Fall Rankings Review: 2024 Centers

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='326485' first='Natalia' last='Franklin'] (2024) of Lawrence Central High School (in red).</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last Friday, September 23rd, we released the Fall rankings update for the Class of 2024. There were a handful of new additions, a lot of players who raised their "stock", so to speak, so subsequently a lot of movement throughout the list. I wanted to take this time to circle back and address all of the ranked prospects, position by position. Below is a look at 23 center prospects who make up 13.1% of the rankings this time around, with analysis on a handful to "keep an eye on" detailed at the bottom.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong><font size="+1">Rk.</font></strong></td><td><font size="+1"><strong>Name</strong></font></td><td><font size="+1"><strong>Pos.</strong></font></td><td><font size="+1"><strong>Ht.</strong></font></td><td><font size="+1"><strong>High School</strong></font></td></tr><tr><td>1.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='201884' first='Rachel' last='Wirts']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Center Grove</td></tr><tr><td>2.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='177328' first='Kyra' last='Hill']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Goshen</td></tr><tr><td>3.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='177342' first='Addisen' last='Mastriano']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Northeastern</td></tr><tr><td>4.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='176407' first='Sarah' last='Gick']</td><td>C</td><td>6-1</td><td>Benton Central</td></tr><tr><td>5.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='201874' first='Genna' last='Hayes']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Kankakee Valley</td></tr><tr><td>6.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='369823' first='Anna' last='Herman']</td><td>C</td><td>6-3</td><td>Vincennes Rivet</td></tr><tr><td>7.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='201870' first='Giselle' last='Eke']</td><td>C</td><td>6-3</td><td>Bishop Dwenger</td></tr><tr><td>8.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='298261' first='Tia' last='Phinezy']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Fort Wayne Snider</td></tr><tr><td>9.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='326484' first='Alexis' last='Warren']</td><td>C</td><td>6-1</td><td>Pike</td></tr><tr><td>10.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='177343' first='Lauryn' last='Merritt']</td><td>C</td><td>6-3</td><td>Maconaquah</td></tr><tr><td>11.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='406432' first='Jadyn' last='Harris']</td><td>C</td><td>6-3</td><td>Pike</td></tr><tr><td>12.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='326485' first='Natalia' last='Franklin']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Lawrence Central</td></tr><tr><td>13.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='177319' first='Kaylie' last='DeHaven']</td><td>C</td><td>6-3</td><td>Northridge</td></tr><tr><td>14.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='326477' first='Taylor' last='Lewis']</td><td>C</td><td>6-1</td><td>Cathedral</td></tr><tr><td>15.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='326489' first='Brooke' last='Karesh']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Zionsville Community</td></tr><tr><td>16.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='455934' first='Ruby' last='White']</td><td>C</td><td>6-1</td><td>Eastern Hancock</td></tr><tr><td>17.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='369830' first='Addyson' last='Viers']</td><td>C</td><td>6-0</td><td>Triton</td></tr><tr><td>18.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='331771' first='Loria' last='Snowden']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Brownsburg</td></tr><tr><td>19.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='298257' first='Journee' last='Brown']</td><td>C</td><td>6-1</td><td>Seymour</td></tr><tr><td>20.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='369835' first='Aijia' last='Elliott']</td><td>C</td><td>6-0</td><td>Kokomo</td></tr><tr><td>21.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='455936' first='Alexis' last='Carson']</td><td>C</td><td>6-0</td><td>Jennings County</td></tr><tr><td>22.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='201868' first='Madelyn' last='Dalton']</td><td>C</td><td>6-1</td><td>Washington</td></tr><tr><td>23.</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='369837' first='Makenna' last='Schleman']</td><td>C</td><td>6-2</td><td>Rensselaer Central</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">KEEP AN EYE ON:</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["177328"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Kyra has really come a long way in the last 12-18 months, and more than anything, it just looks to be a newfound confidence and assertiveness that is helping her play. She has nice size, an athletically strong frame, and she moves fairly well all over the floor. She's also starting to exhibit the same inside-out skillset that made her older sister, u003cstrongu003eBrynn Shoup-Hillu003c/strongu003e (u003cemu003eUniversity of Illinoisu003c/emu003e), stand out. Kyra can score the ball around the basket on post-moves or putbacks, but she also has touch to the 3-point line. Plus, she's a nice shot-blocker.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["201874"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Genna is another nice-sized post who has greatly improved over the last 18-24 months. When I first saw her as an incoming Freshman, she was closer to 5-11, she played hard and was physical, but since then she has put in a lot of time to work on her skillset and her understanding of the game. Now, she has a good back-to-the-basket game, she can knock down shots to near the 3-point line, and she has developed into a really nice u0022help-sideu0022 defender/shot-blocker. She has size, strength, broad shoulders, and a little length.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["326484"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Alexis is very intriguing and continues to improve. She has broad shoulders, great length, she has gotten noticeably stronger over the last couple of years, and she's one of the best athletes at the position in Indiana's 2024 class. She is strong enough to play around the block, and she can score or defend the interior. But she really likes the mid-post, and she's great at attacking from the elbows, finishing with some sort of spin-move or dead-pivot post-move. Defensively, she can sit down and guard out on the floor or protect the rim.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["455934"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Ruby just popped up on my radar in May, when I saw her at a tournament in Louisville. She has a nice, long, wiry-strong frame, she runs the floor North/South very well, she plays with a good motor, and she tries to play the u0022rightu0022 way and seek physicality, though she could definitely stand to continue adding strength. Around the block, she looks like she's been coached, because she makes multiple post-moves. Once they become a bit more instinctual, she'll be a consistent scorer. She also uses her length very well defensively.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["455936"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"I've had Alexis' name for a little while, but July was the first opportunity I had to see her live. She is definitely interesting, and she should give Jennings County another frontline option to pair with u003cstrongu003eJuliann Woodardu003c/strongu003e and u003cstrongu003eAlivia Elmoreu003c/strongu003e. Alexis is more of a traditional interior player. She likes to operate inside of about a 12-foot bubble. She will play with her back to the basket, she does a nice job of rebounding the ball, and she can defend bigger post presences when necessary. She has some really nice small college value inside.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /-->