IBCA Team Showcase Notes (Part-1)

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='486495' first='Olivia' last='Jones'] (2026) of Pendleton Heights High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday and Saturday, June 16th &amp; 17th, the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association hosted the first IBCA/IHSAA Girls Team Showcase at Mount Vernon High School (Fortville, IN) and Hamilton Southeastern High School (Fishers, IN). This month has added a new element, however, as the NCAA instituted a new "Scholastic Live Period", allowing all NCAA coaches, including Division-I, to attend events on these dates. I was able to speak with an NCAA representative, and apparently less then 20 states around the country are taking advantage of these "Scholastic Live Period" opportunities. As for the Team Showcase, 72 Varsity teams from around the Hoosier state participated at least one of the two days, most both days, and nearly all of the top prospects were on hand to compete. With that many teams on 12 different courts, and at three different sites (<em>also included was Mount Vernon Middle School</em>), it was difficult to see every team, but below are some comments on a few teams and prospects I was able to see during my time at the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Anderson</strong>: The Lady Indians are definitely athletic and scrappy, and as long as they play together, they will be able to cause headaches for many of their opponents in 2023-2024. The standout is athletic 2024 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='331796' first='Jacelyn' last='Starks']</strong>, and she has a quick-trigger jumper that almost always goes in when she's able to get set and find any rhythm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Columbia City:</strong> The Lady Eagles have a tremendous amount of guard depth, and they play with great pace and use the 3-point line as their primary weapon of choice. Recent Butler University commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295754' first='Addison' last='Baxter']</strong>, a Junior, and Senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177354' first='Kyndra' last='Sheets']</strong> are the best two of the bunch. Baxter is a smooth and fluid creator, while Sheets is a strong, tough-nosed lead guard who can bury shots or distribute. Add to that the energy of Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='455935' first='Tessa' last='Tonkel']</strong>, the 3-point shooting of Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='496018' first='Faith' last='Frey']</strong>, and the high motor effort of Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406435' first='Molly' last='Baker']</strong>, and the Eagles should be one of the best teams in Northeast Indiana, if not the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Crown Point:</strong> The Lady Bulldogs will be retooling following the graduation losses of seven 2023s who each played in 22 or more games last season. At the same time, they welcome back 6-1 2024 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='298252' first='Ava' last='Ziolkowski']</strong>. She has good size, strength, and athleticism, plus she is a major threat around the perimeter. Senior guard <strong>Rae Holok</strong> had a big game Friday evening, burying a number of 3-pointers down the stretch in a win. Junior guard <strong>Jillian Brown</strong> and Sophomore front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='761164' first='Sophie' last='Hart']</strong> could also see major minutes this coming year. Brown can play on or off the ball, while Hart is a strong, fairly athletic rebounder/defender type.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fishers:</strong> The Lady Tigers are another team hit hard by graduation in 2023, though they are still deep and talented across the board. With a "next player up" mentality, they should still contend for a Sectional title in 2024. Senior guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='176168' first='Talia' last='Harris']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177355' first='Joirdyn' last='Smith']</strong> are returning starters and should provide a lot of the offense. Harris was the MVP of the "futures" game two weeks ago. Junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295771' first='Allison' last='Scheu']</strong> and Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177358' first='Kate' last='Thomas']</strong> each saw plenty of minutes last year as key subs, defenders, and rebounders. Both should score more this year as well. Look for Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='264118' first='Morgan' last='Roberts']</strong> and Junior front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295761' first='Nevaeh' last='Dickman']</strong> to get opportunities to contribute immediately for Fishers. Roberts is capable of filling it up from outside, while Dickman has picked up Division-I offers this Spring and will add offense inside and out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Wayne Northrop:</strong> The Lady Bruins saw three 2023 grads, and double-digit scorers, head off to play college basketball. However, they hope for a healthy return by Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177317' first='Destini' last='Craig']</strong>, after she was only able to give them six games before her knee injury. She is strong, tough, and has double-double potential. Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177314' first='Alexis' last='Castator']</strong> has been strong this Spring, and at 6-1 she can score it around the perimeter or off the bounce. Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486518' first='Swynn' last='Jackson']</strong> and Sophomore wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='492326' first='Khala' last='Williams-Thomas']</strong> are a pair of talented youngsters who added punch last year and should step it up even more in year-2 for them. Also keep an eye on Senior guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='239353' first='Riley' last='Pepple']</strong> and <strong>Niya Bell</strong>, who are both capable of filling it up outside (<em>49 combined 3-pointers in 2022-2023</em>).