IGBRR Preseason Showcase Follow-Up
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Featured image is of Laynie Graham of Gibson Southern High School and the DistinXion grassroots program. Last Sunday was the annual IGBRR Preseason Showcase. I saw everyone in action throughout the course of my day, but I wanted to turn…
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Continue ReadingFeatured image is of Laynie Graham of Gibson Southern High School and the DistinXion grassroots program.
Last Sunday was the annual IGBRR Preseason Showcase. I saw everyone in action throughout the course of my day, but I wanted to turn my attention to ten young ladies who (a) I either saw for the first time, or who (b) showed significant improvement since the last time I saw them, which has been over a year in most of their cases. There were MANY other individuals who also stood out for one reason or another, as it was a quality event from top to bottom.
A FIRST LOOK
Sullivan Kessler
Sullivan
Kessler
5'7" | CG
Eastside | 2021
State
IN
, 2021, 5-7 CG, Eastside H.S.
Sullivan has never been a big grassroots participant, and with her high school located up in the Northeast corner of the state, it’s been difficult to get eyes on her. But being able to finally see her Sunday was great to put two and two together for someone I’ve heard about for a couple of years now. Sullivan is a wiry strong combo guard who can do a variety of things fairly well. She can handle the ball and run offense like a point guard, she can get downhill and attack the basket for scores or find open teammates, and she has some touch around the perimeter when she’s able to get her feet set and get rhythm. She is one of those highly productive, quiet contributors who always shows up on the stat sheets.
Marissa Shelton, 2022, 5-7 CG, South Bend John Adams H.S.
I have had Marissa’s name in my personal database, but I’ve never had the opportunity to see her in person. She is a long, wiry, fluid guard who does a little of everything well. She’s a solid athlete in most directions, and she has good quickness/shiftiness to her as well. She can handle the ball and initiate the offense, though she looks more like a creator off the bounce than a game-manager. She can knock down an open rhythm jumper when set, and she was good in the mid-range game as well. I also liked her energy and effort at the defensive end of the floor. I think if she just continues getting stronger and tightening her entire skillset, she can be a really nice small college prospect.
Sophia Morrison, 2024, 5-4 CG, Eastbrook H.S.
Sophia is a strong-for-her-size, tough-nosed, and somewhat gritty competitor. She is a solid athlete, especially getting downhill North/South, and she can handle the ball and run offense like a point guard. She has a nice feel and understanding of the game, but at the same time she is programmed to score it. She is a very good perimeter shooter who can bury shot after shot outside, she’s good on one-dribble pull-ups, and she’s always looking at the rim. I think at her height, the biggest thing will be building lateral quickness to be able to defend water-bug type of point guards. But all-in-all, she is a really nice ballplayer and could play a lot early this season.
Olivia Oman, 2024, 5-9 SF, NorthWood H.S.
This was my first opportunity to see Olivia in action, and she certainly has some intriguing qualities. She has a solid to strong frame, she moves fairly well in most directions, and she showed a variety of skills and some versatility. Her strength allowed her to get inside and battle for boards or finish through contact. She showed some touch and the ability to go off the dribble a little from the mid-post, but she was also comfortable around the perimeter offensively, where she took care of the ball and found open cutters on occasion. I think long-term she will be more of a full-time wing skillfully, but right now she’s really effective in the mid-post.
Ava Reitmeyer, 2024, 5-8 CG, Bloomington H.S. North
This was my first time really seeing or hearing about Ava, as she didn’t play travel ball at all this Summer. She is likely still growing, she has a great deal of length, and she’s fairly fluid in most directions. She can handle the ball at times, she has a nice feel for the position, and she can find open teammates in positions to score. Additionally, she has a nice perimeter jumper, good mechanics, and the understanding of how to create space to get her shot off. The biggest thing for her moving forward right now, is to finish growing and start adding strength to her frame. I think it will really help her explosiveness, her quickness defensively, and her ability to shoot it consistently with more range.
Stepping Up
Laynie Graham, 2021, 5-8 W, Gibson Southern H.S.
I have seen Laynie a few times over the last couple of years, and she has always been a nice, long, wiry strong, and fluid athlete. She is probably most athletic North/South, as she can get downhill and glide to the basket. In the past I thought of her as more of a slasher/driver from the wing, but Sunday she shot it about as well as I think she could have. She was consistent in drills, contests, 3-on-3, and 5-on-5 competition. I still think she’ll need to get a little stronger and meaner defensively, but she has the tools to be a really nice help-side defender because of her length. Also, if she can handle it a little tighter in small spaces, I could see her being somewhat of a point forward.
Payton Adkins
Payton
Adkins
5'7" | PG
Penn | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-7 CG, Penn H.S.
I haven’t seen Payton in some time, and she really stood out to me as one of the better performers throughout the day Sunday. She looks a little taller, stronger, and much quicker and more explosive. She is handling the ball very well, playing much more decisively with it in her hands, and she can turn the corner and pull up, attack, or find open teammates, depending on the read she gets. She shot it consistently outside, and she was good on the ball defensively as well. She is just playing with a great deal of confidence right now, and she could have a big year for Penn. She picked up a really nice NAIA offer within the last couple of weeks, and I think more will come very soon.
Gabrielle Hoover
Gabrielle
Hoover
6'2" | PF
Penn | 2022
IN
, 2022, 6-0 PF, Penn H.S.
Gabi just continues to grow and grow, and she might actually be pushing 6-1 at this point. She has a wiry strong frame, tremendous length, and she’s a nice North/South athlete. Because of her quick growth, she’ll need to work on her lateral quickness, but I think that will come in time. She plays with a nice motor, she has some bounce to her, and she can play around the lane or in the mid-post equally well. She has a nice 15-foot jumper and can shoot over most girls at her position. At the same time, she’s okay putting it on the deck one or two dribbles and getting to the basket. She is a nice pursuing rebounder and shot-blocker as well. Once she’s done growing, adding strength will be huge for her game.
Jalyn Shelby
Jalyn
Shelby
5'11" | PF
Evansville North | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-10 PF, Evansville North H.S.
Jalyn has always been a strong and physical kid, and she does a really nice job of using her frame to gain leverage, both defensively and in rebounding situations. At the same time, she moves well in most directions and is a nice all-around athlete. What stood out to me Sunday, is that she’s shooting the ball consistently from the perimeter now, and she has a reasonably quick release for her newfound skill. For her to stretch her game to the perimeter and be able to either pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop, that will really open up many more opportunities for her offensively. The biggest thing for her now is to prove she can defend out on the floor consistently.
Macy Oberlin
Macy
Oberlin
6'0" | PF
Angola | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 6-0 CF, Angola H.S.
Macy is the one kid in this article I saw several times over the Summer, and in a controlled environment like her travel team where she plays a specific role, she was solid and showed some potential, no doubt. But Sunday at a showcase, in a situation where she was able to play out on the floor, handle and shoot the ball more, and there were more opportunities to see her as an athlete and see her creativity, she was a completely different player. She was aggressive, very active, and much more explosive than my initial impressions of her. She finished around the basket in a variety of ways, hit shots from all three levels, and showed an enhanced offensive game.