Top Guards In North Central & Northeast Indiana

In selecting the five regional areas for my regional articles, I used the Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association’s (ICGSA) five districts. Schools are evenly distributed by county and somewhat geographical, though not exact. Counties included in the "North Central & Northeastern" articles include: Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Elkhart, Grant, Howard, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Miami, Noble, Saint Joseph, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley. Across the entire Prep Hoops Network, we are exploring ways to bring you different types of content in each of the states we cover. One idea we’ve come up with is "city rankings", where we highlight some of the better players in each metropolitan area. I felt like in Indiana, however, there are talented kids spread all over the state, so it wouldn’t be fair to solely focus on Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Evansville, for example. Instead, I have divided the state into five regions based on a fairly even distribution of the 400+ high schools available to choose from. It isn’t exact, but it seemed like the best way to make sure all prospects from the Hoosier state were considered. (Please see the italicized fine print above for a more specific breakdown of the counties used in this article.) Without further ado, below is a look at some of the top returning guards in "North Central & Northeastern" Indiana, arranged alphabetically within their graduating classes.   [player_tooltip player_id="10705" first="Kaitlyn" last="Costner"], 2021, 5-6 CG, Penn H.S. Kaitlyn transferred into Penn from Elkhart Central this past season, so due to transfer restrictions she ended up playing a lot of Junior Varsity basketball. She returned to the Varsity lineup to play all six of their state tournament games, averaging 12.8 points per game, while starting off with a 20-point performance against Northridge. Kaitlyn is an elite athlete and an elite defender. She has incredible speed and quickness, a great motor, and a contagious competitive energy. Over the years her guard skills and perimeter shot have continued to improve, and she has drawn a variety of Division-I interest. [player_tooltip player_id="130322" first="Bailey" last="Hartsough"], 2021, 5-10 SG, Lakeland H.S. Bailey is one of the best players in the state you have probably never seen, and likely won’t either. She is not a travel basketball kid and is at a school within just a few miles of the Michigan border. She is also a big-time volleyball player, and she has already committed to play volleyball at Western Carolina University. On the basketball floor, she is a long, fluid, and fairly smooth athlete. She has a solid handle in transition, plus she’s a multi-level scorer and a very capable shooter in the half-court. She has really helped Lakeland turn around its basketball culture. [player_tooltip player_id="22669" first="McKenzie" last="Hudgen"], 2021, 5-8 CG, Mishawaka Marian H.S. Mackenzie is the epitome of the do-anything-to-help-the-team-win teammate. She could probably take more shots, make flashier plays, and stand out much more as individual. But she has drawn praise from college coaches because of her motor, her selflessness, and her ability to "fit" into most lineups and schemes and make plays at both ends of the floor. She can play a point guard role with her skill to handle and pass the ball; she can play off the ball as well with her ability to make open shots. Plus, she’s a willing and capable defender. [player_tooltip player_id="130333" first="Chloe" last="Jolloff"], 2021, 5-8 PG, Lakewood Park Christian Academy I have been a fan of Chloe’s since I first saw her as a Freshman. She is still extremely long, somewhat slender, but fluid, smooth, and much more aggressive. In fact, each year it seems like she has grown an inch and increased her strength, making her more and more confident when attacking the basket. She can knock down an open shot from the perimeter, but her best asset is her ability to slice through defenses and either finish or find open teammates. She has put together a really nice high school career, but she could be even better at the next level with just a bit more strength. [player_tooltip player_id="35020" first="Hanna" last="Knoll"], 2021, 5-9 CG, Angola H.S. Hanna was one of the hottest names in recruiting for about a 12-month span...that is until she verbally committed to Central Michigan University this Spring. She, like [player_tooltip player_id="22669" first="McKenzie" last="Hudgen"] above, is a hard-working, versatile, do-anything type of combo guard. Hanna plays with a quiet toughness, she has always put up productive numbers but remained selfless, and she has worked at both ends of the floor. She is a strong kid, a solid athlete, and she has really worked on developing her handle and making her jumper more consistent. [player_tooltip player_id="99373" first="Emily" last="Parrett"], 2021, 5-7 PG, Carroll H.S. (Fort