Summer Rankings Update: 2024 Small Forwards
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The featured image is of Morgan Roberts Morgan Roberts 6'0" | SF Fishers | 2024 State IN (2024) of Fishers High School. Thursday, we released the Summer rankings update for the Class of 2024. The number of prospects listed grew…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Morgan Roberts Morgan Roberts 6'0" | SF Fishers | 2024 State IN (2024) of Fishers High School.
Thursday, we released the Summer rankings update for the Class of 2024. The number of prospects listed grew from 200 to 225 total prospects, and while the Top-100 remained a Top-100, the 100-player watchlist became a 125-player watchlist. At this time, I wanted to highlight all of the small forwards in the Class of 2024 we have listed at this time, as well as highlight a handful of ladies who raised their stock or were newly added this time around.
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NEW-COMERS:
Lyric is new to Indiana, moving in from Corpus Christi, Texas. She is a strong, physical style of wing with good all-around skill. She plays with a motor, is willing to rebound and defend around the basket, plus she has a solid back-to-the-basket offensive game for a wing player. Lyric can also attack the basket North/South from the perimeter, she has a nice mid-range pull-up game, and as she continues to make her perimeter shot more consistent, she will be even more of a threat from the perimeter. I also like her defensive versatility.
KeKe is one of many nice athletes at Pike right now, but she specifically has a nice combination of length, strength, and some bounce. She has solid ball skill and can act as a point forward in transition, and in the half-court she acts as more of a North/South downhill attacker. She can absorb contact and draw fouls or finish at the basket, too. She can defend wings, bigger guards, and undersized forwards, and I like how she rebounds from the perimeter. She is intriguing enough as an athlete that I think some Midwestern small colleges would like her.
Isyss spent some time at Lawrence Central before transferring to Lawrence North last year, but she is reportedly now attending Warren Central. She is a strong, physical wing who does a variety of things offensively. She can handle the ball and create/facilitate like a point forward, she can get downhill and absorb contact, and she has some touch around the perimeter. She plays with a nice toughness and a solid motor, but if she can continue to show more of a commitment at the defensive end as well, I think she will draw a lot of small college interest because of her offensive presence.
After unfortunately suffering through consecutive knee injuries, Alivia is back working out and preparing for the 2023-2024 season. When healthy, she is one of the hardest-working, toughest-nosed kids out there. She is a solid athlete in all directions, she plays with a ton of energy and emotion, and she can affect a game at all three levels. She can knock down an open 3-pointer, attack the basket off the bounce, or battle inside for offensive rebounds and “scraps” baskets. Add to that her ability to defend, and she can certainly help JCHS this Winter.
Highlights
Gwen had a strong Winter in 2022-2023, as she led Whiteland in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while chipping in 4.7 rebounds per game, and knocking down 49 3-pointers at a 34% rate. She has a fairly strong frame, inside-out versatility, and she plays with a nice motor. Over the next few months, she’ll need to figure out if she wants to be more of a true wing and work on building quickness and making her handle a bit more dynamic, or if she wants to get stronger and battle more on the interior. Either way, she will be a nice small college prospect.
Olivia was the second leading scorer (11.9 ppg), rebounder (5.8 rpg), and assists person (2.4 apg) for Eastbrook in 2022-2023, showing her versatility and importance on the floor. She isn’t a grassroots participant, but she did attend the IBCA Top-100 Showcase in mid-June, and she held her own while there. She is a nice, balanced athlete with a good motor, she can play any number of roles/positions, and I really like her versatility defensively as well. If she’s interested in college hoops, I think some local small colleges would value her.
Molly literally just popped up on my radar in late-June, as she showed a great deal of talent, versatility, and potential. She is extremely long, quick, fast, and bouncy, and she stands out in the open floor. Defensively is where she is the most solid right now, as she can defend bigger guards and wings around the perimeter or undersized forwards/posts around the block. Offensively, she still needs to continue tightening up her skillset, but she has the physical ability to be recruitable while she builds her skill and becomes more of a true wing.
Benton Central has had a number of nice wings over the years, and they have a couple in this 2024 class. Rachel is long and wiry, fairly smooth and fluid as an athlete, plus she possesses a little bounce. She can knock down open rhythm jumpers around the perimeter or put it on the deck and glide to the basket. If she can continue building strength and making her handle more dynamic, I think she can be a really nice multilevel scorer. Defensively, she uses her length and quickness well, both on and off the ball.
I was able to see Gianna for the first time last weekend at the Run 4 Roses Championship, and she is certainly intriguing. She has nice length, wiry strength, and solid all-around athleticism. She looked like one of those kids who does a little of everything well, maybe nothing elite, but she also didn’t seem to be deficient in any one area. She plays with a nice motor and can defend multiple positions as well. If anything, excelling at one thing and carving out a niche could certainly help her for the next level in terms of her recruiting.
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STOCK-RISERS:
Audrey stepped up in 2022-2023 and led the Lady Trojans in scoring. She is a strong, tough-nosed, and physical wing who plays with an outstanding motor. What’s most interesting about her is, while she is willing to do the blue-collared work inside, like defend the interior, box out, and rebound, she is a high-level perimeter shooter with deep range and an extremely quick release. She has been consistent all Spring & Summer, and shortly after the May “live” period, she picked up a Division-I offer from one of the service academies.
Highlights
I can remember watching Emma all the way back in 7th Grade, and at that time she was a natural point guard. However, I also heard that she was potentially a volleyball lean, and she has never played major grassroots basketball anywhere. At the same time, she did attend the IBCA Top-100 Showcase in mid-June, and she was outstanding at both ends of the floor. She is an extremely long and fluid athlete, she can still handle and pass the ball well, and she can knock down open shots. She has verbally committed to play basketball at Grace College.
I will rave about Ciara in a couple of articles coming out soon, but Ciara has been one of my favorite players to watch throughout June & July so far. She is extremely long, wiry-strong, smooth, fluid, and bouncy. She plays with great effort, and she doesn’t make the same mistake twice. She sees the floor well and has a natural feel for the game, and she seems to fit into whatever environment is presented to her. She can attack the basket, knock down an open shot, she has vocal leadership abilities, and she can be an elite defender.