Top Wings In Southern & Southwestern 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 "East Central, South Central, & Southeastern" articles include: Brown, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Floyd, Gibson, Greene, Harrison, Jackson, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Perry, Pike, Posey, Scott, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Washington. 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 wings in "Southern & Southwestern" Indiana, arranged alphabetically within their graduating classes.   [player_tooltip player_id="99409" first="Ryleigh" last="Anslinger"], 2021, 5-8 SG/SF, Evansville Reitz Memorial H.S. Ryleigh has put together one of the steadiest, most unassuming careers of anyone in this 2022 class. This year she led a disciplined and hard-working Memorial team, without any true superstars, to a 22-4 record and a Sectional title. Ryleigh is long, wiry strong, and fluidly athletic. She has good all-around skill, she can handle it some and run offense, and she can score the ball at all levels. She’s probably best gliding to the rim off the bounce, but she can also knock down the occasional 3-pointer. Defensively, she’s good at creating steals and deflections. She could be a small college steal as a recruit. [player_tooltip player_id="130402" first="Katherine" last="Benter"], 2021, 5-9 SF, Brownstown Central H.S. Averaging around 16 points and 5 rebounds per game, while shooting 76% from the free throw line, and knocking down more than 50 3-pointers, Katherine helped lead Brownstown Central to the Class 3A South Semi-State this year. She is a fairly strong and physical wing forward who does some nice things around the perimeter. She can bring the ball up the floor on occasion, she’s a solid North/South athlete, and she has the ability to score the ball all over the floor. She can knock down an open 3-pointer when set and in rhythm, and she can play effectively off the drive or in the mid-post. [player_tooltip player_id="130346" first="Brooklynn" last="Jones"], 2021, 5-7 SF/SG, Loogootee H.S. Brooklynn has never been a big grassroots kid, so last Fall at the Prep Girls Hoops Indiana Top-250 Expo was my first opportunity to see her. She is athletically built, she moves well in most directions, and she plays with a quiet toughness and a good motor. Brooklynn is one of those kids who is highly productive at times because she doesn’t necessarily excel in any one area, but she is capable in all facets of the game. She can handle it a little, make shots outside, attack the basket, plus she can defend multiple positions. I think she’s a "plug-and-play" kid who fits a lot of different systems or roles. [player_tooltip player_id="62542" first="Kamryn" last="Miller"], 2021, 5-9 SF/PG, Gibson Southern H.S. Kami is one of the better-kept secrets in Southwestern Indiana. She is a very long and athletic point forward who has served as one of the Titans’ primary ball-handlers the last two seasons. She moves around the floor somewhat effortlessly, she has some explosiveness to her as well, and she does a nice job of creating scoring opportunities for herself or teammates. She can knock down an open rhythm 3-pointer, but if that part of her game became just a little more consistent, she could be a nightmare for opponents and possibly draw Division-I interest. [player_tooltip player_id="99413" first="Sheridan" last="Robbins"], 2021, 5-9 SF, Orleans H.S. As are most girls in this article, Sheridan is a nice Southern Indiana "sleeper" who I think a lot of small colleges would really enjoy. She has a strong frame, she’s a fairly physical wing, but it’s her combination of skill and basketball IQ that set her apart. She can handle the ball a little, she has solid shooting mechanics and a nice touch all over the floor, plus she can slip inside and dominate the mid-post or even bury smaller defenders on the block. I think her versatility as a perimeter forward who can also play a little inside would fit really well in a lot of the talented small college conferences in the Midwest. [player_tooltip player_id="10685" first="Vanessa" last="Shafford"], 2021, 5-9 SF, Linton-Stockton H.S. Vanessa has truly been one of my favorite players to watch in 2021. She is tough-nosed, strong, and physical on the perimeter, plus she is very skillful, she competes every possession, and she plays with an infectious energy that rubs off on her teammates. Linton