Fall Rankings Review: 2023 PG Rundown
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The featured image is of Hannah Ruddle Hannah Ruddle 5'7" | PG Homeschooled | 2023 State IN (2023) of the Indianapolis Homeschool Wildcats and Indiana Elite Phoenix. As the Fall rankings updates continue, last Tuesday we turned to the 2023…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Hannah Ruddle Hannah Ruddle 5'7" | PG Homeschooled | 2023 State IN (2023) of the Indianapolis Homeschool Wildcats and Indiana Elite Phoenix.
As the Fall rankings updates continue, last Tuesday we turned to the 2023 class, updating them for the first time since June. While we didn’t expand the 2023 list this time around, we will look to do so during our December update. In this article I take time to break down the point guard position in 2023, giving you a look at a number of floor generals from different perspectives.
Top of the Class
South Bend Washington will be one of the most talented teams in the state this year, regardless of class, and two of their best talents are the top two 2023 points guards in Indiana. At 6-0 tall, Amiyah Reynolds Amiyah Reynolds 6'0" | PG South Bend Washington | 2023 State #35 Nation IN is a matchup problem because of her ability to see over and around the defense. She is extremely long, fluid, and smooth. What impresses me the most about her game is that she sacrifices her opportunities to score the ball in order to set up teammates and facilitate. Reynolds can still score the ball, she can knock down shots at all levels, and she finishes well around the basket. She can also be a real problem defensively because of her length and quick feet. Teaming up with her in the backcourt is RaShunda Jones RaShunda Jones 5'7" | PG South Bend Washington | 2023 State IN . The “Spider”, as her teammates and coaches refer to her, is extremely quick, fast, and explosive. She has tremendously improved the consistency of her perimeter jumper, so the combination of that and her ability to get by anyone and attack the basket make her incredibly difficult to defend. She is also one of my favorite on-ball defenders, because she can dictate the direction of the ball-handler anywhere on the court. She has quickly risen in popularity, and I’d expect her to have a huge Junior season in 2021-2022.
Also finding themselves in the Top-10 overall in the Class of 2023 are Ashlynn Brooke Ashlynn Brooke 5'7" | PG Pioneer | 2023 State IN of Pioneer and Karsyn Norman Karsyn Norman 5'7" | PG Bedford North Lawrence | 2023 State IN of Bedford North Lawrence. Brooke is a tremendous deep-shooter with tremendous ball skill and the ability to really pass the basketball. She has been instrumental in helping lead Pioneer to the State Finals each of the last two years, however she has been snakebitten with injuries each of her first two seasons. With her in good health entering the 2021-2022 campaign, I’d expect for Brooke to put up good numbers all season and help the Panthers make another march towards Indianapolis. Norman has been a favorite of mine since I first saw her in 8th Grade. She is the consummate floor general, always commanding the offense and getting the ball where it needs to go. She’s rarely rattled and is willing to be a vocal leader. Norman is also a very good deep-shooter, but it’s her vision and creativity that have drawn her college interest the past couple of years. This year, look for her and Chloe Spreen Chloe Spreen 5'10" | SG Bedford North Lawrence | 2024 State IN (2024) to form one of the best backcourts in the state for the Stars.
On the Rise
One point guard who put together a huge Spring and Summer is Abby Fleetwood Abby Fleetwood 5'9" | PG Indian Creek | 2023 State IN of Indian Creek. Fleetwood is a gritty competitor, but she has really good skill and a nice feel for the game. She can handle it and run offense, she can knock down shots with some range beyond the arc, and she can attack the basket and find open teammates. At times Fleetwood looked like she was just playing at a faster speed and making much quicker decisions than others during the grassroots season, and she was fun to watch. She recently transferred into Indian Creek after spending her first two years at Brown County. I also feel like Tori Thompson Tori Thompson 5'7" | CG Lafayette Central Catholic | 2023 State IN of Lafayette Central Catholic has continually improved season after season. She is handling the ball and running offense very efficiently, plus she’s one of the better perimeter shooters in the 2023 class. Her ability to balance her ball-handling and scoring makes her a tough matchup, because she can affect the game whether or not she is able to get a lot of shots.
Center Grove’s Ella Hobson Ella Hobson 5'4" | PG Center Grove | 2023 State IN might be diminutive, but she plays with a great deal of confidence and poise. She has been fun to watch since I first saw her two years ago. She is a very good perimeter shooter with range well-beyond the arc, but she has done a nice job of becoming more of a traditional point guard, and her handle has gotten be very dynamic. She is quick/fast and can create space for herself or get defenders off-balance and attack the basket. I also felt like she played with a much greater sense of urgency at the defensive end of the floor this Summer. Another prospect who popped up on my radar this Spring and played well throughout the Summer is Hannah Ruddle Hannah Ruddle 5'7" | PG Homeschooled | 2023 State IN . She is a homeschooled kid who plays for the Indianapolis Wildcats. Hannah has length, she’s quick/fast and athletic, and she plays with a really nice motor. She can handle the ball and run offense, she’s good off the bounce in transition, plus she’s a nice on-ball defender. As she continues playing against better prospects throughout the next year, I look for her game to continue improving.
Don’t Sleep on Them
Every class has a handful of girls you can identify quickly as really standing out, whether it be size, strength, skill, or ability. At the same time, there is another group of prospects who tend to fly under the radar for a number of different reasons, so I wanted to mention four such young ladies. Homestead’s Molly Stock Molly Stock 5'7" | PG Homestead | 2023 State IN had an outstanding Spring and Summer. She is a skilled, high IQ, hard-working point guard who does a nice job of taking care of the ball. She gets the ball where it needs to go, she doesn’t panic under pressure, but she can also knock down the perimeter jumper consistently. She is one of the better half-court, traditional point guards, and there will likely be a number of elite small colleges interested in her services over these next couple of years. Also hailing from Fort Wayne, I’ve really enjoyed the development of Kayla Gibbs Kayla Gibbs 5'7" | SG Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 2023 State IN of Fort Wayne Carroll. She is a long, wiry-strong, fluidly athletic combo guard. This Summer she looked much more comfortable on the ball as a lead guard, and with a number of roster changes for the Chargers, her opportunity in 2021-2022 should only increase. At the same time, I think her versatility is still a huge part of her value as a prospect, especially her ability to defend multiple positions.
Another point guard who I think could be a really nice “sleeper” as a prospect is Kaitlyn Shoemaker Kaitlyn Shoemaker 5'4" | PG Noblesville | 2023 State IN of Noblesville. She is a quick/fast, feisty, and highly skilled lead guard. She can shoot it with range beyond the arc, but her handle and creativity off the bounce might be better. She does a nice job of getting gaps, finding teammates, and she seemingly makes the proper play each possession. She’s a little hidden at Noblesville because of the presence of some high-profile guards, but she will deliver her share of daggers this season, and opposing coaches should be well-aware of her presence by the end of the season. In a somewhat similar situation is Addison Ward Addison Ward 5'6" | PG Twin Lakes | 2023 State IN of Twin Lakes. The Lady Indians had the state’s second leading Freshman scorer in 2020-2021 at 23.1 points per game, and they have another talented backcourt member in the 2025 class. Now, Ward has already made quite an impact at the Varsity level, scoring 580 points and averaging double-digits each of her first two years, but look for her to find scoring much easier in year-three. However, she’s also highly skilled with the ball and capable of running offense and finding open teammates. She is a legit floor general, but also a really nice perimeter shooter.