2023 Grassroots Honors: 17U

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><span style="font-size: 8pt"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='177351' first='Jordyn' last='Poole'] (2024) of Fort Wayne's R. Nelson Snider High School.</em></span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the Spring &amp; 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 17U 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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">TOP 17U HONORS</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These postseason awards are an attempt at honoring girls who I thought stood out in the 17U 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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Top 17U Team:</font></strong><font size="+1"> [program_tooltip program_id='712566' first='Indiana' last='Elite'] Thunder 3SSB</font><br>- While there were other talented, competitive teams in the division, I chose this group because of consistency. They maintained nearly the same roster throughout the entire season, and the played at a high level, improving throughout May and July. The one addition made in-season was significant, and that was Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295776' first='Meredith' last='Tippner']</strong>, who added athleticism, energy, and a nice, versatile, offensive presence to the backcourt. She can play a variety of roles, she plays with an incredible motor and toughness, plus she has shown the ability to play "up" and impact the game as much as she does in her own age group. The biggest mismatch with this group is 6-6 Junior post <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295789' first='Avery' last='Gordon']</strong>. She has unique size and strength, good length, solid hands and footwork, and she does a nice job at "being big". She is incredibly difficult to defend, plus she runs the floor and creates a lane-clogger defensively. I also felt like Senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='298252' first='Ava' last='Ziolkowski']</strong> really helped herself in the times I was able to view this group. She is a very good perimeter shooter, she plays with a motor, and she has the size and strength to defend and rebound inside. Other members of this Thunder team include: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='201885' first='Faith' last='Wiseman']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177352' first='Camryn' last='Runner']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='201884' first='Rachel' last='Wirts']</strong>, <strong>Maddie Mueller</strong> (OH), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177316' first='Kennedy' last='Coleman']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177308' first='Madisyn' last='Bailey']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Most Outstanding Player: </font></strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='177351' first='Jordyn' last='Poole'], 2024, 5-6 PG, Fort Wayne Snider H.S., Lady Gym Rats EYBL</font><br>- Jordyn participated on a pair of teams throughout the Spring &amp; Summer, but regardless of which jersey she donned, she was electric. She is an absolute playmaker who can create offense for herself or others at all three levels. She sees the floor so well, threads the needle at times, and she has developed into such a consistent shooter. Defensively, she is showing greater urgency possession to possession, and she could be elite at that end of the floor, if she so chooses. The Purdue University commit looks to lead the Lady Panthers deep into the playoffs in February.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Best Leader: </font></strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='177361' first='Reagan' last='Wilson'], 2024, 5-7 PG, Noblesville H.S., West Virginia Thunder-Riego</font><br>- It's always fun to hear the opinions of coaches who aren't recruiting a kid, because they are typically pretty honest. Last weekend I had an NAIA Head Coach tell me he would take Reagan over any other point guard in the country for one explicit reason...her ability to communicate. Restating what we already know, Reagan has been one of the most vocal and involved players throughout her career, whether she's on the floor or helping from the bench. She is highly skilled, tough, and hard-working as well, which is why I think she will fit in nicely at Iowa State University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Biggest Stock-Riser: </font></strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='572796' first='Ciara' last='Sims'], 2024, 5-8 SF, Fort Wayne Snider H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100']-Wright Red</font><br>- I first saw Ciara in July of 2022, and I thought she had some upside, but nothing like this. Over the Winter, she was tremendous down the stretch for Snider, helping the Lady Panthers get to the Semi-State. She is long, athletic, and hard-working, and while I've been told she hasn't been playing basketball very long, she sees the floor well and doesn't seem to make the same mistake twice. Over the course of this grassroots season, July to be more specific, she put herself on the map in front of a number of coaches, and I don't feel like we've even seen her reach her ceiling just yet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+1">Comeback Player of the Year: </font></strong><font size="+1">[player_tooltip player_id='177343' first='Lauryn' last='Merritt'], 2024, 6-4 C, Maconaquah H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100']-Wright White</font><br>- The Comeback Player of the Year award tends to either go to someone who has dealt with an injury, or who essentially took a year off and returned to action. For anyone who hasn't been around Lauryn, she missed the entire 2022-2023 season with an ACL injury, so this Spring was her first action since the injury. Throughout the Spring she was solid, sort of got her footing, and looked like she was reclaiming her basketball instincts. But throughout June and July, she looked much more comfortable, she played with great confidence, and she was more assertive than I can remember. She picked up a lot of interest/offers because of her strong play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">ADDITIONAL 17U HONORS</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Toughest Player:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='177325' first='Emma' last='Haan'], 2024, Zionsville Community H.S.. [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100'] Elite 3SSB<br><strong>Best Motor:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='177362' first='Juliann' last='Woodard'], 2024, Jennings County H.S., West Virginia Thunder-Riego<br><strong>Best Defender:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='572824' first='Kamara' last='Mills'], 2024, Lawrence North H.S., Ty Harris Elite UA Rise<br><strong>Best Athlete:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='176406' first='Aniyah' last='Bishop'], 2024, Lake Central H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100'] VTR<br><strong>Most