means she’s earned their respect…something difficult for kids in today’s game.
Meghan Sandifer, 5-7 W, Cardinal Ritter H.S., Indiana Flight Green 17U
I’ve seen Meghan play on multiple occasions, but last week was the most consistent I think I’ve seen her play. She’s a strong, physical, tough-nosed wing who doesn’t mind sticking her nose in there and rebounding. She can drive it to the basket and finish through contact, she has a solid mid-range game, and she’s capable of knocking down open jumpers. I also think she plays with a very good motor, plus she’s a versatile defender who can take on big guards, small forwards, and even some undersized power forwards. She’s a really nice prospect for small colleges to keep an eye on.
Claire Tanner, 5-7 G, Plymouth H.S., Hoosier Elite 17U
During the 2018-2019 season, Claire was a key cog for Plymouth, as they won in 2OT at Northridge and upset Elkhart Central to win the Sectional. But I feel like Claire was also more of a setup person who tried to get others involved, whereas this coming year she’ll need to be more of a go-to scorer. She has the skill to handle the ball and run offense, but she’s a fairly strong, North/South athlete, who can get to the basket and draw trips to the FT line. She’s also a capable shooter, and she can defend different types of perimeter players. She had some nice stretches of play at the USJN event last week.
Carissa Wiegman, 5-11 F/C, Bishop Dwenger H.S., Always 100 -Wright 17U
Carissa is another prospect like MacKenzie McMahon (above) who has seen her stock rise this Summer after going relatively unnoticed by colleges until this point in her career. She is a strong, incredibly hard-working front-liner who plays with good physicality, deceptive athleticism, and a well-balanced skillset. She can knock down the mid-range jumper consistently, she can score around the block, and she’s starting to stretch her game a bit to near the perimeter. She has drawn a lot of small college interest in June and July, after performing very well at our uncommitted showcase in mid-June, and after playing well during the first stretch of July.