2023 Grassroots Honors: 15U
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The featured image is of Lillian Barnes Lillian Barnes 5'11" | SF Valparaiso | 2026 State IN (2026) of Valparaiso High School. Now that the Spring & Summer grassroots seasons have come to an end, I wanted to take the…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Lillian Barnes Lillian Barnes 5'11" | SF Valparaiso | 2026 State IN (2026) of Valparaiso High School.
Now that the Spring & Summer grassroots seasons have come to an end, I wanted to take the time to offer up a handful of awards based on how participants in 15U performed during that stretch from March of 2023 through July of 2023. As it concerns many of these awards, my decision was based on a number of criteria, from skill, ability, and basketball IQ to production and impact on their team when I was able to see them, while also taking into consideration the level of competition they were playing against. There are obviously multiple candidates for each award below, and I’m sure I missed a big performance here or there, but this is simply an attempt to honor those who I thought stood out when I had the opportunity to see them, and their teams play.
.
TOP 15U HONORS
These postseason awards are an attempt at honoring girls who I thought stood out in the 15U division. Typically, there are multiple candidates for each award, and every award can be easily debatable, but I chose the individuals below based on who I thought filled the description the best. Each award is determined through different criteria, as some awards are based primarily on opinion, while others are decided with a heavy influence from success and statistical productivity when viewed.
Top 15U Team:
Always 100
Elite 3SSB
– There were some really nice teams in the 15U division throughout the Hoosier state this year, but I felt like this
Always 100
group stood out above the rest of the group. They have as many quality wings as any team of recent memory, and they attack you with their versatility, length, and athleticism at just about every position. Among the group, I felt like Sophomore wing
Khala Williams-Thomas
Khala
Williams-Thomas
5'10" | SF
Fort Wayne Northrop | 2026
State
IN
helped herself as much as anyone throughout the grassroots season. She is extremely long, wiry-strong, quick, fast, and bouncy. She plays with some attitude inside the paint, outplays her size, but she also is highly effective in the mid-post and has shown improved perimeter skill. She is one of the best athletes in this 2026 class in Indiana, so she has a high ceiling she can reach these next three years before college ball. Versatile wing
Lillian Barnes
Lillian
Barnes
5'11" | SF
Valparaiso | 2026
State
IN
draws a lot of attention because of her motor and her incredibly high IQ for the game. She has tremendous vision, can put passes on a dime, and she always seems to be about one step ahead of everyone else, including her teammates. Her college list is already long and distinguished. The May addition of point guard
Maya Layton
Maya
Layton
5'8" | PG
Faith Christian | 2026
State
IN
made them that much deeper, especially when facing top National competition. She is so long, fluidly athletic/smooth, and she can create offense or cause havoc on defense. Having an additional ball-handler who can put pressure on opponents off the bounce, really helped alleviate Barnes and others from seeing double-teams too often. Other members of this talented
Always 100
outfit include:
Myah Epps
Myah
Epps
5'10" | CG
Homestead | 2026
State
IN
,
Swynn Jackson
Swynn
Jackson
5'9" | SG
Fort Wayne Northrop | 2026
State
IN
,
Camryn Conley
Camryn
Conley
5'11" | SF
Northridge | 2026
State
IN
,
Piper Brumm
Piper
Brumm
5'7" | SG
Culver Academy | 2026
IN
, Jaelyn Jones (KY),
Lillian George
Lillian
George
6'2" | C
Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 2026
State
IN
, Miley Waring, and
Rylee Canaan
Rylee
Canaan
6'1" | PF
Evansville Memorial | 2027
State
IN
.
Most Outstanding Player:
Myah Epps
Myah
Epps
5'10" | CG
Homestead | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, 5-10 CG, Homestead H.S.,
Always 100
Elite 3SSB
– I think it’s almost easier to ask what Myah didn’t do this Spring & Summer than list off the things she did do. She has continued to excel at developing her skillset, as she has gone from more of a small forward a year ago to a combo guard now. Offensively, she can play on the ball, run offense, create off the dribble, plus the consistency of her perimeter shooting has gone way up. She is getting through traffic and absorbing contact much better because of improved strength, and that should continue. She will still need to get a bit quicker laterally to defend true water-bugs, but overall, she has improved her defense and uses her length well. She was great each time I saw her play.
Best Leader:
Berkeley Williams
Berkeley
Williams
5'6" | PG
Plainfield | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, 5-6 CG, Plainfield H.S.,
IGB
‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] GUAA
– Berkeley saw a great deal of opportunity at Plainfield as a Freshman, and it has helped her to continue building her understanding of the game. She is constantly involved in the action, whether that’s because of her awareness, or because she plays with an outstanding motor and toughness. She is strong for her age, she isn’t afraid of anything, and she plays with urgency at both ends of the floor each possession. Additionally, I feel like her handle has improved, as has her ability to deal with pressure. She also displays leadership beyond her actions by being involved vocally and creating energy for her teammates.
Biggest Stock-Riser:
Mollie Ernstes
Mollie
Ernstes
5'11" | SG
Jennings County | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, 5-10 G/W, Jennings County H.S.,
Indiana’s Best
South
– For this award in 15U, I went with someone I was already familiar with. I felt like each time I saw Mollie throughout the Spring & Summer, she only got better and trumped her previous performances. She has so much length, wiry strength, and she plays with a nice pace and motor. She is tougher and more physical than her long frame might suggest, and she will get inside to finish or battle for rebounds. I was also impressed with how well she shot the ball from game to game, and with a quick release. Her ability to score at all levels, along with her ball-handling and versatility defensively, should pair nicely with
Juliann Woodard
Juliann
Woodard
6'1" | PF
Jennings County | 2024
State
IN
(2024) this Winter.
