Uncommitted 2023 SFs in the Top-100
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The featured image is of Autumn Rucker Autumn Rucker 5'8" | SF Pike | 2023 State IN (2023) of Pike High School. The Class of 2023 as a whole has been quick to either narrow down their lists of colleges,…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Autumn Rucker Autumn Rucker 5'8" | SF Pike | 2023 State IN (2023) of Pike High School.
The Class of 2023 as a whole has been quick to either narrow down their lists of colleges, or even choose their Fall of 2023 destinations. A lot of this can be attributed to a group of prospects and parents who has seen the aftermath of COVID-19, the additional fifth year for college players, and the effects the transfer portal has caused throughout all of college basketball, not just the NCAA Division-1 level. This is the fifth of several articles I will be writing pointing out some of the state’s uncommitted prospects in the 2023 class. If you see someone below you believe has already made their college decision, please let us know so we can continue to update these reports. The following ladies are listed as small forwards in our current 2023 rankings, all fall between #26 and #100, and all are uncommitted to the best of our knowledge.
Kaleah is a long, wiry-strong, fluidly athletic wing prospect. She has always seemed to stand out athletically, but she does a lot of things skillfully as well. She has a solid handle and is best attacking the rim straight-line. At the same time, she can finish in a variety of ways, and she will rebound her position. She’s also a capable perimeter shooter who can keep defenses honest when they play the drive. Defensively, she uses her length and quickness to take on bigger guards and wings, plus she has some physicality and can defend forwards too.
Julia is a versatile, high-motor, whatever-it-takes-to-help-the-team-win type of player. She has nice length, solid strength, and she’s a good athlete in most directions. She is aggressive on the boards and can effectively play in the mid-post, but she also possesses perimeter skill. She can defend wings or forwards, she has worked on her handle, and she is starting to shoot it more often and more consistently from the outside. She will be a key player for Penn this year, and she is primed to put up solid numbers.
Highlights
Hannah has dealt with her share of minor injuries and illnesses in the past, but I felt like this July she looked as explosive and as much like “herself” as she ever has. She made much quicker decisions, looked to explode off the dribble, and caught-and-released her jumper with speed and accuracy. She is known more as a shooter than anything, but she has worked on developing a more complete offensive game, a better handle, and she is an effortful defender. She should be one of Carmel’s key players this Winter, so she could have a standout year.
Lawrence North isn’t as deep as they’ve been in the recent past, and while Laniya has contributed the last couple of seasons, her ability to step it up this year could be huge for the Wildcats. She has a long, strong, and athletic frame, she can run and jump, and she plays with a nice motor, flying around the floor. She has played on the ball at times like a point forward, she has been a wing scorer, and she has found herself in the mid-post as well, making plays for herself and teammates. I also like her defensive versatility.
Taylor missed much of the Spring with an injury, but she was back by July and is a well-kept secret at this point. She has an athletic frame, wiry strength, and she moves well in most directions, including being somewhat bouncy. She is a very good perimeter shooter, she can attack the basket and change directions with the dribble, and she will rebound and defend her position with both effort and ability. She is one of those kids elite small colleges fight over, but unfortunately, they didn’t get many opportunities to see her this year.
Highlights
I’ve talked about Caitlyn a number of times over the last few years, and she remains one of the better prospects few schools know about. She hasn’t been a huge grassroots participant in the past, and she is just now starting to attend a few showcase events here and there. She is extremely long, fluid, and smooth. She has end-to-end speed, some ball skill, and she is a point forward type who can also score it at all three levels. She has a respectable jump-shot outside, but she’s so much better attacking the basket and drawing contact.
Liv has put together a solid career for the Lady Bruins, but she is also a really nice small college prospect who I feel like some school is going to get a real “steal” when she commits. She has size, length, and athletic strength. She moves fairly well in most directions, she can handle it around the arc, and she has a nice perimeter stroke and mid-range jumper. She likes to attack the baseline, but she also has good vision and can find open teammates. She will need to prove she can defend the wing, because at her size, she’s had to defend the paint a lot at school.
Ava is really difficult to define by position, as she is just a ballplayer. She has some length, a wiry-strong, athletic frame, and she’s a nice North/South athlete. She plays with an outstanding motor and competes each possession. She hasn’t been a big grassroots participant, but for Corydon Central, she can play a point forward role, a mid-post role, and even a low-block role. She has great vision and a solid handle, she’s athletic attacking the basket, and she can post smaller defenders and finish inside, plus she rebounds very well.
Lydia was a University of Indianapolis commit for a long period of time, but with the coaching change, her recruitment has reopened. She has a solid to strong frame, broad shoulders, and nice length. She can act as a point forward and is a nice facilitator, she likes to attack the basket left-handed, but she also has some touch around the perimeter. She is almost too unselfish at times and could be a little more dominant of a scorer. I think her versatility, balanced skillset, and solid athleticism should draw plenty of upper-tier small college interest.
While Autumn has contributed at Pike in the past, this could be a big year for her and the Lady Red Devils. She is a really nice athlete, with strength, toughness, and physicality on the wing. She can knock down the occasional jumper outside, but a big part of her game is attacking the basket aggressively and playing in the mid-post. She’s one of those kids, who, when she is playing motivated, she can be almost unstoppable. She will attack the boards, defend with effort, and contribute to all facets of the game.
Somewhat hidden up in The Region, “Cita” is a long, wiry-strong, run-and-jump kid who can compete athletically with any of the girls on this list. She plays with a great deal of energy and almost a reckless abandon, but she can also affect games in so many ways. She can make shots outside, she has a nice mid-range pull-up, and she’s great attacking the basket and finishing inside. Defensively, she flies around the floor and uses her length and athleticism well, plus she has the ability to defend most guards and wings 84-feet.
When Sydney was younger, you could see she had a natural feel for the game. She has always been a point forward type, with a solid handle, good vision, and the ability to make plays for others. Over time, she has gotten stronger, more physical, and she’s starting to score the ball more consistently herself. She can knock down the occasional outside jumper, and that’s the area to focus on most, but she’s really good in the mid-post, and she can absorb contact and finish at the basket so much better now. I think she will continue to improve in college.
Isabelle hasn’t really played a lot of grassroots basketball throughout her high school years, but she has participated in a number of showcase events instead. She is a fairly strong, hard-working, and quietly tough-nosed kid who just “gets” it. She is that blue-collared “glue” kid who helps her team(s) win games. She can play around the perimeter, she’s a consistent shooter and has a solid handle, but she’s also great in the mid-post, where she can knock down the 15-footer, attack the basket, or come up with “scraps” and rebounds.