Grassroots Introductions: S.W.I.S.H. City

The featured image is of S.W.I.S.H. City 16U players securing a rebound at Fishers High School over Memorial Weekend. With the 2021 grassroots season wrapping up over this last weekend, I wanted to finish introducing several of the state’s programs over the next few days. For the bigger programs in 17U-15U, they will get their own articles, while some of the smaller programs and individual teams will be found later in articles summarizing the remaining teams in each of those age groups, 17U-15U. Below is a look at the S.W.I.S.H. City program. While they were "new" to the scene this year, it was actually more of a rebranding of the Indiana Elite S.W.I.S.H. program, operating out of the Evansville Basketball Academy. They draw girls primarily from Southwest Indiana, with a handful coming across the river from Kentucky.   17U: The 17U entry for S.W.I.S.H. City fought through a lot of adversity during the season, and they battled a lot of injuries. But they always played hard and competed with some of the better teams in the Midwest. High-scoring Boonville guard [player_tooltip player_id="97291" first="Alaysha" last="Brandenberger"] (2022) was often a bright spot for this squad, pouring in baskets and making shot after shot from beyond the arc, several of which came from deep. She is a tough-nosed ballplayer who plays with a nice motor. Point guards [player_tooltip player_id="97248" first="Hadley" last="Lytton"] (2022) and [player_tooltip player_id="106160" first="Isabel" last="Grimes"] (2022) did a really nice job on the ball, and their ability to play efficiently really helped this team. Lytton is a stronger point guard from Heritage Hills, and she showed a much-improved ability to absorb contact and escape traps cleanly. She also shot it fairly well from the outside. Grimes is a little longer and kind of slithers through the defense, often getting to the basket or drawing trips to the free throw line. She is from Breckinridge County (KY). One player who has significantly improved her play is [player_tooltip player_id="97306" first="Kennedy" last="Wenger"] (2022) of Evansville Mater Dei. This Spring/Summer was huge for her, as she adjusted to the speed and physicality well, and she showed the ability to play effectively in the mid-post. She has some touch, fluid athleticism, and the ability to get to the basket to finish. Following a Sophomore season knee injury, [player_tooltip player_id="61033" first="Myah" last="Montgomery"] (2022) of Southridge was starting to look like her old self, but unfortunately she suffered yet another serious knee injury. She has tremendous length, skill to the 3-point line, and fluid athleticism. Castle guard [player_tooltip player_id="267399" first="Jordan" last="Coon"] (2022) added to the backcourt depth on this team. She is a wiry-strong athlete with a nice motor, she can attack the basket or knock down the occasional jumper, and she’s a versatile defender. From there, [player_tooltip player_id="157952" first="Cassidy" last="Morris"] (2022) of Trinity (KY) and [player_tooltip player_id="157955" first="Raigan" last="Price"] (2022) of Webster County (KY) were two hard-working, tough-nosed, and versatile Bluegrass ladies who also contributed for this group.   16U: In the 16U division, the S.W.I.S.H. City group showed consistent play all Spring and Summer, and they seemed to get contributions from throughout the entirety of their roster each tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="178237" first="Amber" last="Tretter"] (2023) of Forest Park continues to improve and impress. She is so long, bouncy, and fluidly athletic. She’s moves effortlessly around the floor, battles stronger players regularly, and she has shown a nice mid-post skillset. [player_tooltip player_id="284106" first="Jarie" last="Thomas"] (2023) of Henderson County (KY) was a nice compliment to Tretter up front with her length and athleticism. Jarie is more of a slashing forward who can play in the mid-post or attack from the perimeter. [player_tooltip player_id="96092" first="Jalyn" last="Shelby"] (2023) of Evansville North shot the ball well throughout the season. She is a strong forward and can battle some inside, but her perimeter skillset makes her difficult to defend. I also felt like [player_tooltip player_id="96096" first="Kate" last="Wenger"] (2023) of Evansville Mater Dei had several nice moments. She has a strong frame, she’s a solid all-around athlete, but she has