AIS Elite 80 Review: 2024
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 ten members of the Class of 2024 on hand, so in this final article about the event, I wanted to take time highlighting each of them who were in attendance.
Avery Kelley
Avery
Kelley
5'6" | PG
Evansville Memorial | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-6 PG, Evansville Reitz Memorial H.S.
Avery is one of the better point guard prospects in Indiana in 2024, and she has proven that over the course of the entire Summer. She is a quietly tough-nosed floor general, she does a great job of taking care of the ball, getting it where it needs to go, and she plays with nice poise and a veteran savvy. She hasn’t rushed or forced the action anytime I’ve seen her, and she does a nice job of vocalizing things as well. She’s wiry strong, quick, and she is a willing and capable defender. She’s also a solid shooter and can get to the basket and finish as well. She could help a deep Memorial team this year.
Ellery Minch
Ellery
Minch
6'3" | PF
Mt. Vernon (Fortville) | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 6-1 W, Mount Vernon H.S. (Fortville)
I saw Ellery last Fall at a junior high showcase and she stood out almost immediately, but this was my first time viewing her this Summer. She is so long, wiry strong, and fluidly athletic. She has a solid handle and can run offense like a point forward, she is good attacking the basket and doesn’t do a bad job of absorbing contact at this point in time, though she will need to get stronger, and at her height she’s able to effectively defend a variety of wings, bigger guards, and even some power forwards. She has a great deal of upside, and she earned her first Division-I offer yesterday.
Olivia Nickerson
Olivia
Nickerson
5'7" | SG
Twin Lakes | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-6 CG, Twin Lakes H.S.
Olivia is one of those kids who just brings it each time out. She is strong for her age/size, she is a quietly tough-nosed ballplayer, and she does a little of everything well. She’s a solid athlete in most directions, she can act as a primary ball-handler and run offense for her teams, but she can also attack the basket and finish through contact or knock down an open rhythm jumper. I enjoy watching her play, because she is very coachable, she always tries to make the right play, and she has a well-rounded basketball IQ. She should add to a really talented and young nucleus at Twin Lakes.
Jordyn Poole
Jordyn
Poole
5'6" | PG
Fort Wayne Snider | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-6 PG, Fort Wayne R. Nelson Snider H.S.
Jordyn is one of the most dynamic point guards in the state in 2024, and she’s enjoyable to watch. She has a long, somewhat slender, water-bug type of frame. She jets around the floor, suddenly changing directions, and she has the handle to do so and get good defenders completely off-balance. She is on full-attack at all times, she can score it around the basket, plus she’s making her jumper more consistent, but I also like the fact that she’s a willing passer and will find teammates in positions to score. I think with her talent, she can be an elite on-ball defender the next four years.
Kyndra Sheets
Kyndra
Sheets
5'6" | PG
Columbia City | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-4 PG, Columbia City H.S.
My gut tells me that Kyndra will be one of those kids who steps into Varsity action very early if not immediately and be steady each of her four years of high school. She has a strong-for-her-size frame already, she’s an extremely tough-nosed kid, and she doesn’t mind playing physical as a perimeter player. She takes contact well already, has solid balance, and she does a nice job playing the role of floor general, taking care of the basketball and running offense. She has some touch outside, and she has shot it better each time I’ve seen her. She will need to get just a little quicker defensively, though.
Joirdyn Smith
Joirdyn
Smith
5'4" | CG
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-2 CG, Fishers H.S.
Joirdyn is compact and one of the tougher pound-for-pound guards in this class. She has really good ball skill and works at it daily, plus she’s a capable scorer who does a nice job of getting defenders off-balance and attacking the basket. She is more of a scoring guard right now, plus she can get after it defensively because she’s quick and very strong for her size. At the same time, I think it would benefit her to learn the nuances of different offenses as a more traditional point guard, because I’m not sure she’s going to grow much more at all. She is a really nice ballplayer, though.
Chloe Spreen
Chloe
Spreen
5'10" | SG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-9 CG, Bedford North Lawrence H.S.
Chloe had a huge Summer, drawing a ton of college interest and a number of Division-I offers from some of the better programs around the country. She is a really nice athlete with a great motor, she has good length, but she will need to continue getting stronger. She does have an athletic frame that should add muscle weight well. She has tremendous all-around skill, she can handle the ball and run offense, she can attack the basket and score with a variety of floaters, runners, and pull-ups, plus she’s a good shooter from the perimeter. I think an underrated part of her game is how well she defends.
Kendall Sterling
Kendall
Sterling
5'10" | SF
Seymour | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-9 SF, Seymour H.S.
I saw Kendall a little throughout July, so it was great catching her in action again last Sunday. She is a fairly strong wing, a solid athlete in most directions, and she plays with a great motor. I think she does a nice job of using her frame to absorb contact when she attacks the basket, she does a nice job of boxing out and rebounding as well, plus she’s willing to be physical at the defensive end of the floor, and she can defend some ’4s’ when necessary. Seymour usually has really nice depth, but I could definitely see her earning some time and contributing sooner rather than later.
Reagan Wilson
Reagan
Wilson
5'7" | PG
Noblesville | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-7 CG, Noblesville H.S.
I am now convinced that Reagan IS the Energizer Bunny! She is never quiet, and that’s a great thing in a basketball environment. She is constantly engaged, whether she’s on the floor or at the bench, and it’s absolutely contagious with her teammates. I love her passion for the game, plus she has a great basketball IQ and is constantly communicating adjustments and strategies with her teammates. On top of it, she just happens to be one of the more skilled, athletic guards in the 2024 class in Indiana, and she can play point or score it from all three levels, plus she’s a high-level defender.
Juliann Woodard
Juliann
Woodard
6'1" | PF
Jennings County | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-11 PF, Jennings County H.S.
When I saw Juliann earlier this Summer, I could tell she was a nice ballplayer, but it was mostly against her peers. Seeing her last Sunday, I was really impressed with how she looked against the older, taller, faster, stronger kids at the event. She is a quietly tough kid who not only does a nice job using her physicality, but she seems to understand leverage and positioning as well. She’s a really nice rebounder, and good interior scorer, plus she has a solid face-up game in the mid-post. If she can continue to work on her explosion as she gets stronger, and maybe stretch her range a little, watch out.