Season Preview: Fab Frosh Classes
Monday marked the beginning of the Indiana high school season, and the fresh start to many things. It’s also the beginning of the journey for a number of Freshmen looking to make their mark on their high school’s success. As…
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Continue ReadingMonday marked the beginning of the Indiana high school season, and the fresh start to many things. It’s also the beginning of the journey for a number of Freshmen looking to make their mark on their high school’s success. As I begin rolling out the various Season Preview articles that will pop up over the next couple of weeks, I wanted to take the time to highlight five programs who have strong incoming Freshmen groups. Now, I may have missed on a school or two, but based on the information at hand, the prospects I’ve seen participate throughout the Summer and Fall, and conversations I’ve had with a number of high school coaches, these are certainly five of the better groups throughout the state, and I’ve made sure to highlight at least four of those Freshmen from each school.
Charlestown
I have heard from a number of people in Southern Indiana who rave about this Charlestown group. They have a strong nucleus of young talent, in addition to a variety of types of players entering the program this year. With a few key 2020 graduates now gone, there could be a lot of opportunity for the following young ladies. I have seen firsthand both point guard
Maddie Nipper
Maddie
Nipper
5'5" | PG
Charlestown | 2024
State
IN
and forward
Kennedy Coleman
Kennedy
Coleman
6'0" | SF
Charlestown | 2024
State
IN
. Nipper is what coaches like at the lead guard position. She has a good handle, awareness, and poise for a youngster. She takes care of the ball, gets it to where it needs to go, plus she can knock down shots outside or score it in the mid-range game. Additionally, she has really good quickness and overall ability, and I look for her to fit nicely alongside Sophomore guard
Laney Hawkins
Laney
Hawkins
5'9" | CG
Charlestown | 2023
State
IN
the next three seasons. Coleman is a versatile, skilled, and able player who can be effective at all three levels. She has fluid athleticism, she plays with a nice motor, and she can shoot the ball to the 3-point line. Even though she’s developing into a wing prospect, I think she can be a nice mid-post threat early on for the Pirates, plus she should be able to get inside and rebound or defend some. The other two of note I have yet to see are guard Lyric Steele and power forward Ashlyn Moore. With regards to Steele, I’ve heard she is an elite athlete who can run and jump at a track star level, but unfortunately she injured her knee over the Summer. Look for her to step in and play immediately in 2021-2022. Moore is supposed to be a hard-working front-liner who can contribute inside with her effort and toughness.
Fishers
I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that someone from Hamilton County made it on the list, as there have been any number of top prospects come from the North to Northeast Indianapolis suburbs over the last few graduating classes. There are five Freshmen of note, and as if Fishers needed any more good guards, they got them. Point guard
Talia Harris
Talia
Harris
5'8" | PG
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
and combo guard
Joirdyn Smith
Joirdyn
Smith
5'4" | CG
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
are about as dynamic as they come in this 2024 class. Harris is a long, fluid, and smooth playmaker who can score or distribute. She often slices by her defender and puts a lot of pressure on help-side defenders to slide over. She also has the talent and physical makeup to be a high-level defender. Smith is a strong, quick, and tough-nosed guard. She has great ball skill, she does a nice job of creating space, and she can score it in bunches at all three levels. From there, both combo guard Julia Munkholm and wing Morgan Roberts were incredibly intriguing with their play this Summer/Fall. Munkholm is a long, fast, and fluid guard who can take care of the ball, attack and make plays for teammates, or knock down open rhythm jumpers. She has a nice smoothness to her as well. Roberts has improved from late-June through early October when I saw her last. She looks taller, stronger, and more fluid, plus she’s shooting it even more consistently from the perimeter. That’s kind of her role…wing sniper…but she’s also attacking the basket a little stronger now too. And don’t forget about 6-0 front-liner
Kate Thomas
Kate
Thomas
6'1" | PF
Fishers | 2024
State
IN
, who has the chance to develop into a really nice long-term prospect. She has length, fluid athleticism, and a little bounce. She’s probably most effective in the mid-post right now, but she can play some around the block. As she continues getting stronger, I look for her game to really take off.
