Fall Rankings Review: 2024 Frontline Rundown
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As the Fall rankings updates continue, a couple of weeks ago we turned to the 2024 class, updating them for the first time since June, and we added another 25 prospects to the mix. In this article I take time…
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Continue ReadingAs the Fall rankings updates continue, a couple of weeks ago we turned to the 2024 class, updating them for the first time since June, and we added another 25 prospects to the mix. In this article I take time to break down the frontline group, including power forwards and centers, by giving you a look at a number of types of frontcourt players from different perspectives.
Top of the Class
I don’t think the 2024 frontline group gets enough credit because of all the nice guards and wings in this class, but there are some truly nice, skillful, and able prospects for colleges to take a look at. For example, Juliann Woodard Juliann Woodard 6'1" | PF Jennings County | 2024 State IN of Jennings County had an outstanding Freshman season in 2020-2021, and she looks to replicate that and be better in year-two. The 6-0 power forward dominated the paint, averaging 17.5 points and 11.2 rebounds, plus she proved her worth late in games, shooting a solid 74% from the charity stripe. She is physical and assertive, but she also has good feet and hands, and she’s skilled facing the basket in the mid-post. A lot of those same things can describe power forward Faith Wiseman Faith Wiseman 6'4" | PF Indian Creek | 2024 State IN of Indian Creek, though she went about it a little differently. Wiseman is extremely long, still somewhat slender, but also still growing. She is a bouncy and active kid who uses her athleticism to get places. She can play facing the basket around the perimeter, she can put it on the floor a little bit, and she’s a great help-side defender/shot-blocker. Wiseman averaged nearly a double-double at 9.3 points and 9.5 rebounds last year, plus she blocked 3.0 shots and handed out 2.5 assists each contest as well. I’d look for her to be a mid-teens scorer this year and average that double-double as a Sophomore.
Rachel Wirts Rachel Wirts 6'3" | C Center Grove | 2024 State IN is our top-rated true post in this class, and with her combination of size, athleticism, hands, and feet, it’s easy to see why she has already drawn a great deal of attention. She runs the floor well, she’s willing to be physical inside, but she also has nice touch in the mid-post, and she can score with finesse over and around opponents at the low-block. The biggest news with Wirts right now is the fact she recently enrolled at Center Grove after previously being homeschooled. If she gains a bit of a mean-streak on the court, which the MIC (Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference) will be sure to help with, she will be a more than tough matchup for most opponents. 6-2 post Addisen Mastriano Addisen Mastriano 6'3" | C Northeastern | 2024 State IN of Northeastern is another more traditional low-block player who should have a breakout year, following some key losses to their roster. She averaged 5.7 points and 5.7 rebounds as a Freshman, but I anticipate she’ll be a real focal point this season. Mastriano has a big, strong frame, she’s powerful on the low-block, and she likes physicality. But I think she’s somewhat under-appreciated for her pure skill away from the basket, her deceptive length, and her athleticism at her size. She is highly productive in the minutes she plays, and she has the right attitude and toughness to be a quality college low-post recruit.
I’ve been discussing the top five players from each position group in the 2024 articles, but with regards to the front-liners, there is a 5a and a 5b, because they are twins Sophia Poehlein and Isabelle Poehlein of Zionsville. A couple of Summers ago, I felt like they were somewhat different stylistically, but now they have done a nice job of each becoming much more well-rounded. They have nice height, great length, and they move around the floor with ease and fluidity. They have some bounce, and they are each capable of playing around the block because of their height. However, they seem much more comfortable facing the basket. In the mid-post, they are highly accurate shooters who elevate well above their opponents. But, both are becoming much more consistent 3-point shooters, and their game is more pick-and-pop versus pick-and-roll. If they can continue getting stronger, I look for them to help impact the Zionsville lineup more during the 2021-2022 season than they did as Freshmen.
On the Rise
Mooresville High School has seen a wealth of frontline players enroll over the last couple of years, and Rachel Harshman Rachel Harshman 6'0" | PF Mooresville | 2024 State IN is someone who has really stood out in the last six to eight months. She has a strong frame, she loves to seek physicality, and she plays with a tremendous motor. She is willing to be tough inside, she has solid hands and feet, but she also possesses good skill facing the basket. She has touch in the mid-post, and she’s not uncomfortable around the perimeter. After watching her Saturday at the PGH Indiana Top-250, I felt like she showed good vision and really passed the ball well. I expect a big season out of her in 2021-2022. Kyra Hill Kyra Hill 6'2" | C Goshen | 2024 State IN of Goshen is another prospect who I felt had an outstanding Summer. I hate using clichés, but she looks like she “gets it” now. She played with a much greater sense of urgency, she was active and aggressive, plus she has really expanded her skillset. Hill has typically been most comfortable playing with her back to the basket, but this grassroots season she started showing much more touch in the mid-post, and she occasionally took her defender off the bounce and attacked the basket. Now that her sister has graduated, she should be keyed in on a lot more moving forward.
