Shamrock Classic: Standout Teams
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The featured image is of Olivia Brown Olivia Brown 5'7" | PG Hamilton Southeastern | 2023 State IN (2023) of Hamilton Southeastern High School and Indiana Elite Thunder 17U. The grassroots season is back in full swing, and this past…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Olivia Brown Olivia Brown 5'7" | PG Hamilton Southeastern | 2023 State IN (2023) of Hamilton Southeastern High School and Indiana Elite Thunder 17U.
The grassroots season is back in full swing, and this past weekend marked the annual Shamrock Classic in Westfield, Indiana. A number of Indiana’s top programs were in attendance, and there were several strong performances throughout the day. Based on what I was able to see in my time at the event, below is a look at five teams who I felt stood out because of their play during the games I was able to catch. All of these teams have a number of other talented individuals, and I will highlight more players from their rosters later when we do our yearly articles highlighting each travel program.
Indiana Elite Thunder 17U
This annual entry under the Indiana Elite umbrella was as strong as any team all weekend. They finished 4-0 in the top 17U division, with their only single-digit game coming in the Championship against Example Sports Wolfpack GUAA. Of the 17U teams in attendance, they had about as much familiarity in their roster from last season to this season, so they were able to pretty much pick up where they left off. Bedford North Lawrence point guard
Karsyn Norman
Karsyn
Norman
5'7" | PG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2023
State
IN
(2023) is new this year, and she fit in seamlessly. She has great vision and was a willing passer, but she also has the ability to put the ball in the hole, with range beyond the 3-point line. Hamilton Southeastern wing
Riley Makalusky
Riley
Makalusky
6'2" | SF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(2023) continues to play stronger and more aggressive to the basket, and this year she is absorbing contact so much better and finishing around the rim. I also felt like Riley’s high school teammate, point guard
Olivia Brown
Olivia
Brown
5'7" | PG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(2023), had a strong day as well. She made a couple of really nice and-ones through contact, she made a couple of tremendous passes in traffic, and she is always one of the best, hardest working on-ball defenders in the class. I also felt like Warren Central forward
Asiah Baxter
Asiah
Baxter
5'10" | SF
Warren Central | 2023
State
IN
(2023) was all over the place. She is so strong, she plays with a tremendous motor, but she also has some skill and finesse to her game, offensively.
Indy Magic BlueStar 17U
This team made quite the impression on a lot of people throughout the weekend. First, they had two key players switch to other teams shortly before the season began, then they took on three of the state’s top “shoe company” teams in all four matchups. If they didn’t win, they played them extremely close, and they flat out competed each possession. Like I mentioned with the Thunder (above), there is some consistency within the Magic roster from previous seasons, which does help at this time of year. At the same time, Franklin Community wing
Adelyn Walker
Adelyn
Walker
5'8" | SF
Bella Vista Prep | 2023
State
AZ
(2023) is new to the team and stood out in a big way for the Magic. She was hounding the ball defensively the length of the court, she was creating offense for herself and others, and she played with an intense motor each possession. They also got strong play at times from the Ben Davis tandem of wing
Kaleah Toomer
Kaleah
Toomer
5'10" | SF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
(2023) and front-liner
Taylor Guess
Taylor
Guess
6'1" | PF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
(2023). Toomer is in her third year with this group, and she has always shown a nice combination of talent and skill, the ability to attack the basket and make shots, plus she can defend multiple positions. Guess is their only other newcomer this season, and she is one of the better athletes in Indiana’s 2023 class. She is long, wiry-strong, North/South fast, and very bouncy. She adds a dimension to their frontcourt that they haven’t had until now.
OPS Black-Jordan 17U
I feel like I’m repeating myself a little, but once again this team had several nice moments against quality competition, likely because they have been together for multiple years. They jumped in the top division without batting an eye and competed with some top-level teams. I have watched Blackford wing
Olivia Waters
Olivia
Waters
5'11" | SF
Blackford | 2023
State
IN
(2023) since she was entering high school, and she looks stronger and is playing much more patient. She is picking her spots, plus she’s shooting it more consistently outside. Her added strength is likely helping with that. This was my first time seeing Evie Bottoms (2023) of Homestead, and she was all over the place. The 5-4 point guard has some strength, speed and quickness, and she plays with her head up scanning the floor. She was also an effortful defender. I also felt like Norwell post
Skyla Tomasek
Skyla
Tomasek
6'2" | C
Norwell | 2023
State
IN
(2023) did a nice job against some of the state’s better “bigs”. She looks stronger, more physical, and her game isn’t always statistically driven. She is a really nice, help-side defender, she can come out on the floor and guard ball-screens/hand-offs, but she does have the ability to knock down an 18-foot jumper when teams treat her like a traditional post.
IGB GUAA 16U
This group is always a fun watch, because they share the ball well, and they have a nice collection of shooters. In what I was able to see, I felt like the combination of Westfield point guard
Elizabeth Kelleher
Elizabeth
Kelleher
5'10" | PG
Westfield | 2024
State
IN
(2024) and Zionsville guard
Allison Caldwell
Allison
Caldwell
5'11" | SG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
(2024) looked like seasoned veterans at this point in their careers. They are noticeably stronger, more physical, but still maintain a high level of skill and basketball IQ. Kelleher is a long, wiry-strong, nice-sized point guard with a natural feel for the position. She does a really nice job of getting defenders off-balance and taking advantage of it, but she also has a perimeter jumper that can keep defenders from sitting in the driving lanes. Caldwell is built similarly, maybe an inch taller, and she too has a unique ability to pass the basketball. She has more of a reputation of being a knock-down shooter, but I still think she’s best making plays off the bounce. Noblesville guard
Meredith Tippner
Meredith
Tippner
5'10" | SG
Noblesville | 2025
State
IN
(2025) filled in a lot last year with this team, but now she’s a full-time member. She has talent and skill, but it’s her toughness and grit that stand out to me. She doesn’t play like a Freshman, and she makes plays for this team at both ends of the floor.
Nike Lady Gym Rats-Walker 15U
This newly constructed Gym Rats team put up a 4-0 record and knocked off some good teams in the top 15U division. They have a great collection of wings, and they can make plays at both ends of the floor with their length and athleticism. Leading the way, however, was one of the smallest kids on their team…5-4 7th Grade point guard Amirah Jordan (2027) out of Louisville, Kentucky. This mighty mite controlled the ball well, made plays off the bounce, and created some havoc defensively as well. Yes, she looks a little young, but her play was very mature and consistent. It was also my first time seeing wing
Icesis Thomas
Icesis
Thomas
5'10" | SF
Kenwood | 2025
State
IL
(2025) of Hammond Bishop Noll. She is a tough-nosed, strong, hard-working athlete. She plays with physicality and likes to attack the basket off the bounce. I was most impressed with her nonstop motor, plus she was always around the action. 5-10 forward Naja Winston (2026) of Indianapolis, Indiana, also had some really nice moments. She is another strong, athletic prospect who plays with an outstanding motor. She is more of a rebounder and defender right now, but you can see the potential for her to develop into a multilevel scoring threat over time.