Rankings Review: 2021 Centers

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="130351" first="Bailey" last="Stamper"] of Triton Central High School and Indiana Flight UA Rise-Perry. As you can see with both the power forwards from our article yesterday and the centers below, the frontline prospects in Indiana’s Class of 2021 have stood their ground over time and remained deep and spread out throughout the 2021 rankings since the inception of our PGH Indiana site 2+ years ago. There is good size and athletic talent, and there are skillful prospects who fit a variety of systems and programs at the next level. Below is a look at the 19 centers who currently reside in our Class of 2021 Top-225 rankings, along with a quick look at the top five uncommitted prospects at this position. With official practices beginning Monday, look for our high school preseason coverage to begin sometime in the near future!   <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 8.0%;">Rk.</td> <td style="width: 25.0%;">Prospect</td> <td style="width: 9.0%;">Ht.</td> <td style="width: 8.0%;">Pos.</td> <td style="width: 25.0%;">High School</td> <td style="width: 25.0%;">College Choice</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">9.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130314" first="Brynn" last="Shoup-Hill"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-3</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Goshen</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Dayton</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">14.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="35016" first="Sydney" last="Jaynes"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-3</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Trinity Lutheran</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Butler</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">30.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130318" first="Chanteese" last="Craig"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-1</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Fort Wayne Concordia</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">38.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130319" first="Gigi" last="Eldredge"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Westfield</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">47.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="22675" first="Amber" last="Austin"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Homestead</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">52.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="62554" first="Mariah" last="Dickerson"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Evansville Mater Dei</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">66.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130330" first="Arial" last="Ford"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-1</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Indianapolis Metropolitan</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">69.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="62559" first="Lauren" last="Carie"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-2</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Vincennes Rivet</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">95.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="62583" first="Dynasty" last="Witherspoon"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-3</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Indy North Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">103.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130351" first="Bailey" last="Stamper"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-1</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Triton Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;">IU-South Bend</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">106.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130345" first="Chloee" last="Thomas"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-1</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Frankton</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">113.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="209422" first="Lauren" last="Pollock"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-3</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">LaPorte</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">138.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130362" first="Charsan" last="McCory"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-2</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">East Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">143.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130364" first="Francisca" last="Galicia"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-4</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">South Bend Washington</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">147.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130367" first="Kassie" last="Stanko"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Morgan Township</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">175.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="184236" first="Haley" last="Scott"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Western</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">198.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130407" first="Anna" last="West"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-1</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Greensburg</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">203.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130391" first="Averi" last="Phelps"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-2</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Tri</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">223.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="184247" first="Zoe" last="Barger"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-1</td> <td style="width: 8%;">C</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Bluffton</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   [player_tooltip player_id="130318" first="Chanteese" last="Craig"], 6-1 C, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran H.S. Chanteese has always possessed a great deal of potential, and that’s why she remains high in our rankings. She has a powerful frame, broad shoulders, and good length. She can establish and control her spot inside offensively, and she’s great finishing to her left. She has shown the ability to play in the mid-post as well, she has a soft touch from 15-feet, and she has solid vision when passing downhill to cutters. Defensively, she’s good at filling the lane and blocking/altering shots, but she will need to be better when defending and helping on ball-screens. She is more of a block-out rebounder right now, but she can create space with ease. She has the potential to be an 18-point, 12-rebound kid, and if she can get there, I’d think a few Division-I schools still looking for size would be interested. [player_tooltip player_id="130319" first="Gigi" last="Eldredge"], 6-0 C, Westfield H.S. Like a number of other unfortunate 2021 prospects, Gigi has had to deal with the combination of a return from injury, compounded by limited college recruiter visibility this Summer. Gigi is a strong front-liner, but she also possesses good balance and body control, and she has some skill away from the basket. She’s able to use her strength inside, establish position, and finish with an array of post-moves. But she is also very comfortable in the mid-post, where she has good touch, and she does a nice job in pick-and-roll situations at the top of the key. She is an intelligent ballplayer who understands timing and movements offensively, as well as angles and techniques defensively. She should hopefully draw a number of interested schools this Winter, because I think she has a lot to offer a program. [player_tooltip player_id="22675" first="Amber" last="Austin"], 6-0 C, Homestead H.S. Amber is a really nice basketball player who has always been on a deep and talented high school team. This year, however, she should finally see as many minutes as she ever has. She has a strong and athletic frame, she plays with a great motor, and she moves well in all directions. She is really good at finding her spot on the low-block, she has good hands, and she has developed a couple of really nice finishing moves down low. At the same time, she’s a good passer, and she does have some touch in the mid-post. Defensively, she sits down in a stance, hedges/traps ball-screens well, and she can rebound by both blocking out and pursuing rebounds outside of her area. I think she’s a little underappreciated on the recruiting trail, so this could be a very big Winter for her. [player_tooltip player_id="62554" first="Mariah" last="Dickerson"], 6-0 C, Evansville Mater Dei H.S. Mariah looked as healthy, strong, and explosive as ever this Summer. She dealt with a significant knee injury she suffered in May following her Freshman season. She played most of her Sophomore year and the following Spring and Summer, but she still wasn’t quite 100%. Over the past year, though, she has been as good as she ever has. She’s strong, physical, and overpowering at times inside. She is aggressive on the boards and even pursues rebounds outside of her area. She has good hands, a soft touch, and she can finish inside with a variety of post-moves or step to the mid-post and knock down shot after shot. Defensively, she works to root opponents out of the lane more than anything, but she was better this Summer at defending the perimeter. She has a lot to offer college programs. [player_tooltip player_id="130330" first="Arial" last="Ford"], 6-1 C, Indianapolis Metropolitan H.S. Arial entered high school at Indianapolis Pike with as much talent and potential as most of the girls above. But she too was snakebitten with injury issues throughout her career. She looked great in the Spring of 2019, but then she injured her knee and was set to miss her Junior season. Then at some point in the middle of the year, she transferred to Metropolitan. She is a strong, broad-shouldered, and physical true post. But for her size, she’s somewhat bouncy and a nice all-around athlete. When she’s fully engaged, she can get out and run in transition, she has good hands, and she can finish inside. She can also control the boards and block a lot of shots. If she can return healthy and motivated, and regain that athleticism, she’s a kid who could rise up this list quickly.