The Finale: Day-2
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The featured image is of Bailey Hape Bailey Hape 5'10" | SF Evansville F.J. Reitz | 2026 State IN (2026) of Evansville Central High School and IGB ‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] UA Rise-Scott 15U. As the 2023 grassroots season…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Bailey Hape Bailey Hape 5'10" | SF Evansville F.J. Reitz | 2026 State IN (2026) of Evansville Central High School and IGB ‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] UA Rise-Scott 15U.
As the 2023 grassroots season winds down, Indiana teams have traveled a number of directions to finish their seasons. I’m in Hamilton, Ohio, at the Spooky Nook facility, where more than 60 Hoosier entries are in the middle of tournament play for the final time this month. As the fatigue of a long Summer sets in, there were a number of ladies I felt played well in their second and third games this weekend. Below is a look at 10 such young ladies from Saturday, July 22nd’s action.
Giselle is a big, strong, physical post presence who has continually improved throughout high school. This July, she has gotten extended minutes with her grassroots team due to injuries, and she’s making the most of it. She’s still more of a defensive and rebounding “big” who operates primarily inside of 10-feet, but she has started to show a much-improved 15-foot jump-shot, and she has been more active pursuing caroms outside of her area. She will need to continue improving her lateral quickness, especially defending out away from the basket.
Highlights
Sophia Gregory
Sophia Gregory
I’m not sure what to say other than just “wow”. I had the chance to see Sophia play against an Indiana squad, and the 6-2 forward has great talent and skill. She is long, athletically strong, extremely fast at her size, plus she has great bounce. I swear on one finish in transition, I heard her hand contact the backboard on the finish. She has touch to the 3-point line, she plays with a motor, and she can defend some wings and bigger guards. I’ve been told she hasn’t played a lot of grassroots basketball, so Youngstown State University snatched her up early.
Ellery continues to impress with her skill at her size. She looks a little taller this Spring/Summer, and she’s doing more things inside of the arc, which is good. She was more of a point forward at a younger age who could knock down shots with range. She is still a highly effective shooter, but her added size and strength has afforded her the ability to play much more physical around the basket. She is rebounding and defending the interior more consistently, so she has essentially turned herself into a hybrid, inside-out combo forward who can affect the game from all levels.
Addison hasn’t been a regular grassroots presence, but she made a cameo this weekend with the Indiana’s Best Red 17U group. She has a very strong, powerful frame with a low center of gravity. She does a nice job of using her strength to carve out space inside, but she also has nice skill facing the basket in the mid-post. She plays with an outstanding motor, she runs the floor hard in transition, and she outplays her height. I think she could be a really nice small college forward, but I’ve also heard she’s a talented softball prospect.
Sophie Gesell Sophie Gesell 5'10" | SF Batesville | 2025 IN
Sophie Gesell Sophie Gesell 5'10" | SF Batesville | 2025 IN
Sophie is part of a really nice 2025 class at Batesville High School, and she has improved each time I’ve seen her this Spring & Summer. She has a solid to strong, athletic frame, good length, and she moves fairly well in most directions. She can play physically around the paint, but she’s also athletic enough to defend the perimeter. She has some touch outside, she’s very good in the mid-post, and she pursues rebounds with effort. If she can make her handle just a bit more dynamic and continue becoming a multilevel scorer, she could be a good small college find.
During the Winter months, Cori plays off the ball quite a bit, because Chesterton has other really nice guards to go around her. She does a lot from the wing and long corners, and she can shoot it from there or drive the baseline with intent. During this Spring & Summer, she has been utilized more as a true guard, and she is taking on more ball-handling responsibilities. She can still shoot it, but she’s looking to drive and/or create much more often. If she can continue to defend true guards consistently, I think she is more of a guard than a wing.
Ryan Buskirk Ryan Buskirk 6'1" | PF Monroe | 2026 OH
Ryan Buskirk Ryan Buskirk 6'1" | PF Monroe | 2026 OH
When I was able to check out Ryan’s team play, she didn’t look like someone playing “up” on this team, and she affected the game as much as anyone. She has great length, some shiftiness, and good bounce to her. She is strong enough to compete at 16U, but she also looks like she has room to keep gaining strength. She shows great touch in the mid-post, and she doesn’t hesitate to shoot a rhythm catch. She isn’t uncomfortable outside, but if she can make shots consistently at 20-feet, watch out. She also played with a great motor and discipline defensively.
Bailey has always been an intriguing prospect because of her combination of height, length, and ball skill. She is a very effective point forward type who likes to push the ball in transition and attack the basket off the bounce. She is more of a straight-line driver in the half-court, but she can handle it against pressure, and she has gotten noticeably stronger. Additionally, I think her jump-shot looks more fluid and consistent, and she should start stretching her range soon. Defensively, she could still stand to be a tad quicker, especially switching onto smaller guards.
Highlights
I had seen Anna a few times in spurts this Spring, so this was my first chance to see her at length, and she has a lot of upside to her game. She has tremendous length, a wiry-strong frame, and she runs the floor well North/South. I think as she continues to gain strength and finish growing, she will gain more fluidity to her stride, but she already plays at all three levels skillfully. To me, she was best using her height/length in the mid-post and around the basket, but there is a bit of a perimeter game there that should continue to develop as well.
Highlights
Kenzie Koch
Kenzie Koch
I have seen Kenzie now for a couple of years, and she will finally step into the high school environment this Fall and make an instant impact for the Lady Royals. She has nice length, a wiry-strong frame, and good all-around quickness. She plays with a great deal of poise, her head is always up scanning the floor, but she can also use the dribble to break down defenders, and she can knock down shots from the perimeter. She is obviously still very young, but if she can build strength while maintaining and/or improving her explosiveness, that would be ideal moving forward.