Top Small Forwards In Central & West Central 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 "Central & West Central" articles include: Boone, Clay, Clinton, Fountain, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion, Montgomery, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Tipton, Vermillion, Vigo, and Warren. 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 small forwards in "Central & West Central" Indiana, arranged alphabetically within their graduating classes.   [player_tooltip player_id="130323" first="Tyranny" last="Brown"], 2021, 5-8 SF/PG, Heritage Christian School Playing alongside [player_tooltip player_id="131972" first="Sydney" last="Watkins"] (2020 SG/Miami of Ohio) and [player_tooltip player_id="10660" first="Ariana" last="Wiggins"] (2021 Michigan PG commit) over the years, Tyranny has flown under the radar. She is a strong, powerful, physical, and aggressive wing who really came on during the 2018-2019 Winter and the Summer of 2019. She can handle the ball at times and play almost a point forward position, she is a nice North/South athlete who gets through the lane at ease and can absorb contact, and she’s a versatile defender who rebounds her position well. Tyranny has verbally committed to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. [player_tooltip player_id="62569" first="Maddie" last="Patterson"], 2021, 5-9 SF, Danville Community H.S. Maddie has been a really nice ballplayer for Danville the last couple of years, but with the graduation of 2020 Indiana All-Star [player_tooltip player_id="131971" first="Ella" last="Collier"], Maddie should see a lot more of the load put on her shoulders. She has a solid, athletic frame, she is quietly tough, she can get physical at times and plays with a good motor, but she has always possessed nice touch from 15-feet to the 3-point line and is a career 40% 3-point shooter. Her handle has improved and she pushes it in transition at times, but considering her ability, she could stand to be a bit better on the boards. All-in-all, she is a really nice small college prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="130344" first="Kylee" last="Stepp"], 2021, 6-0 SF, West Vigo H.S. Kylee is about as versatile as they come, because she has height, tremendous length, and a great deal of fluidity. She can play in the mid-post and attack the basket or even post up smaller defenders. She can rebound at the basket or pursue rebounds outside of her area. And this year she even showed the ability to handle the ball a lot more and knock down the 3-pointer on occasion. She will still need to get stronger for college, and she could definitely stand to shoot it more consistently at all levels, but her ability to play a variety of roles/positions should make her incredibly valuable to most small colleges. [player_tooltip player_id="10743" first="Kate" last="Clarke"], 2022, 6-0 SF/SG, Carmel H.S. Hamilton County has typically been a hotbed for athletes, but the number of Division-I girls’ basketball players it has produced recently has really spiked. Kate is the next potential star to come from the county, as she already possesses a number of Big Ten offers, among others, to play at the next level. She has a long, wiry strong, athletic frame, she is an outstanding shooter/scorer at all levels, and she has really worked on developing her handle, her explosiveness, and her ability to create space. Her creativity improved a lot from her Freshman to Sophomore year, and I am excited to see her growth this next year. [player_tooltip player_id="128119" first="Jaelynne" last="Murray"], 2022, 5-10 SF/PG, Pike H.S. Pike hasn’t been as deep or talented the last couple of years, and it has shown in their 14-31 record. However, Jaelynne has started both seasons, she has posted solid numbers, and she has flashed a great deal of athletic talent and potential. She is extremely long, explosive in all directions, and she plays sort of a point forward role with a lot of smoothness to her game. She has shown the ability to knock down the perimeter shot, but her consistency outside is probably where she needs the most work. She is a versatile defender, a tough-nosed kid, a playmaker, and an impressive athlete in all directions. [player_tooltip player_id="97305" first="Ashlyn" last="Traylor"], 2022, 5-7 SF, Martinsville H.S. Ashlyn is another of Purdue guard Kayana Traylor’s three younger sisters. Ashlyn is tough-nosed, strong, physical, almost a little mean, but very aggressive, plus she plays with a nonstop motor. She is a nice North/South athlete, she attacks the basket with intent, and she’s tremendous scoring it in the mid-post. She is a nice rebounder at her size, she defends multiple positions with energy, and at the end of the day, she