Rankings Review: 2022 Small Forwards
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The featured image is of 2022 small forward Ayanna Patterson Ayanna Patterson 6'3" | SF Homestead | 2022 State #5 Nation IN of Homestead High School. The image was provided to PGH Indiana by the Patterson family. Friday we released…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of 2022 small forward Ayanna Patterson Ayanna Patterson 6'3" | SF Homestead | 2022 State #5 Nation IN of Homestead High School. The image was provided to PGH Indiana by the Patterson family.
Friday we released are updated Class of 2022 rankings, with several minor adjustments here and there. The small forwards in the 2022 class are incredibly deep, with a number of high-major, mid-major, and low-major Division-I prospects, not to mention even more quality small college prospects of all skill levels, talents, and heights. Below is a look at the top 20 small forward prospects in Indiana’s Class of 2022, with additional comments to follow.
The trio of Homestead’s Ayanna Patterson Ayanna Patterson 6'3" | SF Homestead | 2022 State #5 Nation IN , South Bend Washington’s Mila Reynolds Mila Reynolds 6'2" | PF South Bend Washington | 2022 State #32 Nation IN , and Carmel’s Kate Clarke Kate Clarke 6'1" | SF Carmel | 2022 State #56 Nation IN have all but separated themselves from the rest of this position group. Patterson is the elite talent who holds more than 40 Division-I offers already, most of those coming even before she had ever played a high school game. She will still need to continue developing her perimeter jumper and tighten her handle a bit, especially if she wants to be a ‘3’ at the next level. But her talent and ceiling are unparalleled in this class. Reynolds has quite a story of her own. After putting together a solid rookie season and finding herself on many high-major Division-I radars, she missed the Spring and Summer in 2019 following hip surgery. This Winter she bounced back and was electric, averaging 19.8 points and 10.3 rebounds for the Panthers. Now, the combination of her health, her perimeter skill, and her interior size and strength have started to draw a lot of those same high-major Division-I offers.
Then there’s Clarke, and she has done a tremendous job over the last year and a half of improving her quickness and all-around explosiveness, plus she has sped up her shooting process and become one of the most lethal shooters at her size in the state. She also looks stronger and is starting to do more off the bounce, and I think by next year she’ll be a consistent multi-level scoring threat. She has earned several high-major Division-I offers, with several coming from the Big Ten. If anyone at this position has a chance to catch those three, it’s likely Alyssa Crockett Alyssa Crockett 6'3" | SF Westfield | 2022 State #62 Nation IN of Westfield. She is so versatile, she can handle the ball, knock down the occasional 3-pointer, plus she has good size and can play in the mid-post or around the block as well. She has drawn her share of Division-I attention and offers as well, plus she just continues to play with more and more confidence each time I see her.
Another player I have been very intrigued by the last couple of seasons is Kelsi Langley Kelsi Langley 5'10" | SF Taylor | 2022 State IN of Taylor High School. She is extremely long, fluid, and somewhat bouncy, plus she has the ability to make shots with range well-beyond the 3-point line. She is sort of a hot & cold type of shooter, but when she gets it rolling, she can explode for 30+ points at any time. With her athleticism, though, I think she could become a much better multi-level scoring threat very quickly, so when she isn’t shooting it great, she could still be dangerous attacking the rim or using the free throw line as a weapon. Tecumseh’s Kaybree Oxley Kaybree Oxley 5'9" | PF Tecumseh | 2022 State IN is another intriguing forward who does a lot for her high school team. She has a wiry strong, athletic frame, she is solid handling it in transition and can even occasionally start the offense, but she plays with a tremendous motor and plays much bigger than she is on the interior, to the tune of averaging 20.9 points and 11.6 rebounds while making just one 3-pointer all season. In fact, all she is missing in her game is a consistent perimeter jumper. If she had that, I could see her drawing some Division-I interest.
Look for Angola’s Lauren Leach Lauren Leach 5'10" | SF Angola | 2022 State IN to potentially take a big step in the coming year. She is still a little on the thin side, but she’s extremely long, fluid, and versatile. She can act as a playmaker and take on a point forward type of role, she is a capable perimeter shooter (36% this Winter), plus she is quick-footed and can defend multiple types of guards and wings with her length and quickness. I feel like, as she continues to gain strength, her game will continue to add consistency and even more versatility to it. While there are 20 girls mentioned above, there are several other small forwards I could also talk about. I think you’ll find the Class of 2022 is very strong at the top, but there is good depth and there are several really nice small college prospects as well.