Midseason Mentions (17U)
In this article:
The featured image is of Asia Donald Asia Donald 5'9" | SG Hobart | 2023 State IN (2023) of Hobart High School and Example Sports GUAA 17U. Now that we are through Memorial Weekend, the Spring season of grassroots basketball…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Asia Donald Asia Donald 5'9" | SG Hobart | 2023 State IN (2023) of Hobart High School and Example Sports GUAA 17U.
Now that we are through Memorial Weekend, the Spring season of grassroots basketball has concluded. Kids now return to their high school programs for open gyms, shootouts, showcases, and elite camps in June, before returning for the July 6-12 “live” period events. I wanted to take this time and catch up on some observations I’ve made throughout the Spring season with regards to the 17U teams and participants.
TOP 17U TEAMS
To this point, there are three teams who have really stood out to me at the 17U level. The Indiana Elite Thunder team has been about the most consistent group in 17U in Indiana. Though they have suffered a handful of losses against national competition, they have more than handled their business against fellow Hoosiers. Consistency typically means steady guard play, so let’s take a look at their backcourt. 5-7 point guard Karsyn Norman Karsyn Norman 5'7" | PG Bedford North Lawrence | 2023 State IN (2023) of Bedford North Lawrence is new to the roster this Spring, but she fits in seamlessly and has contributed both heady play on the ball, as well as legitimate shooting and scoring from the wing. 5-7 point guard Olivia Brown Olivia Brown 5'7" | PG Hamilton Southeastern | 2023 State IN (2023) of Hamilton Southeastern is in year-two with this group, and she is one of the state’s best distributors and on-ball defenders. She is a nice athlete, very unselfish, and she never takes a possession off. She has also shot it more consistently this Spring. 5-9 guard Abby Fleetwood Abby Fleetwood 5'9" | PG Indian Creek | 2023 State IN (2023) of Indian Creek brings energy and toughness, she’ll make hustle plays, but she also backs down from no one. She is a really nice shooter/scorer who can create offense for herself or others at all three levels. 5-9 guard Savanna Bischoff Savanna Bischoff 5'9" | SG Center Grove | 2023 State IN (2023) of Center Grove still flies a little under the radar, but she is a versatile, skillfully well-rounded kid who can knock down open rhythm jumpers, attack the basket, or initiate the offense at times. She’s also a solid rebounder/defender. 5-10 wing Bailey Tabeling Bailey Tabeling 5'10" | SG Trinity Lutheran | 2023 State IN (2023) of Trinity Lutheran brings a high level of marksmanship from the perimeter. You almost have to have a hand in her face at about 30-feet, but stay balanced, because she can also put it on the floor and attack sloppy defenders.
Equaling Indiana Elite on a national level, the IGB GUAA 17U team has picked up more and more momentum as the Spring has worn on. 5-10 guard Ashlynn Shade Ashlynn Shade 5'10" | SG La Lumiere Prep | 2023 State #33 Nation IN (2023) of Noblesville is the obvious headliner, and there aren’t enough good things or enough space here to mention everything. She has missed some games hurt this Spring, but when she’s been available, she has scored it at as high of a level as anyone in Indiana, regardless of class. 6-1 forward Laila Hull Laila Hull 6'1" | PF Zionsville | 2023 State #49 Nation IN (2023) of Zionsville has really stepped up and taken on more of a leadership role than in past years. She looks very aggressive offensively, much more passionate and intense at both ends, and she’s turning herself into a scary multilevel shooter/scorer. She is also one of 2023’s best athletes. I’ve really been impressed with the play of 5-10 guard Adylan Ayer Adylan Ayer 5'9" | SF Daviess County | 2023 State KY (2023) of Daviess County (KY). She has always been a really nice, long, wiry-strong, and bouncy athlete, but now she’s understanding how to change speeds better, she’s handling the ball and creating better, and she’s shooting it more consistently from the perimeter. 5-9 guard Meredith Tippner Meredith Tippner 5'10" | SG Noblesville | 2025 State IN (2025) of Noblesville received a mid-Spring call-up, unfortunately due to an injury, but she has been nothing but consistent and strong. She has always shown a no-nonsense court demeanor, and she does so many things well and mistake-free. She can handle at times, she gets downhill well to score at the basket, and she can make shots outside, plus she plays with some attitude defensively. I also feel like 5-11 power forward Dani Mendez Dani Mendez 5'11" | PF Noblesville | 2023 State IN (2023) of Noblesville is someone small colleges should be chasing after right now. She is a strong kid, and she always plays with an outstanding motor. She operates mostly in the mid-post and has some touch from there, but she’s also comfortable with her back to the basket. Defensively, she gives great effort, and she can defend most guards for a spell off of a ball-screen switch/hard hedge.
