Moving Forward at The Classic
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The featured image is of Rachel Harshman Rachel Harshman 6'0" | PF Mooresville | 2024 State IN (2024) of Mooresville High School and Always 100 VTR 17U. This past weekend marked the annual “The Classic” tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Rachel Harshman Rachel Harshman 6'0" | PF Mooresville | 2024 State IN (2024) of Mooresville High School and Always 100 VTR 17U.
This past weekend marked the annual “The Classic” tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted by Ohio Basketball. There were close to 100 teams from Indiana in attendance, 48 total courts in use, and a number of the nation’s top colleges and universities represented. I continued my quest to see each Indiana grassroots team this Spring & Summer multiple times, so I had a specific schedule, but I did stumble into a couple of teams I have already seen multiple times early this Spring. Below is a look at six forward prospects who I felt stood out in the games I was able to watch this weekend.
Gaby has developed into a tremendous small college prospect over the last couple of years. She has a strong, athletic frame, she moves well in most directions, and she plays with an outstanding motor. Offensively, she is most comfortable scoring it in the mid-post and around the paint, but she does have some touch facing the basket, and she isn’t uncomfortable around the perimeter. Defensively, she can take on wings or forwards, plus the occasional undersized center. She has a nose for the ball and is a volume rebounder, plus she’s willing to do a lot of the “little things” others just aren’t.
Rachel has a unique combination of power and skill, and she has played much better as the Spring has progressed. She has broad shoulders and a strong frame, she can post on the low block and score with either hand through a variety of moves, plus she has a nice mid-range jump-shot and the ability to put it on the floor two to three dribbles and get somewhere productively. Additionally, she has shown the ability to consistently knock down the 3-pointer, and she is ideal in pick-and-pop situations because of it. Defensively, she could defend the perimeter a little better, but she is physical on the interior.
Highlights
Ellery is another highly unique style of forward, because she has good height, tremendous length, and perimeter skill. She looks a little stronger this Spring, and she is playing quite a bit around the basket. But she can handle it and push the ball in transition, plus she’ll even initiate the offense in the half-court. She has touch around the perimeter as well, and she can stretch the defense with her range. She plays with a nice motor, a high basketball IQ, and she is a chameleon who can fit into most systems. She could stand to be a little more explosive, but she has such a high skillset, that she makes up for it.
Ella McCarter Ella McCarter 5'10" | PF Rochester | 2025 IN
Ella McCarter Ella McCarter 5'10" | PF Rochester | 2025 IN
This past weekend was my first time seeing Ella, and I came away impressed with her upside. She has a fairly strong, athletic frame, she has some bounce to her, plus she has nice end-to-end speed and a little quickness in her game. She played with a really nice motor, pursued nearly every rebound, and she showed multilevel offensive potential. Her shooting mechanics were solid, and she just needs more reps to increase her percentages, but she didn’t shoot it poorly at all. I also really liked her ability to defend a multitude of players, from bigger guards & wings to forwards and undersized posts.
Shaniyah is fun to watch, because she is a ball of energy. She is built very strong, with broad shoulders and a lot of power for a prospect her age. She also has some shiftiness to her, and she can bounce around the floor and change directions rather quickly. She is hard to label by position right now, because she does a number of things offensively, but defensively she probably performs best defending forwards. Offensively, she can put it on the floor, knock down the mid-range jumper, create for others, or finish at the basket in a variety of ways. She also has a nose for the ball, and she is a physical rebounder.
Kaylee Skurka
Kaylee Skurka
Kaylee stood out in the opportunity I had to see her, because she already has good size, wiry strength, and she plays with a motor, plus she looked like she still might grow another inch or two. She is very active at both ends of the floor, and she does a lot of the “little things”. Like most kids her age, she will need continued skill refinement offensively to continue stretching her game away from the basket, but she does have some skill already, and she can put it on the floor and attack the basket a little bit. I also think once she’s done growing, she will become a bit quicker and more explosive in her frame.