Winter Rankings Review: 2023 Power Forwards
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The featured image is of Kate Wenger Kate Wenger 5'11" | PF Evansville Mater Dei | 2023 IN (2023) of Evansville’s Mater Dei High School. Friday, we released the Winter rankings update for the Class of 2023. There were more…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kate Wenger Kate Wenger 5'11" | PF Evansville Mater Dei | 2023 IN (2023) of Evansville’s Mater Dei High School.
Friday, we released the Winter rankings update for the Class of 2023. There were more than 25 new additions, plus a few players who raised their “stock”, so to speak, so subsequently there was some 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 55 power forward prospects who make up 22.0% of the rankings this time around, with analysis on a handful to “keep an eye on” detailed at the bottom.
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NEW ADDITIONS:
Carley Begle Carley Begle 5'9" | PF Forest Park | 2023 IN , Forest Park – Undersize but highly productive. Great nose for the ball and nice mid-range game.
Annie Karlaftis Annie Karlaftis 5'10" | PF West Lafayette | 2023 IN , West Lafayette – Powerfully strong, physical, and assertive rebounder/defender type of front-liner.
Lucy Sherk Lucy Sherk 5'10" | PF LaVille | 2023 IN , LaVille – Highly productive small school kid. Plays much bigger than she is. Has mid-post skill.
Corinna Stiles Corinna Stiles 6'0" | PF Tippecanoe Valley | 2023 IN , Tippecanoe Valley – Good height, length, and a solid athlete. Has skill both inside and out.
Sydney Swan Sydney Swan 5'11" | PF Clinton Prairie | 2023 IN , Clinton Prairie – Athletically strong, somewhat bouncy, and has a nice balance of inside-out skill.
Trevyn Terry Trevyn Terry 6'1" | PF Prairie Heights | 2023 IN , Prairie Heights – Tall, bouncy athlete with a good motor. Plays in the mid-post and on the block.
Alexis Tucker Alexis Tucker 5'10" | PF Gibson Southern | 2023 IN , Gibson Southern – Strong athlete, productive in both the mid-post and around the low block.
Hailey Vanderhye Hailey Vanderhye 6'0" | PF Hanover Central | 2023 IN , Hanover Central – Bouncy athlete, good end-to-end speed, and developing a perimeter game.
Amira Wair Amira Wair 6'0" | PF Michigan City | 2023 IN , Michigan City – Muscularly strong, physical, and bouncy athlete. Rebounder/defender type of post.
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KEEP AN EYE ON:
16-0 Zionsville has remained near the top of the polls so far this entire season due to consistency throughout their roster. A big part of that has been Mallory, but she might not get the fanfare of their bigger scorers. She is strong, tough-nosed, willing to be physical, and she plays with a nice motor. At the same time, she has a very good understanding of the game, she is skilled facing the basket to as deep as the 3-point line, and she has a craftiness and versatility to her game that’s almost like how a European big would play. She can really help someone at the next level.
Jalyn has had a huge year for Evansville North so far, averaging career highs across the board. She is a strong kid, she’s willing to be physical when necessary, she’s a solid athlete, and she plays with a nice motor. At the same time, she actually prefers to face the basket, she can knock down the occasional 3-pointer, but she’s starting to handle it more and looks to attack the basket off the dribble more frequently. Defensively, she can take on ‘4s’, bigger wings, and the occasional undersized post. Through 13 games she’s averaging 20.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
Highlights
Kate is another Evansville front-liner having a career year. In her case, she just needed to wait her turn and allow some good 2022 graduates to leave. Kate is averaging a double-double so far (12.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg), and she has a real nose for the ball. She’s even averaging 3.8 offensive rebounds per game. She is strong, has a good motor, and likes to operate in that mid-post area of the floor. She shoots it pretty consistently from 15-feet, but she has good hands and solid post-moves around the block. Defensively, she can be physical down low or defend a face-up ‘4’ around the perimeter.