has several really nice players/prospects, but Vanessa is probably their heart & soul, as she showed in the Class 2A State Championship game when she helped Linton run out to an early lead with her 19 first half points on 8-11 shooting (3-3 from deep). She recently committed to the University of Southern Indiana over Division-I offers. [player_tooltip player_id="35050" first="Kylee" last="Shelton"], 2021, 5-10 SG/SF, Bloomfield H.S. With the 2019 graduation of [player_tooltip player_id="10918" first="Malea" last="Toon"], the 2019-2020 season was going to be Kylee’s opportunity to take over the leadership role for the Cardinals. She came out and averaged 21.4 points in their first ten games, including 42 points in her final game on December 7, but it all ended early, unfortunately, due to a knee injury. Kylee is a long, fairly fluid, and highly skilled wing. She can handle the ball and take on point forward duties on occasion, she has great touch around the perimeter (40%) and at the line (76%), plus she can attack off the dribble and score anywhere inside the arc. [player_tooltip player_id="61033" first="Myah" last="Montgomery"], 2022, 6-0 SF, Southridge H.S. Myah is another wing prospect who falls into the category of under-recruited. She is extremely long, wiry strong, and fluid in all directions. She is skilled around the perimeter and can score the ball at a high level from all areas of the floor. In 12 games this Winter, she averaged 21.3 points and 8.8 rebounds, while burying 22 3-pointers at a 38% rate. She, however, succumbed to a knee injury that ended her season abruptly. If she can return to form and regain her athleticism over the Summer and Fall, she is a legitimate Division-I prospect who could turn some heads in 2020-2021. [player_tooltip player_id="128117" first="Natalie" last="Niehaus"], 2022, 5-9 SF, Castle H.S. Natalie might be the most complete player in the Evansville area, regardless of class. She is a strong, athletic, and highly skilled wing with a good motor who does a little of everything well. She can handle the ball like a point forward and run offense, she can attack the basket and finish through contact, plus she has the touch around the arc to knock down rhythm 3-pointers. She is physical inside and rebounds her position well, she can post smaller defenders or score it in the mid-post, and she can defend guards, wings, and some undersized "bigs" as well. Ava Weber, 2023, 5-9 SF, Corydon Central H.S. Once Ava found her stride at the Varsity level over the Winter, her game really took off. She is a strong, skilled, and solid on-the-floor athlete who does a little of everything for her team. She has a solid handle and a good feel and basketball IQ, so she can play a point forward position for Corydon a lot of the time. She is capable of knocking down perimeter jumpers, she already attacks and finishes through contact well for a youngster, plus she is versatile at the defensive end of the floor. As she continues her career, look for her to only become more polished and savvy as a ballplayer.   Other Noteworthy Wings: Addison Ainscough, 2021, Barr-Reeve H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="62561" first="Jaclyn" last="Emly"], 2021, Silver Creek H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130325" first="Alexis" last="Gibson"], 2021, Jeffersonville H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="99410" first="Brooke" last="Grinstead"], 2021, Bloomington H.S. South [player_tooltip player_id="130366" first="Peyton" last="Murphy"], 2021, Evansville Reitz Memorial H.S. Shelbi Patton, 2021, Eastern H.S. (Pekin) [player_tooltip player_id="130400" first="Paige" last="Robinson"], 2021, Mount Vernon H.S. (Posey) [player_tooltip player_id="128173" first="Chloe" last="Cardinal"], 2022, Vincennes Lincoln H.S. Maddisyn Halter, 2022, Vincennes Rivet H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="157175" first="Jaylee" last="Hayes"], 2022, Linton-Stockton H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128157" first="Kaylee" last="Martin"], 2022, Evansville North H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="97264" first="Natalie" last="Noel"], 2022, Salem H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="127217" first="Lydia" last="Bordfeld"], 2023, Evansville Reitz Memorial H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="59789" first="Linzie" last="Wernert"], 2023, Lanesville H.S.