Fall Rankings Review: 2023 SG Rundown
The featured image is of Kaydence Mellott Kaydence Mellott 5'8" | SG Tippecanoe Valley | 2023 State IN (2023) of Tippecanoe Valley High School and Always 100 Prime. As the Fall rankings updates continue, recently we turned to the 2023…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kaydence Mellott Kaydence Mellott 5'8" | SG Tippecanoe Valley | 2023 State IN (2023) of Tippecanoe Valley High School and Always 100 Prime.
As the Fall rankings updates continue, recently 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 off-guard position in 2023, giving you a look at a number of wing scorers and creators from different perspectives.
Top of the Class
This is about as easy of a choice as any, but Noblesville’s Ashlynn Shade Ashlynn Shade 5'10" | SG La Lumiere Prep | 2023 State #33 Nation IN remains atop our list of scoring guards. She has good size and strength, nice all-around athleticism in all directions, but it’s her ability to score the ball at all three levels consistently that stands out the most. She has the unique talent of being able to draw and absorb contact, adjust, and still finish in the air, oftentimes earning trips to the free throw line. She shot 36% from long range last Winter, and if she can ever figure out a way to get that into the 40-percentile, it will be difficult to give her space and defend her driving ability. Look for Shade and the Millers to be considered one of the top Class 4A teams each of these next two seasons. Nevaeh Foster Nevaeh Foster 5'8" | CG Mishawaka Marian | 2023 State #39 Nation IN of Mishawaka Marian is another high-level scorer who understands how to put the ball in the hole in a variety of ways. She set Marian’s single-season scoring record her Freshman year, and she has already tallied 1033 total points in her two-year career. She has sort of an “old school” game to her, and she does a really nice job of using her shiftiness off the dribble to get defenders off-balance and either attack the basket or bury long perimeter jumpers. Foster just has a knack for scoring the ball, and if it wasn’t for South Bend Washington being in their Sectional, Marian might have made a deep tournament run a year ago.
That brings us to the Smith twins, Hailey Smith Hailey Smith 5'10" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN and Olivia Smith Olivia Smith 5'10" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN of Fishers High School. The two of them bring a junkyard dawg mentality, as they are in constant attack mode from the second the clock starts, until the final buzzer. Both of them are high-level defenders who will get into their matchups 84-feet from the basket. They can turn them anytime they want, dictating the opponent’s offense to some degree. They have athletically strong frames, they use a lot of physicality on the perimeter, and they can get through contact and finish at the basket, often drawing and-one opportunities. They put together a tremendous Spring and Summer, and at least from what I’ve seen in two years, Olivia strikes me as more of a ball-handler, looking to initiate and create offense, while Hailey has a lot more of a downhill, slashing finisher in her. With some quality 2021 guards leaving the Tiger program, I’ll be curious to see what kind of freedoms Hailey and Olivia are allowed in 2021-2022, because at times their best attribute is probably the ability to create “controlled chaos”, completely frustrating the opposition.
On the Rise
One guard whose stock has risen significantly due to her grassroots play is Emily Mattingly Emily Mattingly 5'10" | SF Evansville Memorial | 2023 State IN of Evansville Memorial. She had a nice Spring and Summer playing against some of the Midwest’s better guards, and she was able to drop the label of “shooter” and prove she is a complete scorer. While she does possess an accurate perimeter stroke, she also has a strong frame, she’s a much better athlete than I think people realize, and she showcased some ball skill and the ability to get downhill and score through contact. As she continues to build that balance in her game, look for her to step up big-time for the Tigers, as they graduated eight Seniors who formed a major part of their 2020-2021 rotation. I also feel like Northridge’s Eva Fisher Eva Fisher 5'8" | SG Northridge | 2023 State IN really put herself on the map throughout the travel season. She is a really nice, athletic, North/South fast prospect who plays with a tremendous motor. She rarely stands still, she always plays 100 MPH, and she does a nice job of using her athletic frame to absorb contact and get to the basket. I think where she surprised me the most this Summer, was in her ability to consistently make perimeter shots. That part of her game continues to improve, and it’s making her a multilevel scoring threat, hard to defend off the bounce. I also really enjoy her effort and awareness at the defensive end of the floor.
