Spring Bling: Paint Patrol
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The featured image is of Taylor Guess Taylor Guess 6'1" | PF Ben Davis | 2023 State IN (2023) of Ben Davis High School and Indy Magic BlueStar 17U. Last weekend was the annual Spring Bling tournament at SportONE Fieldhouse…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Taylor Guess Taylor Guess 6'1" | PF Ben Davis | 2023 State IN (2023) of Ben Davis High School and Indy Magic BlueStar 17U.
Last 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 power forward/center prospects who I thought stood out during my opportunities to watch them play.
Taylor Guess
Taylor
Guess
6'1" | PF
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 6-1 PF, Ben Davis H.S.
– Taylor is one of the state’s most talented athletes in the 2023 class. She has some length, an athletically strong frame, but it’s her ability to run the floor, change directions, and explode vertically that stand out. When she was younger, she spent more time on the block, but as she’s developed her skill and learned to play next to high school teammate
Cristen Carter
Cristen
Carter
6'3" | C
Ben Davis | 2023
State
IN
, she has done a great deal more in the mid-post. She’s even attacking from the perimeter this Spring. She has always been a relentless rebounder, at both ends of the floor. She has a lot of Division-I interest, and it will only grow once the “Live” periods hit.
Giselle Eke
Giselle
Eke
6'3" | C
Bishop Dwenger | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 6-3 C, Bishop Dwenger H.S.
– Giselle had a nice weekend, and she continues to improve her all-around game. She has a strong, powerful frame, she continues to grow, and she is a real people-mover in the paint. She establishes position offensively, she is catching and finishing much better, plus she hit a couple of jumpers, and she has become a better offensive rebounder. Defensively, she is doing a nice job of “walling up”, and she finds position to box out and secure boards at that end of the floor. She will still need to play a little lower and continue working on her overall quickness, but she has made nice strides since I saw her last Summer.
Aijia Elliott
Aijia
Elliott
6'0" | C
Kokomo | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 6-0 C, Kokomo H.S.
– Last weekend was my first time seeing Aijia in person, and she is exactly what I expected based on the film I’ve seen of her. She is another big, strong, physical, traditional post who likes to play with contact. She has broad shoulders, good length for her build, and she uses her frame to establish position inside at both ends of the floor. She is “exploring” the mid-post a little right now, but if she can continue to build that part of her offensive game, it could make her a tougher multilevel threat to defend. She could also use more quickness, especially when she has to leave the lane to defend the ball/ball-screens on the perimeter.
Kyra Hill
Kyra
Hill
6'2" | C
Goshen | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 6-2 C, Goshen H.S.
– Kyra has to be one of the most improved 2024s I’ve seen so far this Spring. A year ago, she looked a little hesitant at times, almost unsure of herself or situations. But now, she is so much more instinctual, immediate, and assertive offensively. And she is starting to shoot it from the perimeter consistently…shades of her sister, Brynn Shoup-Hill. Kyra has nice all-around athleticism, strength, length, and she plays with a nice motor. She is a nice pick-and-pop ’5’ offensively, but defensively I think she has enough talent to defend ’4s’ as well, once she learns to consistently play lower and quicker. Her upside is climbing quickly.
Nevaeh Dickman
Nevaeh
Dickman
6'0" | PF
Fishers | 2025
State
IN
, 2025, 6-0 PF, Fishers H.S.
– Nevaeh was outstanding during the opportunities I had to see her last weekend. She has a strong, athletic frame, really nice length, and she runs the floor well North/South. She has nice hands and catches it at all angles in transition to finish at the basket. She has some quickness to her game, but she is still battling a leg injury and wasn’t fully 100% either, so I’m anxious to see more of her later this Spring. Nevaeh continues to work on her skill, she has nice mid-post touch, and she can put it on the floor a dribble or two and get somewhere productively. She could see much more court-time next year for Fishers.