Spring Bling: Point Play
The featured image is of Kyndra Sheets Kyndra Sheets 5'6" | PG Columbia City | 2024 State IN (2024) of Columbia City High School and Always 100 -Paul 16U. This past weekend was the annual Spring Bling tournament at SportONE…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kyndra Sheets Kyndra Sheets 5'6" | PG Columbia City | 2024 State IN (2024) of Columbia City High School and Always 100 -Paul 16U.
This past weekend was the annual Spring Bling tournament at SportONE Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana. With a number of teams from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, it made for a competitive environment in each division, and several younger prospects really stepped up. Below is a look at five point guard prospects who I thought stood out during my opportunities to watch them play.
Isabella Gizzi
Isabella
Gizzi
5'7" | PG
New Palestine | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-7 PG, New Palestine H.S.
– Isabella has long been a steady, hard-working, high IQ point guard prospect who simply outworks her opponents on a given day. She is left-handed, which makes her a little trickier to defend, and she has a nice burst that allows her to get downhill quickly. Her added strength over the last 12-18 months lets her absorb contact much better and finish stronger around the basket, plus she is shooting it at a higher percentage from the perimeter. I still think her grittiness at the defensive end of the floor is the one thing college coaches will appreciate most, and she never backs down from a challenge.
Avery Kelley
Avery
Kelley
5'6" | PG
Evansville Memorial | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-6 PG, Evansville Memorial H.S.
– Avery spent the weekend matching up against some of the better guards in her age group, and she was instrumental in her team’s success. She has gotten stronger, while maintaining her quickness to get gaps, and she did a nice job all weekend of evading steal attempts with her change-of-direction ball-handling. I felt like she shot it consistently outside, got to the basket and finished inside, plus she found teammates on several possessions in positions to score it themselves. She could stand to be just a little more consistent on the ball defensively, but she is tough and physical at that end of the floor.
Claire Landrigan, 2024, 5-5 PG, Homestead H.S.
– Last weekend was my first opportunity to watch Claire up close, and she did a really nice job of managing her team. She has a strong frame, experience having played in a good high school program, and she doesn’t get rattled. When her team got sped up, she would instantly calm them. And when they needed to pick up the pace, she was able to do that as well. She gets the ball where it needs to go, doesn’t force the action, and she can knock down an open rhythm jumper as well. She’s another one who, if she can protect the paint just a little more defending the ball, it will only make her more complete.
Kyndra Sheets
Kyndra
Sheets
5'6" | PG
Columbia City | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-6 PG, Columbia City H.S.
– I’ve seen Kyndra a number of times over the years, and she’s another one of those strong, tough-nosed, feisty, competitive point guards who will battle until the end. She has a nice handle and rarely gets sloppy with the ball, she has made her perimeter jumper much more consistent over the years, and she has a natural instinct for the position, she plays with her head up, and she can find teammates through the smallest of windows. I like her physicality defensively, and she is someone who will rebound her position well. I think she’ll bring a lot of value to the next level because she plays the position the right way.
Mariah Stoltzfus
Mariah
Stoltzfus
5'2" | PG
Bethany Christian | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-2 PG, Bethany Christian School
– The way Bethany Christian left the 2020-2021 season (17-7), they couldn’t wait for this Winter to come. But an injury to Mariah kept her from any action before January, and the Bruins were just 4-9 upon her return. Her presence in the lineup led them to seven wins over their final ten games, and they should contend for a Sectional title next season. This mighty mite is tough-nosed, strong for her size, and she is very scrappy. She absolutely hounds the ball and has a knack for coming up with steals regularly. But she also runs a team well, finds open teammates, and she can knock down open shots herself as well.