Out-of-Nowhere Stock-Riser: Savannah Walker, 2026, 6-1 C, Homestead H.S., OPS Black-McCall
– With 15U it’s typically tough to come up with a “Comeback Player of the Year”, so I created this award and went with someone I had zero familiarity with before the grassroots season began. Savannah is a part of an incredibly strong 2026 class at Homestead, but oddly enough she didn’t play on the school team this past season. She is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and almost smooth at her size/position. She is bouncy, runs the floor well, and has solid hands and footwork. She will need to get stronger, but she tries to play physical inside, and she keeps the ball high to finish around the basket. Additionally, she can be an intimidating presence altering shots. She has a lot of upside.
.
ADDITIONAL 15U HONORS
Toughest Player:
Whitney Ankenbruck-Shooting Guard
Whitney
Ankenbruck-Shooting Guard
5'9" | SF
Homestead | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Homestead H.S., OPS Black-McCall
Best Motor:
Lillian Barnes
Lillian
Barnes
5'11" | SF
Valparaiso | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Valparaiso H.S.,
Always 100
Elite 3SSB
Best Defender:
Trinity Wilburn
Trinity
Wilburn
5'5" | PG
Faith Christian | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Faith Christian H.S.,
Indiana’s Best
Court Queens
Best Athlete:
Khala Williams-Thomas
Khala
Williams-Thomas
5'10" | SF
Fort Wayne Northrop | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S.,
Always 100
Elite 3SSB
Most Versatile:
Julia Lashley
Julia
Lashley
5'10" | SF
Bloomington South | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Bloomington H.S. South,
DistinXion
‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] Champions Black
Best Playing “Up”:
Lillie Graves
Lillie
Graves
6'0" | SF
McCutcheon | 2027
State
IN
, 2027, McCutcheon H.S.,
Indiana’s Best
Court Queens
.
Additional 15U Prospects Who Also Stood Out:
I felt like the above awards limited the number of prospects I was able to mention, so I went back through each 15U roster I have in hand and wanted to mention a player from each team who wasn’t mentioned above, but who I felt stood out when I was able to see them. If someone else played better when I wasn’t around, I apologize, but these are the individuals I felt needed mentioning from when I was in attendance.
Ahniyah Bennett
Ahniyah
Bennett
5'6" | SG
Connersville | 2026
IN
, 2026, Connersville H.S., Lady Gym Rats-Goss
Kenedi Bradley
Kenedi
Bradley
5'7" | CG
Chesterton | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Chesterton H.S., Illinois Lady Lightning Select
Maci Eckerty
Maci
Eckerty
5'4" | PG
Springs Valley | 2026
IN
, 2026, Springs Valley H.S.,
Southern Indiana Gold
Eliana Grubbs
Eliana
Grubbs
5'7" | CG
Bremen | 2026
IN
, 2026, Bremen H.S., 5Star
Makayla Hatcher, 2026, Westfield H.S., Team Indiana
Taryn Hill
Taryn
Hill
6'0" | C
Goshen | 2026
IN
, 2026, Goshen H.S.,
Always 100
Sonic
Devyn Johnson
Devyn
Johnson
5'7" | CG
Noblesville | 2026
IN
, 2026, Noblesville H.S., Indiana Showcase Black BSJL
Olivia Jones
Olivia
Jones
5'8" | SF
Pendleton Heights | 2026
IN
, 2026, Pendleton Heights H.S.,
Indy Magic
-Rosko
Kiersten Judd
Kiersten
Judd
5'10" | PF
Eastern Hancock | 2026
IN
, 2026, Eastern Hancock H.S.,
IGB
‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] UA Rise-Judd
Alyx Kendall
Alyx
Kendall
6'1" | PF
Bishop Chatard | 2026
IN
, 2026, Bishop Chatard H.S., Ty Harris Elite
Audra Kendall
Audra
Kendall
5'5" | CG
Brebeuf Jesuit | 2026
IN
, 2026, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School,
IGB
‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] UA Rise-Epp
Alaina Maki, 2026, Bloomington H.S. South,
Indiana Sirens
-Flatt
Allison McColley, 2026, West Lafayette Harrison H.S., Hoosier Force Blue
Hunter Mote
Hunter
Mote
5'6" | PG
Shawe Memorial | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Shawe Memorial H.S.,
IGB
‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] UA Rise-Dues
Ava Myers
Ava
Myers
5'9" | SG
Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 2026
IN
, 2026, Carroll H.S. (Fort Wayne), OPS Blue-Pontius
Robyn Pate, 2026, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Lady Gym Rats-Barnes
Kamri Rowland
Kamri
Rowland
5'8" | SG
Rensselaer Central | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Rensselaer Central H.S.,
Indiana Elite Supreme
Jayden Scott
Jayden
Scott
5'11" | SF
Castle | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Castle H.S.,
IGB
‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] UA Rise-Scott
Hannah Stepp
Hannah
Stepp
5'11" | PF
West Vigo | 2026
IN
, 2026, West Vigo H.S.,
Indiana Pride
Xtreme
Shaniyah Stout
Shaniyah
Stout
5'8" | PF
Elkhart | 2026
IN
, 2026, Elkhart H.S.,
Always 100
-Wright Black
Ava Wheeler
Ava
Wheeler
6'0" | PF
Borden | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, Borden H.S., Dana Evans Elite
Nina Whitehead, 2026, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis), Garden Sparks
Adah Hupfer
Adah
Hupfer
6'3" | C
Pendleton Heights | 2027
State
IN
, 2027, Pendleton Heights H.S.,
Indiana Elite
Platinum 3SSB