Windy City Classic: Brian’s Top Guards Class of 2022

In this article I go over the top guards from the class of 2022 that I saw play at the Windy City Classic in Indianapolis July 24th-26th. Angelica Bafia 5’7 Lockport High School / Illinois Rockets:  Angelica is an athlete.  She has super quick feet and has the ability to become a lock down defender.  Her footwork helps her keep her opponent in front of her and she is constantly pressuring the basketball.  She needs to continue to work on her handles but if she can improve that she will become a very solid all around player. Miracle Thomas 5’7 Peoria High School / Heart of Illinois:  Miracle is fast!  She can get north to south on the court in the blink of an eye.  Miracle can score around the basket and attacks hard.  She also does a good job finding her open teammates when she is attacking and is a very unselfish player. Avery Green 5’3 Guilford High School / Illinois Midwest Wildcats:  Avery is small but mighty!  She seems to be everywhere on the court.  She works her tail off and is always in the right spot at the right time due to her high basketball IQ.  What I really liked about Avery was how hard she cut to get open and did so with her eyes up looking for the basketball each time.  She had a purpose for everything she did on the court. Kelly Knight 5’6 Providence Catholic High School / Illinois Rockets:  Kelly is a good defender.  She has quick feet and has a great ability to turn the dribbler and force them to go where she wants them to.  She has good handles that are low and quick and she can push the tempo.  She doesn’t seem to ever be out of control on the court and is a good game manager for her team. Sydney Gehrke 5’9 Lincoln-Way Central / Illinois Rockets:  Sydney is full of potential.  She has a college build and is a plus athlete.  She attacks the rim hard and can finish with contact with either hand. Isabelle Mckinley 5’10 Byron High School / Illinois Midwest Wildcats:  I really liked what I saw from Isabelle.  She is a long athlete that can play both guard positions.  I liked her being the point for her team because her aggressiveness set the tone  She attacks the rim with a purpose and has a pretty jumper.  She does a good job cutting at the right time and reading the defense but she needs to do a better job cutting harder.  She has all the tools to have a great high school and future college career. Lauren Hawkins 5’3 Rosary High School / Illinois Rockets:  Lauren was all over the court when I watched her play.  She is a good athlete that is full of energy.  She reads the floor well and gets herself in position to rack up steals by being a problem in the passing lanes.  She has good quickness and speed and is able to pressure the ball full court. Kaitlyn Rauch 5’6 Clinton High School / Illinois Warriors White:  Kaitlyn is a good all around player.  She plays defense well, can score and get boards.  She doesn’t have any major flaws and is just a solid, solid basketball player. [player_tooltip player_id="160161" first="Brooklyn" last="Stiefel"] 5’8 Unity High School / Illinois Inferno:  Brooklyn uses her athleticism well on the basketball court.  She is a smooth player that has good handles and can finish well around the rim.  She is strong and can post up smaller defenders and can score from the block as well as attacking from the perimeter and knocking down the jumper. Josie Eager 5'5 Marquette High School / Illinois Warriors White:  Josie plays much taller than she is.  She isn't afraid of anyone or the moment.  She will attack the rim hard and isn't afraid to get hit.  She controls the tempo of the game when she has the ball in her hands and does a good job getting her teammates involved.