Indiana Freshman Showcase: Top Defensive Stoppers

On Sunday, the state of Indiana held their PGH Freshman Showcase at Fischer's high school. This event was filled with talent of all shapes and sizes, from all across the state. There were Point Guards with talented handles, Shooting Guards who looked like they have been playin varsity for years now, Forwards that were flying down the floor with elite pace, and Centers that were dominating the paint with their mixture of coordination + footwork.   Below I am going to highlight five defensive stoppers, in no particular order, that displayed their skill to the best of their ability on Sunday.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   #648 - [player_tooltip player_id='751035' first='Alexis' last='Finchum'] - 5'3 - SG - Charlestown H.S. - Indiana Prospects AAU   [player_tooltip player_id='751035' first='Alexis' last='Finchum'] was a heck of a defender on Sunday. A player that may not standout to most by looks but once you see her play, you'll understand what she is all about. Someone who will pick up full court pressure because she is frustrated on offense, creates a lot of steals and turnovers for her team. Not to mention that her pure on-ball defense is just nasty. She beats her opponents to their spots, changes direction on the drop of a dime, and keeps her hands off while doing so. Finchum stood out to a lot of people at this Showcase because of her efforts on the defensive end.   #48 - [player_tooltip player_id='751101' first='Marissa' last='Pleasant'] - 5'5 - PG - Marquette Catholic H.S. - [program_tooltip program_id='714268' first='Region' last='Rebels'] AAU   An individual that plays defense by keeping the game simple and letting it come to her is [player_tooltip player_id='751101' first='Marissa' last='Pleasant']. Pleasant was a team leader at this Showcase. Someone who brought the positive energy for her team while trying to help them to victory in each contest that they participated in. If you are a smaller guard, you need to be able to do two things efficiently to play at a high level in college. 1 - Shoot the ball well, 2 - Create chaos on defense every possession. Pleasant does both of these things well but definitely excels on the defensive side of the ball. I'll be interested as to what the future holds for her but as for Sunday, she looked pretty solid.   #55 - Riley Simms - 5'6 - PG/SG - Columbus North H.S. - [program_tooltip program_id='712524' first='Grand' last='Park Premier'] AAU   Riley Simms reminds me of another player at the high school level that I have scouted this summer in a different state. The type of player that is versatile in what she does on the floor, making her possible fit at the next level a little bit more, "possible" , per se. Simms stands at around 5'6 and has an act for being in the right spot, at the right time. She is always making herself available and it really helps her team when they are in a pinch. She has the ability to guard a smaller, quicker point guard or she can move to an alike size player and create turnovers off of her knowledge of where the opponent will put the basketball in certain moments. Pretty impressive stuff going into your freshman year of high school ball.   #633 - [player_tooltip player_id='751299' first='Bri' last='Brown'] - 5'10 - CG/F - Brownsburg H.S. - IGB15U GUAA   The promise on defense for [player_tooltip player_id='751299' first='Bri' last='Brown'] is displayed in her mixture of size and athleticism. Brown stands at 5'10 with some good muscle mass to go along with that. She moves quickly down the floor, usually beating her opponents, whichever way she is going. On offense this plays well because Brown received some easy buckets down in the transition, while also stepping up to guard her opponent early on the other side of the floor. I saw Brown display on more than one occasion that she was the best player on the floor for her team on Sunday. She just needs to take this momentum and ride it into the high school season now.   #60 - [player_tooltip player_id='751120' first='Shania' last='Curry'] - 5'8 - SG - Ben Davis 9th Grade Center - TY Harris Elite AAU   [player_tooltip player_id='751120' first='Shania' last='Curry'] is another one of those players that shows good promising moving forward after what I saw at this Showcase. Curry only stands at around 5'8 but she is lengthy with a very high motor. The type of player that can get a bucket on offense or a major stop on defense solely because of her Will to do so. She gets her hands-on a lot of passes, creating a lot of tips and deflections, eventually leading to turnovers for her team. I would need to see Curry play more and in a structured high school setting to really feel out her complete game but defensively, she is solid.

On Sunday, the state of Indiana held their PGH Freshman Showcase at Fischer's high school. This event was filled with talent of all shapes and sizes, from all across the state. There were Point Guards with talented handles, Shooting Guards who looked like they have been playin varsity for years now, Forwards that were flying down the floor with elite pace, and Centers that were dominating the paint with their mixture of coordination + footwork.