Fort Wayne Snider
Over the last decade, for the most part it has been Homestead and South Side, South Side and Homestead. Now Snider will jump into the mix with a quartet of nice Freshmen, in addition to the transfer of Senior
Destiny Jackson
Destiny
Jackson
5'10" | SF
Fort Wayne Snider | 2021
State
IN
. If the new coach so chooses, Snider could have a brand new starting five this season. Point guard
Jordyn Poole
Jordyn
Poole
5'6" | PG
Fort Wayne Snider | 2024
State
IN
has been a highlight machine all Summer and Fall, and I’d expect her to keep Summit City opponents off-balance as well with her speed, quickness, and elite ability to handle the ball. She is a playmaker, and she’s someone opposing defenses are going to have to contain if they want any shot at beating the Panthers. Guard
Joh’nea Donahue
Joh’nea
Donahue
5'8" | SG
Fort Wayne Snider | 2024
State
IN
and forward
Destini Craig
Destini
Craig
5'9" | PF
Fort Wayne Northrop | 2024
State
IN
are going to be big-time scoring threats as their games grow and mature. Donahue is an athletically built, smooth, and skillful off-guard who can take on ball-handling responsibilities from time to time. She can knock down rhythm jumpers or get to the basket, plus she seems to take pride at the defensive end of the floor. Craig is a strong, physical, and attacking style of forward. She can move people inside, rebound at a high level, plus she’s comfortable attacking the basket from the perimeter. She will be a matchup problem immediately. Then there’s 6-1 post Tia Phinezy. She is more athlete than ballplayer right now, but she’s extremely long, wiry, and bouncy. She plays hard, and she’ll run the floor, rebound, and block shots, but she still has a lot of work to do offensively, though she has a really nice ceiling to develop.
Lake Central
In the Northwest corner of the state in Lake County, the Lady Indians have a lot of talent coming in 2024, 2025, and 2026, as they look to return to their glory days from several years ago. This class was helped a great deal when wing
Aniyah Bishop
Aniyah
Bishop
5'10" | SF
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
chose Lake Central over any number of other schools in the area. She is as athletically talented as just about any Freshman in the area. She is long, athletic, and she can make plays off the bounce in transition. She gets to the basket, finishes in a variety of ways, plus she’s a willing rebounder and a versatile defender. As she tightens her handle and makes her perimeter jump-shot more consistent, I’d look for her to wind up on a number of Division-I schools’ radars, if she hasn’t already. Point guard
Riley Milausnic
Riley
Milausnic
5'7" | CG
Lake Central | 2024
State
IN
is the daughter of their boys’ coach, and she has a lot of personality to her game. She always seems to have a smile on her face, but she also plays with a great deal of confidence and toughness, as she uses her quickness and handle to get defenders off-balance. She can shoot it outside, get into the paint and create, plus she’s a capable on-ball defender. Nadia Clayton is a really nice wing guard who has a wiry strong, athletic makeup. She is somewhat strong for her age, she has some ball skill, plus she can knock down a rhythm jumper outside or drive it North/South to the basket and finish. I think the unsung hero of this group could be power forward Faith Harrison. At 5-10, she has good length, wiry strength, and some bounce to her game. She could be a really active and effective rebounder/defender early on, as she learns to score off of others and potentially become a double-double player down the road.
Zionsville
This age group in Zionsville has built quite the reputation over the last couple of junior high seasons, and while they might not necessarily have the top prospect in Indiana’s 2024 class, they do have a collection of Freshman talent that will be hard for many schools to match up with. Guard
Allison Caldwell
Allison
Caldwell
5'11" | SG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
and wing
Emma Haan
Emma
Haan
5'8" | SG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
could bring an instant punch to the Eagles backcourt…one which is badly in need of quality guard play. Caldwell is a long, tall, fluid guard who can run offense at times or score the ball at all three levels. She’s a smooth shooter with range, a tremendous passer with a natural feel for the game, plus she rarely makes the same mistake twice. Haan is a bulldog who runs through walls. She has the motor of all motors in this 2024 class, she’s tough and strong, and she can get to the basket and finish anywhere inside of 15-feet. Point guard
Faith Leedy
Faith
Leedy
5'4" | PG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
also brings a nice array of skill to the perimeter, as she can handle it and create offense for herself or others. She’s a capable shooter when in rhythm, but she is also a nice downhill attacker. While the Eagles are blessed with experienced frontline talent in 2021, 2022, and 2023, there are a trio of nice prospects in this 2024 class. 6-1 twins Isabelle Poehlein and Sophia Poehlein each bring a great deal of skill, talent, and understanding. They are extremely long and fluid athletes, though they could stand to get a little stronger. Isabelle is more of the mid-post to low-block type who doesn’t mind contact and likes to rebound and defend the interior. Sophia is a little bouncier and plays in the mid-post to the perimeter. She has nice touch to the 3-point line, plus she can attack some off the bounce. 6-1 post Brooke Karesh is another nice young prospect with good size who has shown up at a couple of Fall showcase events. She’ll need some work, but she has a great frame, some ability, and she understands how to play. As she finishes growing and developing her skillset, look for her to pair nicely with the twins on the interior.