When I saw Addie Shank Addie Shank 6'0" | PF Bishop Luers | 2024 State IN of Bishop Luers last Summer, she was a hard-working, solidly skilled kid who I figured would give them some minutes as a Freshman. She ended up averaging 10.0 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Knights, and this Summer she was very strong. She’s toned her frame and is somewhat overpowering at times, while still being a solid all-around athlete. She can post on the block just about anytime she wants and win the physical battle, but she is also skilled in the mid-post. As she continues to work on her perimeter jumper, I’d anticipate her becoming a really nice inside-out threat who can fulfill a variety of roles in most lineups. I also think Genna Hayes of Kankakee Valley has really improved since last Summer. She is a little taller, noticeably stronger, but she’s also playing with a much greater sense of urgency. She is another post with a broad frame, solid athleticism, but also good hands and skill facing the basket. She’ll step out and knock down the occasional 3-pointer, but she also has some ball skill and can attack the basket from the mid-post. Finding good balance between operating on the block and knocking down shots outside will make her difficult to defend moving forward.
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. Fishers has a plethora of great guards right now, but the ability to find capable size in their lineup has been limited. One player who could potentially play a big role for them this year is Kate Thomas Kate Thomas 6'1" | PF Fishers | 2024 State IN . The 6-0 forward was outstanding throughout July, and she’s one of those kids who plays with a tremendous motor and absolutely sacrifices her body by taking charges, getting on the floor for loose balls, and battling opponents much bigger than herself. She is extremely long, somewhat bouncy, and she does have really nice skill in the mid-post and even around the perimeter. But if she can get a little stronger and provide the Tigers with a rebounding and defensive presence, she could see a lot of clock this Winter. I also continue to be intrigued by Dominique Stilley Dominique Stilley 6'0" | PF Concord | 2024 IN of Concord. She popped up on my radar during a showcase in May, but I got to see her again this past Saturday at the PGH Indiana Top-250. She has really nice length, wiry strength, and she’s a fluid athlete in most directions. What makes her stand out is her touch from the perimeter. Offensively, I think she’s somewhat skilled like a wing, but in order to play there full-time, she’ll need to prove she can sit down and defend most wings and bigger guards consistently. However as a ’4’, she presents a mismatch for opponents to defend because she can pick-and-pop or pick-and-roll, depending on how the defense adjusts.
Someone new to our list who made an impression on me by her play in early July is Taylor Lewis Taylor Lewis 6'2" | C Cathedral | 2024 State IN of Cathedral. Lewis has good height, great length, and she’s a solid all-around athlete with some bounce and fluidity. She has good hands and can finish inside in a variety of ways, and she looks like she still might grow another inch. She has an athletic frame that should get stronger over time, plus she already plays with a really nice motor and is active on the boards. I think she has really nice upside and could continue to rise up the 2024 rankings as she develops her skillset and finishes growing. I also think Brooke Karesh Brooke Karesh 6'3" | C Zionsville | 2024 IN of Zionsville should not be undersold. I don’t recall her playing grassroots ball in 2020, though that doesn’t mean she didn’t play. However my first viewing of her was at a handful of Fall showcases last year. She has good size, a wiry-strong frame that should add nice muscle-weight over time, and she has solid all-around skill. I know everyone gets caught up in the Poehlein twins (above) and all of the quality guards in Zionsville’s 2024 class, and rightfully so, but Karesh could be playing quality minutes at a number of other high schools who don’t have as much frontline depth.
Newcomers
With expansion comes new additions, and as I mentioned above, we added 25 prospects to our list for 2024, giving us 125 total prospects now listed on Prep Girls Hoops Indiana. When I went back through that list newbies and reviewed each of those 25 girls, there were nine frontline prospects new to the list. I already mentioned Taylor Lewis Taylor Lewis 6'2" | C Cathedral | 2024 State IN and Brooke Karesh Brooke Karesh 6'3" | C Zionsville | 2024 IN (above), but they are also completely new to the list. I also felt like Kooper Stone Kooper Stone 6'0" | PF Danville Community | 2024 State IN of Danville Community and Natalia Franklin Natalia Franklin 6'1" | C Lawrence North | 2024 State IN of Lawrence Central were terribly intriguing when I was able to see them over the Summer. Stone has a nice, athletic frame, with good length, broad shoulders, and the potential to still squeeze out another inch or two. She has fluid movements to her game, plus she’s somewhat bouncy. She is really good in the mid-post, as she can shoot over defenders or drive by them to the basket. Franklin is all upside right now. She is extremely long, fluid, and bouncy as well, but she still looks like she’s growing into her body and figuring out the game. She is active and will attack the boards, she’s a nice help-side defender, and she can run the floor and catch & finish in transition. As she gets stronger and adds more skill, she could certainly climb this list quickly. Below is a list of the other frontline girls new to the 2024 rankings this quarter:
Lilly Chapman, Heritage Christian
Giselle Eke
Giselle
Eke
6'3" | C
Bishop Dwenger | 2024
State
IN
, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger
Kaitlyn Hoff
Kaitlyn
Hoff
5'11" | PF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2024
State
IN
, North Central (Indianapolis)
Skylar Thompson
Skylar
Thompson
6'1" | C
Jeffersonville | 2024
IN
, Jeffersonville
Alexis Warren
Alexis
Warren
6'1" | C
Pike | 2024
State
IN
, Pike