2021 Hidden Gems

Brandon Bradley June 10, 2020 @ 08:41 AM

When you consider there are hundreds of girls in Indiana in any given year who colleges would consider recruiting, there are bound to be a handful who get very little attention or even go completely unnoticed by recruiters. With that in mind, I wanted to take a look at five young ladies in the Class of 2021 who I think have a great deal to offer small college programs, but who might not get quite the attention they deserve.   [player_tooltip player_id="130340" first="Julia" last="Blue"], 2021, 6-1 C, Hanover Central H.S. Julia is a very intriguing front-liner who I think is actually in line for a better collegiate career than high school career, because she has grown and gained strength throughout high school. She has good length, wiry strength, and she moves around the floor very well for an interior player. But, while she may be listed as a center, she is much more versatile than that. She is great in the mid-post, comfortable around the perimeter, and I think she has the potential to be a nice pick-and-pop ’5’ in college because of her mobility and shooting touch. She is also a presence defensively, blocking/altering her share of shots. [player_tooltip player_id="130331" first="Lauren" last="Sandrock"], 2021, 5-11 PF, Franklin Community H.S. Lauren somewhat blends in on a fairly well-balanced and deep Franklin team, so her 4.8 points per game don’t necessarily stand out, but her 6.9 rebounds per game certainly do. She is a very long, fluid, and somewhat bouncy athlete. I’ve gone back and forth on whether she would be better as a small forward or a power forward, but she’s just so effective in the mid-post and pursuing rebounds, that I think she can play more of a ’4’ position but still find time around the perimeter and defend wings and some guards. I really like her upside and think she too will be better in college than in high school. [player_tooltip player_id="130352" first="Maiah" last="Shelton"], 2021, 5-8 SF, Norwell H.S. Maiah isn’t a big grassroots participant, so she doesn’t have as much visibility available to her as some of these other girls do. She has played some in the past, but not a strenuous schedule every Spring and Summer. Maiah is a high-motor athlete who moves well in most directions and has some wiry strength. I really like her effort and productivity each game, and she is a skillful and fairly cerebral kid as well. Maiah can attack the basket off the bounce, she can knock down the occasional jumper, plus she’s a versatile defender who can guard the ball, play in help-side, plus she rebounds her position well. [player_tooltip player_id="130326" first="Joslynn" last="Spears"], 2021, 5-7 SG, Pike H.S. As a Freshman, Joslynn played on a really talented Pike team but still saw some opportunities to contribute. The last two seasons, her minutes have continued to grow, but the Red Devils haven’t been nearly as deep or talented and continue to play a brutal schedule. Joslynn is a really nice North/South athlete with good end-to-end speed. She plays with a solid motor, she can knock down an open jumper, but she’s definitely best when she’s on attack to the rim. She can finish at the basket or find teammates in positions to score. I also think she has the talent to become a very nice defender. [player_tooltip player_id="99395" first="Zoe" last="Zellers"], 2021, 5-11 PF, Scottsburg H.S. Zoe plays like she’d be a joy to coach or play with as a teammate. She is strong, tough-nosed, gritty, and physical in all areas of the floor. She plays with a tremendous motor and often outproduces her matchups, regardless of how talented they are. She can post up smaller/weaker defenders and score on the block, but she has nice touch in the mid-post, and I think she’s very effective at setting/sealing ball-screens and rolling to the basket. I think she’s the type of mid-post ’4/5’ that a lot of the better small colleges in the Midwest succeed with, and I can see her recruiting picking up momentum when we get back to action.