Prime Finds in Westfield
In this article:
This past weekend, the Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield, Indiana, hosted the Prime Event Midwest once again. Over the last couple of years, it has turned out to be an outstanding non-“live” event each year that hosts a number of…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThis past weekend, the Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield, Indiana, hosted the Prime Event Midwest once again. Over the last couple of years, it has turned out to be an outstanding non-“live” event each year that hosts a number of the top Midwestern programs, including most of Indiana’s top teams. As I do each weekend, I was seeking specific teams I hadn’t seen much of to this point, so I wasn’t able to see every single program every single game, however, below is a look at five ladies who are a little lesser known on a statewide level, but who stood out when I was able to catch them in action.
Icesis had the opportunity to play “up” with the 17U Gym Rats EYBL team this past weekend, and I felt like she did a solid job of simply being herself. She is a tough-nosed, high-motor, always-in-the-action type of kid. She outrebounds her opponents, she’s effortful defensively, plus she is starting to figure out how to score it more consistently from multiple levels. Icesis has really nice length, strength, and she plays with physicality. She actually looks a little leaner, more fluid, and all-around more explosive than she did last Spring. If she can continue to improve her shooting and consistently extend it to the perimeter, plus get her handle just a bit more dynamic, she has a chance to be a real standout in Indiana’s 2025 class.
Ava saw a lot of opportunity this past Winter at Mooresville, but she has a chance to be a breakout performer in 2023-2024. She is a strong guard, physical, and she has good North/South speed plus some shiftiness to her game. She is a solid ball-handler and can act as a game-managing point guard, but she’s a much more effective scorer who can knock down an open jumper or use her strength and athleticism to get to the basket. I like the fact that she will rebound her position and she doesn’t mind defending anyone, but as she continues to learn angles and timing, I think those could become strengths of her game for the next level. I can definitely see a varying degree of colleges interested in her with a strong showing this Spring.
To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure what to think about Maine at this time a year ago. But she has really grown on me, and she has become a favorite of mine to watch. At the end of the day, she always finds a way to be productive. She is a strong kid, she always plays with a motor, and she plays much taller than she is. She doesn’t mind physicality, she gets inside to rebound and willingly helps defend the paint, but she has also shown the ability to step outside and defend bigger guards and wings. Her touch around the perimeter has improved as well, but she’s probably still most effective in the mid-post. I definitely think she’s a “fit” kid as a recruit, but she’s the type of kid that you can win games with because of her attitude and approach to the game.
“C.C.” has come so far since I first saw her at our Freshman Showcase in the Fall. She looks a little taller, longer, and much more fluid athletically. When I saw her during the state tournament, I felt like she was a little stronger and more aggressive, but this past weekend I was more impressed with her ability to move around the floor with ease and switch ends quickly. She has tremendous length, she could still squeeze out another inch or two, and she will continue to get stronger. But she doesn’t shy away from physicality, and she has touch around the block and in the mid-post. I actually think with just a little more work skillfully, she has the physical talent to be more of a face-up ‘4’ long-term than a post prospect.
Highlights
Paired with 6-2 8th Grader Adah Hupfer Adah Hupfer 6’3″ | C Pendleton Heights | 2027 State IN , Natalie helps form a monstrous interior duo for their grassroots team. Natalie has broad shoulders, a strong frame, and she can establish herself with ease against her peers at either end of the floor. She doesn’t mind contact and will move people around, but she has also shown soft hands, she can finish in a variety of ways at the basket, plus she has shown some touch facing the basket to near the 3-point line. With three more years in front of her before college, she will probably always be defined as a “post”, but she can certainly develop into a face-up ‘5’ who can either pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop in a Fishers program that has a number of talented guards who I’m sure love her as a ball-screener.