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Homestead:</strong> The Lady Spartans unfortunately lost their best returning 2024, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='369834' first='Emma' last='Reust']</strong>, a couple of weekends ago to a knee injury, so whether she'll be able to contribute towards the end of the season or not is still undetermined. With that said, they now turn to a young core of Sophomores, led by Division-I prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='492319' first='Myah' last='Epps']</strong>. She has gotten noticeably stronger, she is handling it better, and she is shooting it better this Spring, earning her a major uptick in college interest. Add to that forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='414465' first='Gabby' last='Helsom']</strong> and wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486540' first='Whitney' last='Ankenbruck']</strong>, and Homestead is in good hands, despite having second-year players at the helm. Helsom is a strong, skillful forward, while Ankenbruck is an energy-giver, and a physical inside-out style of wing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Central:</strong> The Lady Indians graduated no one and should be a Top-5 Class 4A team to begin the year. They return a strong group of 2024s and 2025s, and they will be the team to beat in Northwest Indiana to begin the year. Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='176406' first='Aniyah' last='Bishop']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='201878' first='Riley' last='Milausnic']</strong> led them in scoring last season. Bishop is a high-level athlete who can play inside-out, while Milausnic can handle the ball and run offense or bury shots consistently with deep range. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295811' first='Ayla' last='Krygier']</strong> provides another inside-out presence who can rebound, score it around the block, or knock down perimeter jumpers. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295781' first='Vanessa' last='Wimberly']</strong> is the quick and feisty lead guard who can create offense and cause havoc on defense, while Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406433' first='Nadia' last='Clayton']</strong> is another tough-nosed defender who can also provide perimeter scoring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lapel:</strong> The Lady Bulldogs are coming off a Class 2A State Finals appearance, and they return a lot of firepower in their two top scorers from a year ago. Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486521' first='Laniah' last='Wills']</strong> is a walking double-double, and she looked strong inside this weekend. She is long, athletic, but also willingly physical. Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='331773' first='Madelyn' last='Poynter']</strong> has really improved in the last 12 months, and she has become quite an offensive force, whether she knocks down an open jumper or drives it hard to the paint. They will need someone else to step up and provide more offense in 2023-2024 if they are to make another deep playoff run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>McCutcheon:</strong> The Lady Mavericks have to be excited about the arrival of 6-1 2027 wing <strong>Lillie Graves</strong>. She has tremendous length, athleticism, and skill. She was more of a slasher and mid-post scorer a year ago, but she's starting to shoot it with more consistency from the perimeter. She already possesses at least one Power-5 offer as well. The rest of the team will be rather young around her, so they will take their lumps at times but also grow together, hopefully being a top competitor in a couple of seasons. Sophomores <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='553262' first='Chloe' last='Finney']</strong> and <strong>Aubrey Miller</strong> saw quality minutes this past Winter as rookies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Noblesville:</strong> At this point, the Lady Millers are just a well-oiled machine. That starts with the backcourt of Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177361' first='Reagan' last='Wilson']</strong> and Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295776' first='Meredith' last='Tippner']</strong>. Wilson is a traditional point guard who plays with as much energy and communicates as well as any point guard of recent memory. She has already pledged her commitment to Iowa State University. Tippner is a long, athletic, and effortful wing who can score it consistently at all three levels. She is tough, physical, and defends &amp; rebounds her position well. Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='264119' first='Ava' last='Shoemaker']</strong> really came on last season, and she is another energetic player who has shot it well recently. Look for her to be the third scoring threat. Sophomore front-liner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486478' first='Caroline' last='Quigley']</strong> just continues to improve. She has good size, fluid athleticism, and she is skillful at or away from the basket. She should see a significantly increased role.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pendleton Heights:</strong> The Lady Arabians welcome a sizeable Freshman to the line in 6-2 post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='750718' first='Adah' last='Hupfer']</strong>. She has good size, strength, skill with her back to the basket, plus she can knock down the occasional face-up jumper. She will be a matchup problem the stronger and more experienced she gets. Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295797' first='Kaycie' last='Warfel']</strong> is their leading returning scorer and should continue that trend next season. She is long, extremely fast, and effortful. She is a pure scorer who is always hunting shots at all levels. I also felt like Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486495' first='Olivia' last='Jones']</strong> played well. She will likely be the third option at the offensive end, but she can also act as a feisty defender. Pendleton will be one to watch in Sectional #9.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Westfield:</strong> The Lady Shamrocks are an interesting team at this point. They graduated three Seniors but only about 7.7 points per game between them. Senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177334' first='Elizabeth' last='Kelleher']</strong> returns and is an athletic, dynamic ballplayer with good size and strength. She scores it well at all three levels, and she recently committed to Indiana Wesleyan University. Juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366803' first='Lindsey' last='Van Dyke']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295759' first='Aubrey' last='Crockett']</strong> are a pair of backcourt contributors. VanDyke plays with strength, physicality, and versatility, while Crockett is a smooth shooter with fluid athleticism and some ball skill. Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='239350' first='Kiarra' last='Loveless']</strong> is a skilled front-liner who can score the ball at all three levels, she plays with effort, and she can defend multiple positions. I also like the style of play of Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='825986' first='Reagan' last='Lorenzen']</strong>, and she could slide into the starting spot vacated by one of the graduates. The 'Rocks will be much-improved this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->