Stock-Risers: 2022 Off-Guards
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The featured image is of Ella Wolfe Ella Wolfe 5'8" | SG Tipton | 2022 State IN of Tipton High School. Last Wednesday we released our Winter rankings update for the Class of 2022. Since it coincides with the midpoint…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Ella Wolfe Ella Wolfe 5'8" | SG Tipton | 2022 State IN of Tipton High School.
Last Wednesday we released our Winter rankings update for the Class of 2022. Since it coincides with the midpoint of the 2020-2021 high school season, I felt like it was a great opportunity to highlight five young ladies who have either played well following our September update, or who have gotten off to nice starts to their Junior seasons. Below are five guards who are quickly gaining the respect of their teammates and opponents as the season turns toward the home stretch.
Darryn Hood
Darryn
Hood
5'5" | CG
Tindley | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-5 CG, Tindley Accelerated H.S.
Darryn made an impact with Tindley’s Varsity team from the day she entered high school. She put together two solid years to begin her career, but since this Summer/Fall, she has just looked different. She seems much more explosive and more decisive in her decision making. At the Prep Girls Hoops Top-250 in October, she made a number of tough plays around the basket that many other girls just can’t complete. Darryn is strong, she plays low to the ground, and she has proven to be both a scorer and a nice distributor. I think she has the talent to be a good on-ball defender, and that part of her game has improved as well. She is averaging 16.3 points per game for Tindley this year.
Halle Shelt
Halle
Shelt
5'8" | SG
Park Tudor | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-8 SG, Park Tudor H.S.
When I first saw Halle between her 8th Grade and Freshman years, she was a little taller, stronger, and more physical player than her peers. Over the last couple of seasons, she has done a really nice job of working to build her perimeter skillset, as she has gone from being more of a forward to a wing, and from a wing to a true guard. I thought she had a nice Summer/Fall, as she handled it with more poise and did a nice job of scanning the floor and letting the game come to her. She has always been a good athlete, and she can attack the basket and score through contact. This season her 3-point shooting (29% to 39%) and free throw shooting (62% to 81%) are both up significantly.
Zoe Stewart
Zoe
Stewart
5'8" | CG
Terre Haute North Vigo | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-8 CG, Terre Haute North Vigo H.S.
I first heard about Zoe during her Freshman year, but it wasn’t until a Fall 2019 event that I was able to finally see her. This year she is even better, and I think a lot of it has to do with strength. She is a long, shifty, quick, and athletic combo guard who likes to create off the bounce. She can go to just about any dribble-move to create space, and her ability to separate allows her to get shots away against quality on-ball defenders. She is a capable perimeter shooter, but she’s also crafty getting into the paint and finishing. I think Zoe has the skillset to play more of a point guard role and run offense, but with her unique ability to create her own shot, I think she’s more effective as a scorer first.
Ella Wolfe
Ella
Wolfe
5'8" | SG
Tipton | 2022
State
IN
, 2022, 5-8 SG, Tipton H.S.
Ella is another player who has benefited from adding strength. She is a long, wiry strong, North/South fast athlete who plays with a nice motor. She has a pretty lefty jump-shot, but she’s equally good attacking the rim and finishing through and around contact this year. For Tipton, she handles the ball quite a bit, but at the next level I feel like she’s going to be a really nice scoring guard. I also don’t think she gets enough credit at the defensive end of the floor. She can really guard the ball, and against all different types of guards and wings, plus she’s a problem deflecting passes from help-side. Ella also rebounds her position well, and she has a nice, quiet toughness to her game.
Olivia Yager, 2022, 5-7 SG, Rushville Consolidated H.S.
Olivia is a nice, multisport athlete who has always been a productive basketball player. She has length, wiry strength, and she too has gotten significantly stronger throughout her high school career, allowing her to complete more plays on the hardwood. Typically she has been able to contribute in a variety of ways, and she still does, but she is being much more assertive this year. She is scoring it better, and she’s attacking the boards harder as well. I have always enjoyed watching her shoot it during the Summer months, but while Olivia shoots a nice percentage, she isn’t a volume shooter outside. She’ll still use her ability to get to the basket or make a play for someone else.