Rankings Return: 2023 Front-Liners
The featured image is of Kelsey DuBois Kelsey DuBois 6'2" | PF University | 2023 State IN of University High School and the Indy Magic 16U BlueStar team. In recruiting, you hear the words “upside”, “potential”, and “ceiling” thrown around…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kelsey DuBois Kelsey DuBois 6'2" | PF University | 2023 State IN of University High School and the Indy Magic 16U BlueStar team.
In recruiting, you hear the words “upside”, “potential”, and “ceiling” thrown around a lot, and that’s a great place to start with this group of frontline prospects in the Class of 2023. There are a handful of really nice, Division-I prospects in this class, but the group as a whole isn’t strong at the top…yet. Then there’s the next tier of young ladies, a group that possesses a great deal of that upside and potential, and who still have high ceilings to grow, develop, and move significantly up recruiting boards over the next couple of years. Frontline prospects typically take a little longer to come around, figure out what they have physically to work with, and to put together their skillsets. With that said, 36 of them made our most recent Top-125 rankings last Tuesday, so while this group may be thin at the top right now, there is a lot of depth, upside, and potential, plus plenty of time for them to still reach their ceilings. To follow, we take a look at those prospects, as well as add information on several of the newcomers and players who have improved their play significantly since our last full update.
Newcomers
Last week I wrote an article touching on seven newcomers to the Class of 2023 rankings, but they were a mix of all positions. Highlighted in that article from the power forward and center positions were
Cristen Carter
Cristen
Carter
6'3" | C
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
and
Catherine Madden
Catherine
Madden
5'9" | PF
Cathedral | 2023
IN
, but there are a few new front-liners as well.
Brooklyn Smitherman
Brooklyn
Smitherman
6'4" | C
Noblesville | 2023
State
IN
,
Paige Kirtz
Paige
Kirtz
5'10" | PF
Brownsburg | 2023
IN
,
Skyla Tomasek
Skyla
Tomasek
6'2" | C
Norwell | 2023
State
IN
,
Peyton Hull
Peyton
Hull
5'10" | PF
South Bend St. Joseph | 2023
State
IN
, and Brianna Hoskins all make their first appearances on our 2023 rankings list. Smitherman is a still-developing post with a great deal of length, wiry strength, and upside. She runs the floor well and plays with a motor; she just needs continued work on her skillset. Tomasek is the other true post of this group, and she has a lot of on-court experience, some strength and physicality inside, but also good touch and low-block skill. Kirtz is a long, somewhat bouncy athlete. She plays with a motor, rebounds outside of her area, and does a lot of things defensively for her teams as well. Hull has some versatility to her game, but she is a little more offensive-minded. She can knock down the occasional 3-pointer, drive it to the basket, but she can also be physical inside at times. And Hoskins is a strong, physical, tough-nosed kid on the interior. She can play on the block or facing the basket in the mid-post, and she typically plays with a productive motor.
Stock-Risers
This Monday I added an article talking about the top stock-risers in the Class of 2023, regardless of position. Power forwards
Annaka Nelson
Annaka
Nelson
6'0" | PF
Fort Wayne Concordia | 2023
State
IN
and
Amber Tretter
Amber
Tretter
6'1" | PF
Forest Park | 2023
State
IN
were included in that highlighted group of prospects. At the same time, regardless of their movement within the rankings, I felt like
Laila Hull
Laila
Hull
6'1" | PF
Zionsville | 2023
State
#49
Nation
IN
,
MaKaya Porter
MaKaya
Porter
5'11" | PF
Mishawaka Marian | 2023
State
IN
,
Kelsey DuBois
Kelsey
DuBois
6'2" | PF
University | 2023
State
IN
, and
Mackenzie Thomas
Mackenzie
Thomas
6'1" | C
Carmel | 2023
IN
all showed nice improvement in their games throughout the course of the Summer. Hull really stood out in early July, playing extremely well against elite competition at the 17U level most games. Her abilities to knock down shots outside, attack the basket off the bounce, and defend wings have all improved a great deal, and schools are starting to take notice. She plays with a nice motor as well, and she looks to still maybe grow another inch or two. Porter was strong throughout the entire Summer. She is a strong, physical, and very athletic forward who can play on the block, in the mid-post, or around the perimeter. Right now she’s probably most effective in the mid-post, because she does have some touch and the ability to put it on the floor a little, but I think she can become a wing full-time. I have touched on DuBois recently, and I thought she was much better by August than she was in early July. Maybe it was simply getting her legs back under her after having months off, but she was stronger, more assertive, and more active in general. She is very skilled as an interior player, and she causes matchup problems for opponents because of her ability to play inside or out. Thomas has come a long way in a short time. She has a big, strong frame, good length, and she can be overpowering at times on the block. She has soft hands and a nice little half-hook, but she is capable of stepping outside and knocking down the occasional 3-pointer. She also plays with a good motor for her size.
Final Thought
With 36 prospects already listed in just a Top-125, the power forward and center positions are proving to be ones of great depth in Indiana’s 2023 class. While I haven’t touched on this yet, there are also several who have college volleyball interest as well. I will be curious to see how that plays out when basketball and volleyball programs from the same schools are recruiting the same kids, especially as tough as it is to be a multisport athlete in college these days. Regardless, there are all levels of Division-I prospects in this position group, as well as several elite level small college prospects. I’d anticipate a number of these young ladies making a quick impact at the college level upon arrival on campus in three years.