AIS Elite 80 Review: 2023 (Part 2 of 3)
Last Sunday marked the annual All-Indiana Elite 80 Showcase. With 72 girls able to participate, the event was once again solid, and this year’s setup allowed us to watch an entire 30-minute half (running clock) of each of the eight…
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Continue ReadingLast Sunday marked the annual All-Indiana Elite 80 Showcase. With 72 girls able to participate, the event was once again solid, and this year’s setup allowed us to watch an entire 30-minute half (running clock) of each of the eight teams. There were 28 members of the Class of 2023 on hand, so I have split them up into three different articles. Below is a look at the next nine 2023 prospects (alphabetically by last name) who participated in the event. We will have follow-up articles highlighting additional members of 2023 and 2024 who attended the event coming soon.
Taylor Fordyce
Taylor
Fordyce
5'10" | SG
Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-7 SG, Fort Wayne Carroll H.S.
Taylor saw some quality minutes as a Freshman for Carroll, and she’ll definitely be a big part of their plans moving forward. She is a strong, fairly athletic, and quietly tough-nosed guard who brings a physical presence to the perimeter. She is a solid one-directional athlete who attacks the basket aggressively downhill. She can finish through contact, she rebounds her position well, and she can even play a little in the mid-post, if necessary. Taylor also has some touch around the perimeter, especially if she’s able to get her feet set.
Nevaeh Foster
Nevaeh
Foster
5'8" | CG
Mishawaka Marian | 2023
State
#39
Nation
IN
, 2023, 5-8 CG, Mishawaka Marian H.S.
Nevaeh put together a strong Winter in 2019-2020, setting the school’s single-season record for points. She has sort of an “old school” game, she plays at a steady pace, and she can produce whether she’s on the ball or off it. She has great touch from the perimeter, with range to 25-feet, but she also does a nice job of rocking defenders off-balance with her crossover, then getting by them and either scoring or at least drawing contact/free throw opportunities. Defensively, she has quick hands and good length, so she gets a lot of deflections/steals.
Isabella Gizzi
Isabella
Gizzi
5'7" | PG
New Palestine | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-6 PG, New Palestine H.S.
I’ve always enjoyed smaller guards who play with a toughness/feistiness, and while Isabella isn’t tiny, she is very tough-nosed and sort of plays with that chip on her shoulder. Her improvement from just the end of June through last weekend has been impressive, as she’s handling pressure and absorbing contact much better. She seems very bright and rarely makes the same mistake twice. She is a natural pass-first kid, but she can also make open rhythm jumpers or attack the basket for scores. Additionally, she’s a willing and capable defender.
Bailey Kelham
Bailey
Kelham
5'10" | SF
Garrett | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-9 SF, Garrett H.S.
Bailey is a talented, multisport athlete who burst onto the scene for Garrett this past Winter. She is a wiry strong, bouncy, and hard-working wing with a great deal of versatility. At times, she can play in the mid-post because of her athleticism and ability to absorb contact with her frame. She can also knock down the 3-pointer fairly consistently, or she can attack the basket in one dribble from the perimeter and finish. Defensively, she also shows a great deal of flexibility, as she can take on smaller ’4s’, all wings, and even some bigger guards.
Riley Makalusky
Riley
Makalusky
6'2" | SF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-11 SF, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Over the last year or so, Riley has started to gain strength and play with a greater assertiveness and more physicality. She’s still a bit thin, but she could likely squeeze out another inch or two, she’s extremely long, fluidly athletic, and even somewhat bouncy. She has always shown touch from around the perimeter, especially when she’s able to get her feet set, but her improved ability to attack the basket and become a complete scorer makes her much more dangerous to defend. She is also an effective defender who uses her length and quickness to her advantage.
Emily Mattingly
Emily
Mattingly
5'10" | SF
Evansville Memorial | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-9 SG, Evansville Reitz Memorial H.S.
Emily is a really nice talent “hidden” down in Evansville. She has a strong and fairly physical frame, she’s a very nice athlete in most directions, and she plays with a good motor and a nice competitive fire. Emily can handle the ball at times and initiate the offense, she’s a nice attacking scorer off the bounce, but she can also knock down rhythm jumpers from the perimeter when she gets set. I also like her versatility at the defensive end of the floor, as her strength allows her to match up with some forwards. She has nice upside and should draw a wide variety of college interest.
Annaka Nelson
Annaka
Nelson
6'0" | PF
Fort Wayne Concordia | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 6-0 PF, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran H.S.
I think Annaka has a chance to be one of the most recruited frontline prospects in Indiana’s 2023 class, and very few people outside of Northeast Indiana know much about her. She has a great frame, nice length, wiry strength, and she’s a bouncy kid who plays with a motor. She could stand to get a little quicker laterally, but overall she has really good all-around athleticism. She has some touch to near the 3-point line, and she’s great in the mid-post. She can take smaller defenders to the low-block, but she’s also comfortable handling/passing it around the perimeter.
Karsyn Norman
Karsyn
Norman
5'7" | PG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-6 PG, Bedford North Lawrence H.S.
Karsyn continues to be one of the savviest, most vocal, and steadiest traditional point guard prospects in Indiana’s 2023 class. When she has the ball in her hands, she’s always in control of the situation. She handles pressure well, gets the ball where it needs to go, but she has also shown the skill and ability to knock down perimeter jumpers with range, or attack the basket and finish. She has very good speed and quickness, a real feistiness to her game, plus she’s capable at the defensive end of the floor. Karsyn has already earned multiple Division-I offers.
MaKaya Porter
MaKaya
Porter
5'11" | PF
Mishawaka Marian | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-9 CF, Mishawaka Marian H.S.
MaKaya is another member of this strong 2023 class who showed out during the 2019-2020 season. As a rookie at Elkhart Central, she displayed the ability to play inside or out, score the ball at a high level, and control the boards. She transferred to Mishawaka Marian over the Summer, where she’ll pair with Neveah Foster (above). MaKaya is a strong, physical, and athletic prospect with a great motor, she can post on the block, she’s outstanding in the mid-post, plus she can play comfortably around the perimeter. She is a really nice Division-I prospect.