For this third spot, I considered a few teams to fill this paragraph, but my mind kept coming back to a lesser-known group who has played well most weekends, and they’ve done so without one of their most talented kids all Spring. That group is the OPS Black E40 17U team from Northeast Indiana. 5-10 wing Taylor Double Taylor Double 5'10" | SF Huntington North | 2023 State IN (2023) of Huntington North hasn’t played at all this Spring, but she has flashed some real potential and a high ceiling in past seasons. She is a nice, bouncy athlete, with great mid-post to perimeter skill. Without her in the lineup, they’ve still managed to find offense, but it has truly been a team effort. 5-11 wing Olivia Waters Olivia Waters 5'11" | SF Blackford | 2023 State IN (2023) of Blackford has really stepped up offensively. She has always played a point forward position for her school teams, so she has ball skill and vision, but now she looks stronger and more confident absorbing contact, and she is shooting it more consistently from outside. 5-6 point guard Evie Bottoms Evie Bottoms 5'6" | PG Homestead | 2023 State IN (2023) of Homestead has been a real revelation for them this Spring. To the best of my knowledge, she hasn’t been a big grassroots participant in years past, but she helps them ‘go’. She is quick/fast, very long for her height, and she plays with a nonstop motor. She can get gaps off the bounce offensively and find teammates, she can knock down open jumpers, and she’s a feisty on-ball defender as well. 5-7 guard Kayla Gibbs Kayla Gibbs 5'7" | SG Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 2023 State IN (2023) of Carroll (Fort Wayne) brings nice versatility to the backcourt as well. She is a wiry-strong, long, fluid athlete, and she can play on the ball and manage an offense, but she’s also a capable perimeter shooter, and she can take contact and attack the basket for finishes. I also like her defensive versatility on and off the ball. And 6-2 post Skyla Tomasek Skyla Tomasek 6'2" | C Norwell | 2023 State IN (2023) of Norwell is an anchor for them at both ends of the floor. Defensively, she protects the paint, grabs most rebounds in her area, and she plays with a quiet toughness. Offensively, she is skilled and can finish with either hand around the basket, plus she can knock down a rhythm jumper, but it’s her willingness to pass, screen, etc., that make her a nice “glue” kid for this group.
MAKING A POINT!!!
Point guard play is critical to any team at any level in girls’ basketball, and there are some really good ones in Indiana. In addition to those already mentioned above, here are six others to consider in the 17U division. 5-9 guard Asia Donald Asia Donald 5'9" | SG Hobart | 2023 State IN (2023) of Hobart and Example Sports GUAA has been great each viewing this Spring. She is a really nice athlete, with great length, and she has tremendously quick feet and can change directions in an instant. She’s the atypical Indiana point guard, because she is programmed more to shoot/score on each catch. Honestly, I think it’s more what her teams need. She can put up points in a hurry, though, as evidenced by her more than 30 points she scored in the second half of their game against Munster this Winter (she finished with 41 in the game). I’ve also been impressed with 5-7 point guard, and Purdue University commit, RaShunda Jones RaShunda Jones 5'7" | PG South Bend Washington | 2023 State IN (2023) this Spring. It isn’t the usual stuff, though. She has always been talented, but now she looks like she’s in charge when she’s on the floor, she is really playing with a sense of urgency, and she is leading by example in a lot of different ways. For someone who appears to be soft-spoken, her play is speaking volumes for her this Spring. She plays for South Bend Washington and Sports City U.
From there, let’s take a look at 5-7 point guard Isabella Gizzi Isabella Gizzi 5'7" | PG New Palestine | 2023 State IN (2023) of New Palestine and the Indy Magic BlueStar team. Isabella has always been a tough-nosed, feisty, hard-working kid who hates to lose. Now, she is starting to play with such an assertiveness offensively. This past Winter she scored 20 or more points on 13 occasions, including highs of 40, 33, and 31. She is shooting it with more confidence from all levels, and you can see the work she’s put in at the free throw line, knocking down roughly 84% of her charity tosses this year, as opposed to 73% in the past. As a coach, I’ve told kids throughout the years that they have to take wins; no one is going to just hand them out. They also have to go earn their scholarship for the same reason. Well, Isabella looks like she’s playing with a mission to take and earn everything she possibly can this Spring/Summer. Another Indianapolis East-Sider who is still under-recruited is 5-5 point guard Sanaa Thomas Sanaa Thomas 5'5" | PG Warren Central | 2023 State IN (2023) of Warren Central and Indiana Pride Attack. Sanaa will be a four-year letter-winner before it’s all said and done, and she is one of the best facilitators in the state. She is always near the top of the state assist leaders, but she does it more through her own creativity than any grand scheme or offense. She is a very good perimeter shooter with some range, and she is an effective on-ball defender who plays with nice toughness and great effort. Some school out there who does their homework is going to end up with a real gem, while everyone else wonders “where did this kid come from?”
