2023 Just Wingin’ It
The Class of 2023 has finished their first of four “laps” in high school, and with a lot of depth throughout the class, there were a number of young prospects who stepped up big for their high school teams as…
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Continue ReadingThe Class of 2023 has finished their first of four “laps” in high school, and with a lot of depth throughout the class, there were a number of young prospects who stepped up big for their high school teams as rookies. With that said, I wanted to take a look at five wings who are currently ranked outside of our Top-50 right now, but who have flashed nice potential and the ability to contribute immediately for their respective schools.
Giavonnie Belton
Giavonnie
Belton
5'7" | SG
Pike | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-6 2G/SF, Pike H.S.
Giavonnie is a natural scorer, and she stepped in and played big minutes right away for the Red Devils, averaging 9.8 points per game. She has a fairly long, wiry strong frame, she’s a shooter/scorer from the perimeter, as proven by her 39 made 3-pointers, but she only attempted 45 free throws on the season, while shooting a solid 78% from the line. With her touch and ability to make shots, she could easily be a mid to high-teens scorer as a Sophomore if she uses her athleticism to attack a bit more and draw contact. She definitely has some nice offensive tools, and she should excel for Pike the next three seasons.
Lydia Bordfeld
Lydia
Bordfeld
5'11" | SF
Evansville Memorial | 2023
IN
, 2023, 5-9 SF/2G, Evansville Memorial H.S.
I first saw Lydia in the Pocket City League last Fall, and she flashed a great deal of potential. She stepped in and provided depth off the bench this past year for an experienced and successful Memorial program. Lydia has an athletic frame, some length, and she plays with a great deal of versatility. She can handle the ball in transition and create for others like a point forward, she can slash to the basket from the wing in the half-court, and she’s big enough to even play some in the mid-post if necessary. I think as she develops her game, she’ll become a more consistent perimeter shooter and be a multilevel offensive threat.
Caitlyn Campbell
Caitlyn
Campbell
5'11" | SF
Winchester Community | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-9 SF/PG, Winchester Community H.S.
Caitlyn is an extremely long, thin, but fluid and really smooth point forward type of player. For Winchester, they returned experienced ball-handlers, so she played off the ball quite a bit, but when she had it in transition (or even in the half-court), her playmaking ability and creativity really popped. She is a distributor and willingly finds teammates with ease, but she can also finish in a variety of ways inside the paint. Caitlyn averaged 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.6 steals per game without being the focal point this past season. Imagine what she can become for the Golden Falcons moving forward.
Janiyah Watkins, 2023, 5-8 SF, East Chicago Central H.S.
Not many people outside of East Chicago’s schedule know much about Janiyah, but those who do know she’s a unique matchup who could cause problems for years to come. We’ve seen a trend lately of girls who are built like power players, but who possess good perimeter skill and create offense for others first. Janiyah fits that description to a tee. She is strong, tough, physical, and a little nasty at times, but she has a solid handle, good passing ability, and a nice court-sense. She averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a Freshman for the Cardinals, while shooting 46% from 3-point range and 81% from the line.
Linzie Wernert
Linzie
Wernert
5'8" | PF
Lanesville | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-8 SF, Lanesville H.S.
Lanesville’s 2021 class has been strong for years, and they’ve seen that success continue throughout high school. So it was impressive to see Linzie seemingly “fit in” this past season and become their second leading scorer. Linzie is a solidly built forward with good athleticism in most directions and a quality understanding of the game. She is skilled like a wing, with a nice handle, the ability and unselfishness to find open teammates, plus the know-how to make shots herself at all levels. Linzie averaged 11.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.5 steals per game as a rookie, and she’ll only get better over time.