Stock-Risers: 2022 Small Forwards

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="157176" first="Ellia" last="Foster"] of Bremen High School.</em></span> 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 forwards who are quickly gaining the respect of their teammates and opponents as the season turns toward the home stretch. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="61040" first="Kuryn" last="Brunson"], 2022, 5-9 SF/PG, Franklin Community H.S.</strong></span> We have been waiting for a full, healthy season out of Kuryn, and what has happened? Well, the Grizzly Cubs are now 14-1 and ranked #12 in the state on the IBCA Coaches Poll. Kuryn is a strong, physical, point forward type who has a great feel for the game. She has a solid handle, she is a tremendous passer, and over the last year she has become significantly better shooting the ball with range. The fact she can now knock down the 3-pointer consistently, coupled with her playmaking ability at her size, makes her a matchup problem at the high school level. Defensively, she’s still more of a wing/forward, but she is a willing rebounder and is working much harder at both ends. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128127" first="Jaleigh" last="Crawford"], 2022, 5-11 SF/PF, Elwood Community H.S.</strong></span> I’ve mentioned Jaleigh a few times in the past, and her trajectory just continues to point upward. She is a long, wiry strong, and very athletic multisport kid. That explains why you haven’t seen her on the grassroots circuit. She has Division-I potential on the basketball floor, and she has shown that time and time again this Winter. She has to handle the ball quite a bit for Elwood, but she is more of a mid-post forward who loves to attack the basket off the bounce. She is a quick second-jumper, so she’s great on the offensive glass, plus she uses her bounce to affect shots defensively. With an improved jump-shot, I think she has the physical tools to become a wing at the next level. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128141" first="Olivia" last="Faust"], 2022, 5-11 SF, Franklin Central H.S.</strong></span> Olivia is a unique type of specialist who I feel like college coaches will really enjoy. She has a lot of length, she’s a fairly fluid athlete, and she has some wiry strength to her frame. What Olivia does well is shoot the basketball, and with range beyond the 3-point line. If she can get her feet set and find any rhythm, she is a knockdown shooter outside. She isn’t going to make a lot of plays off the bounce, but you have to chase her around the floor, and I don’t know that I would want to play H-O-R-S-E against her. Olivia has learned to battle more this year and is using her frame to her advantage. She is rebounding it better, and she’s showing the ability to understand angles defensively. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157176" first="Ellia" last="Foster"], 2022, 5-7 SF, Bremen H.S.</strong></span> Following the 2020 graduation of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101463" first="Erin" last="Coffel"]</strong>, it was Ellia’s turn to step up and take the reins of the Bremen program, and she has done that extremely well this year. Ellia is averaging 20.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game so far, plus she’s shooting 35% from 3-point range and 81% from the free throw line. She plays with an outstanding motor, she has a strong frame, and she’s a nice North/South athlete who can get downhill pretty quickly. I also like her willingness to get inside and mix it up on the boards. If she can continue working on being a more dynamic ball-handler and changing directions with it, I think she can take another step offensively. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97264" first="Natalie" last="Noel"], 2022, 5-10 SF, Salem H.S.</strong></span> Natalie has gone from being a really nice basketball player to being a really nice college prospect over the last couple of years. She has a lot of length, a wiry strong frame, plus she plays with a fluidity/smoothness to her game that allows her to seemingly glide everywhere. She has a solid handle and can push it in transition or even begin the offense. She has vision and is a nice passer, she has touch on her jump-shot from around the perimeter, and she’s a willing rebounder who will get inside and mix it up, despite her long frame. I really like how much more physical she has gotten, plus her versatility defensively should not go overlooked. Natalie is just a nice, complete wing prospect.