Versatile:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='177344' first='Ellery' last='Minch'], 2024, Mt. Vernon H.S. (Fortville), [program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='[program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='[program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='[program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='[program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='IGB' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] GUAA<br><strong>Best Playing "Up":</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='295763' first='Jaylah' last='Lampley'], 2025, Lawrence Central H.S., Lady Gym Rats EYBL</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">Additional 17U Prospects Who Also Stood Out:</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I felt like the above awards limited the number of prospects I was able to mention, so I went back through each 17U 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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size">Lauren Bradley, 2024, Western H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='714250' first='Indiana' last='Pride'] Xpress<br>[player_tooltip player_id='874116' first='Jade' last='Carnahan'], 2024, Lakewood Park Christian Academy, [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100'] United<br>[player_tooltip player_id='177314' first='Alexis' last='Castator'], 2024, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100']-Paul E40<br>[player_tooltip player_id='326486' first='Bradie' last='Chambers'], 2024, Linton-Stockton H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712574' first='Indy' last='Magic']-Scott E40<br>[player_tooltip player_id='331820' first='Morgan' last='Crowe'], 2024, Pike H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712574' first='Indy' last='Magic']-Marquis<br>[player_tooltip player_id='326480' first='Isyss' last='Donelson'], 2024, Warren Central H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712628' first='Lady' last='Team Teague']<br>[player_tooltip player_id='326487' first='Jayden' last='Flagg'], 2024, New Prairie H.S., 5Star<br>[player_tooltip player_id='331778' first='Shena' last='Fleming'], 2024, La Lumiere Preparatory, City Elite Prime<br>[player_tooltip player_id='264113' first='Kennedy' last='Fuelling'], 2024, Norwell H.S., OPS Black-Jordan E40<br>[player_tooltip player_id='510511' first='Arianna' last='Gerkin'], 2024, Vincennes Lincoln H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='715952' first='Indiana' last='Elite Havoc'] Gold<br>[player_tooltip player_id='298263' first='Sydney' last='Gorman'], 2024, Fort Wayne Wayne H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='714258' first='Lady' last='Legit']<br>[player_tooltip player_id='298262' first='Carrie' last='Hiler'], 2024, Scottsburg H.S., Indiana Showcase Red BSTL<br>[player_tooltip player_id='177329' first='Keylee' last='Hudson'], 2024, Eastern Greene H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712566' first='Indiana' last='Elite'] Lightning S40<br>[player_tooltip player_id='625088' first='Reagan' last='Hughes'], 2024, Jac-Cen-Del H.S., Indiana Showcase Black BSSL<br>[player_tooltip player_id='455932' first='La'Kyra' last='Johnson'], 2024, Jeffersonville H.S., Louisville Legends<br>[player_tooltip player_id='825896' first='DeLorean' last='Mason'], 2024, Southmont H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='715841' first='Indiana' last='Sirens'] Purple &amp; White<br>[player_tooltip player_id='572809' first='Julia' last='Meyer'], 2024, Jac-Cen-Del H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='714250' first='Indiana' last='Pride']-Duke<br>[player_tooltip player_id='264115' first='Norah' last='Miller'], 2024, Evansville F.J. Reitz H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='[program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='[program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='[program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='[program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='DistinXion' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] Champions Black<br>[player_tooltip player_id='239351' first='Sophia' last='Morrison'], 2024, Eastbrook H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100']-Gamble NE2K<br>[player_tooltip player_id='825904' first='Audri' last='Prater'], 2024, Eastbrook H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712566' first='Indiana' last='Elite'] Evolution<br>[player_tooltip player_id='264118' first='Morgan' last='Roberts'], 2024, Fishers H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='714250' first='Indiana' last='Pride'] Attack<br>[player_tooltip player_id='718317' first='Heaven' last='Thompson'], 2024, Roncalli H.S., Lady Gym Rats-Nic<br>[player_tooltip player_id='177359' first='Adrianne' last='Tolen'], 2024, West Lafayette H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712524' first='Grand' last='Park Premier']-Robbins<br>[player_tooltip player_id='572814' first='Ava' last='Wilson'], 2024, Shelbyville H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712570' first='Indiana's' last='Best'] Red<br>[player_tooltip player_id='572826' first='Miranda' last='Wozniak'], 2024, Tri-Township H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712732' first='NWI' last='Thunder'] Black</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='295810' first='Lindsay' last='Arcella'], 2025, Andrean H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='714268' first='Region' last='Rebels']<br>[player_tooltip player_id='404110' first='Alyssa' last='Groover'], 2025, Corydon Central H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='[program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='[program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='[program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='[program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='IGB' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] UA Rise-Gatlin<br>[player_tooltip player_id='324078' first='Joslyn' last='Marshall'], 2025, Heritage Christian H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712566' first='Indiana' last='Elite'] Sparks<br>[player_tooltip player_id='570373' first='Madison' last='Sonsini'], 2025, Richmond H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='714260' first='Midwest' last='Explosion']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='638374' first='Sophie' last='Skidmore'], 2026, Seymour H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='712568' first='Indiana' last='Flight South']<br>[player_tooltip player_id='486523' first='Ella' last='Williams'], 2026, Washington H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='[program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='[program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='[program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='[program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='DistinXion' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] Champions Red</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->