both a nice back-to-the-basket game and some mid-post skill/touch. [player_tooltip player_id="178242" first="Reagan" last="Martin"] (2023) of Owen Valley completes their frontline, and she showed a great deal of versatility this year. She has some length, a nice motor, and she can play inside, rebound, and defend, but she’s also okay putting it on the floor a few dribbles around the perimeter and knocking down the occasional outside jumper. Castle point guard [player_tooltip player_id="127216" first="Devyn" last="Barton"] (2023) was consistent all Spring/Summer on the ball. She is a strong, tough-nosed, downhill athlete who likes to attack the basket. She gets into the lane and can draw contact, but she also showed improved touch from the outside. [player_tooltip player_id="59728" first="Lydia" last="Betz"] (2023) of Forest Park is an intriguing wing prospect because of her ability to do so many things. She has a broad frame, length, and nice athleticism, plus she can handle it a little, attack off the bounce, create for others, and she has a nice 15-foot pull-up jumper. South Spencer’s [player_tooltip player_id="241197" first="Trinity" last="Britton"] (2023) was good at both ends of the floor. She was very feisty/scrappy defensively, causing turnovers regularly, and offensively she showed the ability to play on or off the ball. She was best playing off of Barton’s penetration, knocking down open jumpers. [player_tooltip player_id="300081" first="Rhylan" last="Kalb"] (2023) of Northeast Dubois and Molly Schmitt (2023) of Evansville Mater Dei round out the 16U roster. Kalb is a wiry-strong athlete who can run and jump. She plays hard and affects the game in different ways. Schmitt is a solid and skilled off-guard who plays with discipline and a balanced skillset.   15U: The 15U S.W.I.S.H. City group showed a great deal of potential for the future. They had several games where they played very well against top competition. [player_tooltip player_id="177332" first="Sophia" last="Johnson"] (2024) of Evansville Memorial really stepped up and improved her stock as much as anyone over the Spring/Summer. She is a strong, athletic wing with a versatile skillset. She can play a point forward role, she has some touch outside, plus she can get into the paint and finish. Point guard [player_tooltip player_id="177335" first="Avery" last="Kelley"] (2024) of Evansville Memorial was also very good, offering Memorial fans a glimpse at a bright future after graduating several 2021 contributors. Kelley is a feisty, tough-nosed, quick, and athletic point guard who can run an offense, create, and score it herself. She’s also gritty on the ball defensively. [player_tooltip player_id="295774" first="Gabby" last="Spink"] (2025) of Gibson Southern and [player_tooltip player_id="295767" first="Avah" last="Montgomery"] (2025) of Southridge were a couple of youngsters who played at a high level for this group. Spink is a very athletic scorer who has some ball skills. She can get to the basket, she has touch outside, plus her mid-range game is advanced for her age. Montgomery could eventually approach 6-0 like her 2022 sister Myah (above), but right now she’s a highly skilled ball-handler who runs offense and creates for others. [player_tooltip player_id="177324" first="Chloey" last="Graham"] (2024) of Gibson Southern is a strong wing guard with a balanced skillset. She can really shoot it from the perimeter, but she showed solid ball skill and the ability to run offense on occasion. [player_tooltip player_id="177320" first="Brylee" last="Delano"] (2024) of Evansville Mater Dei is a strong and physical forward with some skill. She can play in the mid-post, battle inside for rebounds, or step outside and knock down perimeter jumpers consistently. I also think [player_tooltip player_id="177353" first="Macy" last="Sexton"] (2024) of Vincennes Lincoln has some athletic upside. She is a long and bouncy kid who plays with a great motor. She can attack from the perimeter or play in the mid-post effectively. Emily Hawkins (2024) of Loogootee is a scrappy little guard who plays with a nice motor and has a balanced skillset around the perimeter. Jill Vidoni (2024) of Evansville North returned from injury in July, so I unfortunately didn’t get to see her play. Hayleigh Cummins (2024) of Washington and [player_tooltip player_id="264112" first="Lola" last="Allen"] (2024) of Castle were two additional rostered players who unfortunately missed the season due to injuries.