Tatum McFarland Tatum McFarland 5'8" | SG Charlestown | 2023 State IN had a really nice Spring and Summer, but her play so far in a couple of Fall showcases really stands out to me. She looks much more confident and assertive, and she is handling the ball a lot more and creating for others. McFarland has always been a nice athlete with a wiry-strong frame, but as she has added strength, she’s become a lot more of a handful off the bounce. Her ability to turn the corner now and look to score or distribute will really make her hard to defend and increase her recruiting value. She spent her first two seasons at Jeffersonville High School, but now she is enrolled at Charlestown. A fourth young lady who I felt put together a quality grassroots season is Cadence Thomas Cadence Thomas 5'8" | CG Decatur Central | 2023 IN of Decatur Central. Now, admittedly I saw a lot more of her during the Spring session, but she looked like she has balanced her game a little more. She always carried the reputation of being a nice perimeter shooter, but with her physical ability and added strength, she is starting to attack the basket a lot more. She can pull up in the mid-range, she can get to the basket and finish through contact, but she’s also facilitating quite a bit and initiating the offense from time to time. She doesn’t have a great deal of help at Decatur Central, so look for her to continue putting up good numbers for the Hawks.
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. On the whole, Southern Indiana remains under-recruited, especially at the small college level. One player who I think could become an elite small college player is Madelyn Hackman Madelyn Hackman 5'8" | SG Brownstown Central | 2023 State IN of Brownstown Central. She has a strong frame, solid all-around athleticism, and she has a great understanding of the game and the skillset to match. She has handled the ball a great deal for the Lady Braves, plus she’s a capable deep-shooter. But what I saw out of her in July was a leaner, much more explosive prospect who scored the ball in bunches from all spots on the floor. She was consistently getting into the defense and causing problems, but when she was set and in rhythm, she also shot it well from outside. Keep an eye out for Hackman to have a big year for BC. Shelbyville multisport athlete Kylee Edwards Kylee Edwards 5'7" | SG Shelbyville | 2023 State IN will fly under the radar a bit because she impressively manages to focus on each of her disciplines somewhat equally. You won’t see much of her at Spring or Summer grassroots events, but come November, she’ll lace them up and be one of the best players on the floor most nights. She has real athletic talent, ball skill, plus the ability to score it at all three levels consistently. She is also unselfish and plays with a great motor. She will likely be able to choose which sport she wants to play at the next level, but in the meantime, she’ll try to help the Golden Bears to a winning record in 2021-2022.
Up in Northern Indiana, Savannah Boerema Savannah Boerema 5'7" | CG Northridge | 2023 State IN has worked on building a nice skillset for herself. She has a solid/strong frame, some length, and she’s a skillful combo guard who can act as a game-managing point guard or a wing shooter/scorer. I really enjoy her ball skill, her vision, and her understanding of the game. But when you respect her too much as a facilitator, she will knock down jumpers with consistency. She plays with a nice motor, and she has a nice competitive fire to her game. Boerema spent her first two seasons at Concord, but now she is a Lady Raider at Northridge High School. Last, but certainly not least, is Kaydence Mellott Kaydence Mellott 5'8" | SG Tippecanoe Valley | 2023 State IN of Tippecanoe Valley. Kaydence has worked really hard at becoming one of the better players in North Central Indiana, and she’s a really nice small college recruit who has flown a little under the radar. She has great touch from the perimeter (66-148, 45% from ‘3’ in 2020-2021), but she can also get downhill, attack the basket, and score it consistently inside the arc. If she can figure out a way to increase her free throw attempts from 3.5 to roughly 7.0 or 8.0 per game, she could be that much more difficult to defend. She does have solid ball skill and the ability to initiate the offense, but with her capabilities as a shooter/scorer, I would want to run her off of as many screens as possible most nights.