is typically always productive. Really the biggest area of need for her is to develop a consistent perimeter shot. That would make her very difficult to defend at all levels. [player_tooltip player_id="97247" first="Ellie" last="Wilkerson"], 2022, 5-9 SF, Plainfield H.S. Ellie has put together an impressive first couple of seasons at Plainfield, leading the Quakers in both scoring and rebounding each year. She has a strong, athletic frame, broad shoulders, and she’s a nice North/South athlete. She can handle the ball some in transition, initiate the offense, and even attack the basket and create offense for herself or others. Ellie can also knock down the occasional 3-pointer, and with range, but her consistency outside could definitely improve. I really like her motor, her competitive energy, and her understanding of the game. She is a really nice ballplayer. [player_tooltip player_id="96077" first="Ava" last="Couch"], 2023, 5-9 SF, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis) On possibly the deepest, most talented team in the state, Ava seemed to carve out a niche as a Freshman. She is a tough-nosed, gritty, wiry strong wing who plays with good energy, quiet toughness, but also flashes some skill at all levels. She can play in the mid-post and rebound/defend the interior at times, but she also has a solid handle around the perimeter and can consistently knock down the 3-pointer, shooting it at 40% this season. I don’t know that she’ll ever lead North Central in scoring, but look for her role to increase quite a bit during her final three seasons for the Panthers. [player_tooltip player_id="127210" first="Hannah" last="Lach"], 2023, 5-9 SF, Carmel H.S. Hannah is another big school Freshman who managed to earn significant minutes on a good team, and she ended up being the Greyhounds’ fourth leading scorer on the season. She has a wiry strong, fairly athletic frame, she moves well in all directions, and she plays with a great motor. She has really nice mechanics and is a dangerous perimeter shooter first and foremost. She defends hard and understands angles, and I think her overall understanding of the game is nice for a younger player. As she continues to develop her game, look for her to be much more diverse as a scorer. [player_tooltip player_id="96087" first="Riley" last="Makalusky"], 2023, 5-11 SF/SG, Hamilton Southeastern H.S. Riley is yet another talented young wing in Central Indiana, and while her opportunities were a little limited on a deep Southeastern team this past season, she did play in 17 games and she has about as much potential as anyone in Indiana’s 2023 class. She is incredibly long, still thin right now, but fluid and smooth with the ball. She will need to get stronger in order to absorb contact better, however she is an accurate and dangerous 3-point shooter, and she can attack the basket and finish in a variety of ways. She also might still grow another couple of inches, which could really turn her into a matchup problem.   Other Noteworthy Small Forwards: Maddie Barnes, 2021, Speedway H.S. Lyla Barr, 2021, Lebanon H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130383" first="Ali" last="Dale"], 2021, Perry Meridian H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130329" first="Lydia" last="Self"], 2021, Hamilton Southeastern H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130327" first="Alivia" last="Terry"], 2021, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis) Patty Chikamba, 2022, Covenant Christian School (Indianapolis) [player_tooltip player_id="128141" first="Olivia" last="Faust"], 2022, Franklin Central H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128164" first="Haley" last="Godwin"], 2022, Danville Community H.S. Christina Lamb, 2022, Lebanon H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128182" first="Aliyah" last="Owens"], 2022, Northview H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="61076" first="Abigail" last="Parker"], 2022, Tipton H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="157174" first="Grace" last="Ramsay"], 2022, Parke Heritage H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="61057" first="Halle" last="Shelt"], 2022, Park Tudor H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="59727" first="Giavonnie" last="Belton"], 2023, Pike H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="127231" first="Abby" last="Parsons"], 2023, Cascade H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="59785" first="Adelyn" last="Walker"], 2023, Martinsville H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="59786" first="Sydney" last="Warran"], 2023, Cascade H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="155437" first="Monica" last="Williams"], 2023, Lawrence North H.S.