PCB XLeague Review: 2022

Last Fall I wrote an article about Evansville and its under-recruited talent-base, calling it "The Lost World", and paralleling it a little to the movie.  This past Sunday, I traveled to Evansville to take in the tournament portion of the inaugural Pocket City Basketball XLeague for girls.  While their boys' league is entering its 8th season this coming weekend, this was somewhat of an experimental season for the girls in an attempt to see if it could work.  Not only did it work, but I would anticipate it at least doubling in size next year.  It was entertaining and highly beneficial for me, as I came away with several names I did not have in the database, plus I had the opportunity to see a handful of girls I have heard of but either never seen or only seen on video.  Below is a look at nine girls in the class of 2022 who I thought stood out Sunday with their play. &nbsp; <strong>Taylor Hart, 2022, 5-8 F, Gibson Southern H.S.</strong> Taylor just continues to impress me each time I see her play.  Throughout the Spring, when I saw her for the first time, she was primarily playing a '4' role, rebounding, defending the interior, and playing in the mid-post offensively.  In June at our PGH Uncommitted Showcase, she showed a much wider variety of perimeter skill, and by July she was playing a little more comfortably around the perimeter for her travel team.  Then, this past Sunday, she acted as the primary ball-handler a lot of the time, bringing it up in transition, initiating the offense, etc.  I think, ultimately, she is a versatile, skillful, somewhat position-less forward (?).  She can defend multiple types of players, and she is a plug-and-play kid offensively.  As she begins to score it more consistently from the perimeter, I would start considering her more of an all-around wing guard/forward. &nbsp; <strong>Kyrisha Hay-Swope, 2022, 5-6 PG, Castle H.S.</strong> "Ky" had a really good Spring &amp; Summer on the grassroots circuit, and she did some nice things each time I saw her.  This past weekend she looked stronger, more assertive to the basket, and she played with a much greater confidence.  She is a quick/fast and athletic scoring point guard.  She likes to attack off the dribble, and she can get into the paint in a hurry and collapse the defense quickly.  She is an unselfish passer, though, and she has good vision and a nice feel for the game.  I also think she's a nice defensive player, but she has the talent &amp; ability to become one of the state's elite at that end of the floor.  As she develops her perimeter shot and makes it more consistent, look for her to start drawing a lot more college interest over the next couple of years. &nbsp; <strong>Kencia Levasseur, 2022, 5-6 F, Washington H.S.</strong> I try my best not to compare girls to guys when evaluating players, but if this isn't spot-on, I don't know what is...Kencia is a women's small college version of <strong>Draymond Green</strong>.  She is extremely powerful, much more athletic than you'd think, she plays with a great motor, and she loves handling the ball in transition.  She can attack and change directions with dribble-moves, and she's a willing and more than capable passer off the bounce...she is a playmaker who is built like a '4'.  She can score it a little, and she's a highly effective rebounder, but she is a creator who likes to get teammates involved.  I also like her on-court personality and the energy she brings to a game.  She is very unique and a difficult matchup for opponents because of her size, strength, and skillset. &nbsp; <strong>Kaylee Martin, 2022, 5-8 W, Evansville North H.S.</strong> Evansville North should be one of the Pocket's better teams this coming season, and if Kaylee can continue to improve her game, she should be a key factor as a Sophomore, after getting her feet wet as a Freshman last season.  Kaylee is a long, wiry strong, fluidly athletic wing guard/forward.  She has a nice touch from the perimeter and should be regarded as a dangerous shooter, but she also has a solid handle and can attack the basket for scores or pull-ups.  She has a veteran savvy about her, a nice all-around feel for the game, and I think she can be a real offensive weapon this season alongside Seniors <strong>Kenna Hisle</strong> and <strong>Gabby Joyner</strong>.  Kaylee will need to play with a little more sense of urgency defensively every possession, but once that comes, I think she'll draw her share of college interest. &nbsp; <strong>Natalie Niehaus, 2022, 5-9 W, Castle H.S.</strong> Natalie is our #10 prospect in our recently updated 2022 rankings, and for good reason.  She is such a sound, fundamental, and skilled wing.  She is one of those kids who does a little of everything at a high level.  Last season she was the perfect pairing with graduate <strong>Jessica Nunge</strong>, as Natalie helped Castle reach the Semi-State round before losing to Indianapolis power Lawrence North.  Natalie is a strong, fluidly athletic wing forward who can handle it and run offense, she can knock down the perimeter jumper consistently, and she can attack the basket and finish through contact.  She rebounds very well from the wing, and she's a versatile defender who can take on bigger guards and even some power forwards.  She is a Division-I prospect, without question. &nbsp; <strong>Alaina Thorne, 2022, 5-11 F, Washington H.S.</strong> Right now Alaina is an under-the-radar prospect who I think is primed for a big season at Washington.  Last year she got a lot of opportunity as a Varsity Freshman, but she was figuring it all out, and she was more of a defender/rebounder.  Now, she's a long, athletic, and bouncy kid who plays with a great motor.  She has some speed North/South, she can occasionally push it in transition, and she's incredibly active in and around the basket.  But after watching her a couple of times Sunday, she showed a great deal of physicality and strength for someone a bit thin right now, plus she has a great feel for the game from the mid-post.  As she continues to develop her face-up game and possibly extend it to the arc, look for her to draw more and more college attention.  She also might still grow another inch or two. &nbsp; <strong>Shelby Turpen, 2022, 5-0 PG, Castle H.S.</strong> Make no mistake about it, Shelby isn't very tall, but she is a competitor, tough-nosed, gritty, and she played with a motor all day.  She made this list by burying eight 3-pointers in the Semi-Final round of the tournament against the eventual league Champion.  Shelby is strong for her size, she has good lateral quickness, and she does a nice job of creating space with the dribble.  She handles it well and can run offense, but she'll need to have a little more appreciation for making the simple play versus trying to make the highlight play every possession.  I really like her aggressiveness, though, and I think she can eventually carve out a role on a deep, talented, but young Castle squad. &nbsp; <strong>Kennedy Wenger, 2022, 6-0 F, Evansville Mater Dei H.S.</strong> Kennedy is a really nice prospect, potentially a Division-I prospect, who wasn't on the grassroots circuit this past Spring &amp; Summer.  She is a long, tall, probably still-growing forward who is versatile and skillful.  She would likely remind some of maybe an <strong>Abby Stoddard</strong> (2020) of Crown Point.  Kennedy can naturally play around the basket because of her height and length, but she's still somewhat thin, fairly fluid, plus she can put it on the floor and get somewhere or knock down the occasional open rhythm jumper.  She is still figuring it all out because she has grown so much, but she is also incredibly intriguing and could be a really nice recruiting target in the very near future. &nbsp; <strong>Morgan Wilson, 2022, 5-11 F, Tecumseh H.S.</strong> I rarely use the word "shocked" when evaluating kids, but Sunday I was shocked to see Morgan play the way she did.  During May &amp; July when I saw her grassroots team play, she was more of an interior player, almost a post, and while she did show a few things here and there, her minutes were limited when I saw her, and I couldn't get a fair evaluation of her.  This past weekend she was much different.  In a big allotment of minutes, she was very active, more athletic than I thought, and she did a great deal more away from the basket than when I initially saw her.  She was often attacking the rim off the dribble from the perimeter, and she was even looking for and knocking down jumpers from 15 to 20-feet.  She is long, slender, and fluid, so once she adds some strength, she could be a really nice face-up '4' prospect.