Rankings Review: 2021 Power Forwards

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="62527" first="Bridget" last="Dunn"] of Carmel High School and Indy Magic BlueStar-Blanding.. As you will see with both the power forwards below and the centers in the article tomorrow, 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 54 power forwards 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. We will be following this article with one on the centers in the Class of 2021 sometime tomorrow.   <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%;">3.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130310" first="Meg" last="Newman"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-3</td> <td style="width: 8%;">CF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Indy North Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Arizona State</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">6.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="62527" first="Bridget" last="Dunn"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-3</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Carmel</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Kent State</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">12.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="10679" first="Alex" last="Richard"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-1</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Avon</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Butler</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">13.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="35017" first="Trinity" last="Thompson"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Michigan City</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Northern Kentucky</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">18.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130317" first="Nakaih" last="Hunter"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Indy North Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;">IUPUI</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">20.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130313" first="Katey" last="Richason"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Zionsville Community</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Miami-OH</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">22.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="62534" first="Maycee" last="Lange"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Vincennes Lincoln</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Evansville</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">24.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="22680" first="Rebekah" last="Gordon"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Heritage Hills</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Auburn</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">26.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="99358" first="Jade" last="Nutley"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Madison Consolidated</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Indiana Wesleyan</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">29.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="88414" first="Marissa" last="Gasaway"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Silver Creek</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">32.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="158393" first="Leah" last="Yarbrough"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Brownsburg</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Illinois-Chicago</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">33.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="35046" first="Lamiya" last="Woodson"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Fort Wayne South Side</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Youngstown State</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">37.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="35027" first="Tenleigh" last="Phelps"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Triton Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Youngstown State</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">40.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="209420" first="Laila" last="Rogers"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Lake Station Edison</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Purdue-Northwest</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">46.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="35069" first="Haley" last="Rose"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Linton-Stockton</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Indiana Wesleyan</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">50.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130324" first="Kendal" last="Swartout"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Concord</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Davenport</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">55.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="209421" first="Grace" last="Adams"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">CF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Penn</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">63.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="99367" first="TiAuna" last="White"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Fort Wayne Northrop</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">77.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="35083" first="Layne" last="Burke"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">New Albany</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">79.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130328" first="Sydnee" last="Hughes"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Lawrence North</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">81.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130331" first="Lauren" last="Sandrock"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Franklin Community</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">87.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130353" first="Jaci" last="Walker"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Northridge</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Davenport</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">99.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130348" first="Paige" last="Ledford"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Jac-Cen-Del</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Thomas More</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">108.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="99389" first="Natalie" last="Howard"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Ben Davis</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">111.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="99395" first="Zoe" last="Zellers"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Scottsburg</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Goshen</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">117.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130341" first="Allison" last="Shaffer"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Brownsburg</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">124.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130355" first="Sally" last="Mortensen"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">CF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Perry Meridian</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Grace</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">126.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130376" first="Addi" last="Baker"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Northfield</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Southern Illinois (SB)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">128.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="62571" first="Jasmine" last="Walker"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Clarksville</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">129.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="99366" first="Casey" last="Thomas"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Bloomington North</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">130.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130340" first="Julia" last="Blue"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-1</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Hanover Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">133.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="99397" first="Madison" last="Gray"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">CF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Union County</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">142.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130381" first="Courtney" last="Lee"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Heritage Christian</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Hope</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">146.