Wayne) Emily has really just started to come into her own over the last year or so. She is also a player who has recently shown improved signs of strength, and it has allowed her to absorb contact better in transition and when attacking the basket. She is a pass-first point guard prospect, but she also understands how to play within a system, as she seems to see the floor and think the game well, plus she can consistently make open rhythm jumpers. Emily recently gave a commitment to the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. [player_tooltip player_id="94969" first="Jordyn" last="Smith"], 2021, 5-6 PG, Penn H.S. Jordyn grew up in the Fort Wayne area, but she and her family moved to Mishawaka in 2017. She put together strong Freshman and Sophomore campaigns, but her Junior year was delayed due to a knee injury at the end of the Summer in 2019. She returned to the lineup January 30 and gave Penn some quality minutes in their state tournament run. She is a strong, very skillful, and high IQ traditional point guard who plays with toughness, physicality, and a great feel for the game. Hopefully with the additional time off, she’ll look even more like her old self whenever we do return to action. [player_tooltip player_id="65535" first="Olivia" last="Smith"], 2022, 5-3 PG, Fort Wayne South Side H.S. Olivia is one of the most entertaining smaller guards I think I’ve ever watched. She is very strong, quick, fast, and explosive. She attacks the basket determined, and it almost always seems like she draws and-1s where she takes a lot of contact, still lands on her feet, and a defender or two wind up on their backsides. She plays with a great confidence/toughness and isn’t intimidated by anyone. She can make shots at all levels, and she can be a pest defensively. She has already earned a couple of Division-I offers, plus she has a lot more interest on top of it. She can really play. [player_tooltip player_id="59748" first="Nevaeh" last="Foster"], 2023, 5-8 CG, Mishawaka Marian H.S. Not only did Nevaeh put together the best Freshman season in Marian history, she set the single-season record for points by a Marian player of any grade level...536. She is wiry, strong, more quick than fast, and she plays with sort of an "old school" smoothness to her game. She can bury shot after shot from the perimeter, or get defenders on her hip and attack the basket for scores/free throws. She is an instinctive defender as well, and she gets her hands on a lot of passes. She has recently picked up multiple Big Ten offers because of her strong play as a Freshman. [player_tooltip player_id="96086" first="RaShunda" last="Jones"], 2023, 5-7 PG, South Bend Washington H.S. RaShunda is another Freshman to get excited about from Northern Indiana. She is extremely long, very fast North/South, and she has a nice shiftiness to her, especially when she’s on attack. She is a playmaker first and foremost off the bounce. She can glide or explode through the lane, get to the basket, and finish in a variety of ways. She is unselfish and will find open teammates regularly, and she can develop into an elite defender because of her physical ability and length. If she can develop a consistent perimeter jumper, she will likely be a high-level Division-I prospect.   Other Noteworthy Guards: [player_tooltip player_id="130378" first="McKenna" last="Dietsch"], 2021, Adams Central H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="99428" first="Kaylee" last="Fuelling"], 2021, Norwell H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130412" first="Bridgette" last="Gray"], 2021, Central Noble H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="99408" first="Lillian" last="Mast"], 2021, West Noble H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130349" first="Kensie" last="Ryman"], 2021, Warsaw Community H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="158392" first="Grace" last="Sullivan"], 2021, Homestead H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130375" first="Sidney" last="Wagner"], 2021, Tippecanoe Valley H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128162" first="Nataley" last="Armstrong"], 2022, Garrett H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128178" first="Leah" last="Campbell"], 2022, Huntington North H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128159" first="Taylor" last="Gerke"], 2022, Lakewood Park Christian Academy [player_tooltip player_id="128175" first="Emma" last="Good"], 2022, Taylor H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="61090" first="Lilly" last="Maple"], 2022, Maconaquah H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128148" first="Chloe" last="McClain"], 2022, Kokomo H.S. Johwen McKim, 2022, Eastbrook H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128123" first="J’Asia" last="Scott"], 2022, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="127227" first="Olivia" last="Leas"], 2023, Blackford H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="127233" first="Peyton" last="Pries"], 2023, South Adams H.S.