One youngster playing “up” again this season is 5-7 point guard Talia Harris Talia Harris 5'8" | PG Fishers | 2024 State IN (2024) of Fishers and Ty Harris Elite. Talia is not following in her sisters shoes, and she would be the first to point that out. Instead, she is trying to create her own path, and you can see that in the growth of her game from year to year. While it took a little longer for her to finish growing and start gaining strength, she continually worked on building her skillset, and now it’s starting to pay off. She has nice length, a fluid athleticism to her, and she has a natural feel and understanding of the game. She’s absorbing contact so much better, finishing inside better, plus she’s shooting it more consistently from outside. One dark horse candidate who is really starting to see her college interest pick up is 5-7 point guard Kristin Bukata Kristin Bukata 5'7" | PG Valparaiso | 2023 State IN (2023) of Valparaiso and City Elite Prime. She is a long, extremely active, and athletic guard who flies around the floor in all directions. She can handle the ball and create offense, she does a nice job of maneuvering her way to the basket and dissecting a defense, but she can also knock down open rhythm jumpers outside. Defensively, she uses her tremendous length to create deflections/steals, and she deters most ball-handlers from wanting to drive the gaps themselves. She could be another nice steal at the small college level.
KEEP AN EYE ON…
There have been several ladies in the 17U division stand out throughout the Spring, so I’ve limited it to just five who really “pop” when I think about how they’ve played. The first is 6-0 forward Layla Gold Layla Gold 6'0" | SF Cathedral | 2023 State IN (2023) of Cathedral and Indiana Pride Attack. Layla is an extremely long, wiry-strong lefty, who possesses great touch from beyond the arc. She is an offensive-minded player who can score it with her shooting stroke, but she’s also a long-strider who can quickly get to the rim off the bounce. Defensively, she can take on most wings, but she looks more comfortable defending ‘4s’. If she can prove to consistently defend wings and most guards off the bounce this Summer, she’ll see her interest pick up as more of a true wing than a face-up ‘4’. 6-1 forward Taylor Guess Taylor Guess 6'1" | PF Ben Davis | 2023 State IN (2023) of Ben Davis and Indy Magic BlueStar is another fast-rising prospect who has had a nice spring. Taylor is a talented athlete with great run-and-jump ability, she plays with a toughness/attitude to her, and she is a tremendous rebounder with a nose for the ball. She will also sit down and defend the perimeter, plus she’s a good shot-blocker. Her mid-post skill continues to improve, and as she builds that more and more, I can see a number of Division-I offers/interest following in short time.
From one Giant to another, 6-3 post Cristen Carter Cristen Carter 6'3" | C Ben Davis | 2023 State IN (2023) of Ben Davis and Ty Harris Elite has really worked her way into a lot of college interest. She has good size, athletic strength, and she can run and jump as well. She is a little rigid laterally, but she’s more of a true center than a forward, plus she’s a rebounder/defender type first and foremost. She protects the paint with a lot of effort, she’s a nice box-out style of rebounder, and she is a tremendous shot-blocker who can cover a lot of ground from help-side. Offensively, she is still working on finishing better and with a more diverse mix of half-hooks and drop-step moves, but she has enough talent and upside that she has drawn the attention of at least one local Big East school this Spring. 6-1 forward Amber Tretter Amber Tretter 6'1" | PF Forest Park | 2023 State IN (2023) of Forest Park and Indiana S.W.I.S.H. City finally got her name out there with an outstanding State Finals appearance in February, but she has been flashing her talent and skill for a few years. She is another extremely long, wiry-strong, and bouncy kid who plays with a lot more physicality than you might think by looking at her. She is a little slight of frame, but she is always one of the toughest and most assertive kids on the floor. She can defend multiple positions, she rebounds the ball very well, and she has some touch to near the 3-point line. I also continue to like the improvement I’ve seen in 5-7 guard Giavonnie Belton Giavonnie Belton 5'7" | SG Pike | 2023 State IN (2023) of Pike and Lady Gym Rats-Kam. Gia is an athletic guard with a solid frame and some length. She has really turn herself into a dangerous perimeter shooter who can put up points in a hurry, but she is also good attacking the basket and finding holes in defenses. She, herself, can really defend the ball too, and she is feisty and tough-nosed and doesn’t back down from anyone. She rebounds her position well, and she usually outplays much bigger girls.