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130360" first="Emily" last="Wood"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Noblesville</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">149.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130369" first="Grace" last="Meyer"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Seymour</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">154.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="99407" first="Emma" last="Shelton"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">CF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Jasper</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Ohio Christian</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">157.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="99391" first="Kylee" last="Appman"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Heritage Hills</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">158.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130363" first="Remi" last="Jordan"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Knox</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">163.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130377" first="Olivia" last="Yeley"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Mount Vernon (Fortville)</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">166.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="184230" first="Hope" last="Lensing"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Evansville Memorial</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">168.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="184233" first="Aija" last="Estes"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">6-0</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Jeffersonville</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">172.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130368" first="Amaya" last="Thomas"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Evansville Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">176.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130389" first="Alayha" last="Allen"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Richmond</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Olivet Nazarene</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">178.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130371" first="Erikka" last="Hill"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Shenandoah</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Miami-FL (T&F)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">182.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130372" first="Heather" last="Johnson"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">McCutcheon</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">185.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="184239" first="Delaney" last="Bailey"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Fort Wayne Luers</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">188.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130398" first="Eversyn" last="Murphy"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-10</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Fort Wayne Carroll</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">189.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="184232" first="Riley" last="Pennington"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Carmel</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">195.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="184245" first="Kaylee" last="Carte"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Center Grove</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">199.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="184243" first="Bree" last="Noland"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-11</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Perry Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">210.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130374" first="Da’Naria" last="Washington"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Lawrence Central</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">214.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130405" first="E’yona" last="Cook"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Indianapolis Pike</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">219.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="130393" first="Carly" last="Turner"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">PF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">East Noble</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 8%;">222.</td> <td style="width: 25%;">[player_tooltip player_id="158395" first="Holly" last="Kaim"]</td> <td style="width: 9%;">5-9</td> <td style="width: 8%;">CF</td> <td style="width: 25%;">Munster</td> <td style="width: 25%;"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   [player_tooltip player_id="88414" first="Marissa" last="Gasaway"], 5-11 PF, Silver Creek H.S. Marissa is someone I’m sure most of you are unfamiliar with, as I am as well. She is a recent move-in to Silver Creek High School from Louisville’s Eastern High School, and after averaging 17.4 points and 14.0 rebounds in 25 games as a Junior, she should undoubtedly be a big boost to a program who already has a wealth of backcourt talent. I have spoken with a couple of Division-I coaches who say they have recruited her at some point, and from what I gather, her athleticism and work ethic stand out. She has an athletic frame with some length, she reportedly moves well in all directions and is somewhat bouncy, plus she’s strong enough to be overpowering/dominant at times around the block. Look for Silver Creek to make a lot of noise in Class 3A and Southern Indiana this Winter. [player_tooltip player_id="209421" first="Grace" last="Adams"], 5-10 CF, Penn H.S. We touched on Grace recently as well, and she’s someone who isn’t new to Indiana basketball; she’s just making a return to the hardwood. Grace is a long, wiry strong, fluid, and somewhat smooth athlete. When last I saw her in 2018, she could play a variety of roles for her teams. She was capable of putting it on the floor and creating offense at times, she could knock down the occasional perimeter jumper when set and in rhythm, but she could also get inside and rebound/defend bigger players, plus she blocked a lot of shots and deflected a lot of passes with her length. At the end of the day, though, I felt like she was the perfect mid-post/face-up ’4’ because of her fluidity and well-rounded skillset. Assuming she’s the same or a similar player this year, she should help a guard-heavy Penn team. [player_tooltip player_id="99367" first="TiAuna" last="White"], 5-9 PF, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S. TiAuna is a nice all-around athlete with broad shoulders, an athletically strong frame, plus she can play at all levels on the court. I see her around the perimeter quite often, and she acts mostly as a driver from outside. But she is strong and fairly tough, so she can get inside and play physical around the basket, grabbing a number of rebounds. I think the perfect fit for her, though, is in the mid-post, where she can use her athletic talent to get to the rim or pursue rebounds, but she also has nice touch at about 15-feet and can consistently knock down elbow jumpers. Defensively, she is athletic enough to defend most wings, but I think she’s more comfortable inside the paint where she can play physically and is an asset on the boards. [player_tooltip player_id="35083" first="Layne" last="Burke"], 5-11 PF, New Albany H.S. Layne decided to take the Summer and Fall off this year, but she has been a regular participant in grassroots basketball in the past. She is a wiry strong, long, and versatile athlete who runs and jumps well, plus she plays with a really nice motor. She is a quietly tough kid who can get inside and battle bigger players, but she’s also skilled facing the basket to as deep as the 3-point line. She’s another one who I think best fits as a mid-post ’4’ because of her skillful versatility, combined with her athleticism and physicality. She has a little touch outside, though, and she can put it on the floor and attack, so I wouldn’t count her out as a pick-and-pop ’4’ either. Plus, defensively she can get out on the floor, sit down in a stance, and defend wings and even some bigger guards at times. [player_tooltip player_id="130328" first="Sydnee" last="Hughes"], 5-11 PF, Lawrence North H.S. Sydnee came to Lawrence North from non-IHSAA member Horizon Christian in Lawrence Township last season, and she provided an immediate boost to the Wildcat frontline, plus she won a Class 4A State Title in doing so. She is a strong, physical, and hard-working power forward who is a bruiser inside. She likes to establish position early and let opponents know she’s there, whether it be on offense or defense. She is more of a back-to-the-basket scorer offensively, but she is starting to show more of a mid-post game this year. Defensively, she can take on bigger posts, but she’s also athletic enough to step out and defend perimeter forwards, plus she does a nice job of sitting down and defending ball-screens, whether she’s hedging or switching. She’s also a productive rebounder.