Collecting A Carom

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the regular season having concluded, and the postseason getting underway this week, I wanted to circle back and make note of players who excelled during the 2023-2024 season in several different statistical categories. These statistics have been pulled from MaxPreps, so if you feel like someone has been omitted, it's likely because their school/coach didn't update their statistics online, or they don't have enough games entered yet to qualify. Below is a look at the top five rebounders from this season, regardless of school classification or graduation year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="#FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">12.8 rpg - [player_tooltip player_id='486521' first='Laniah' last='Wills'], 2026, Lapel H.S.</font></strong><br>- I've been watching Laniah since she was in between 7th and 8th grade, and she has always flashed immense athletic talent and a smoothness to her game. Last season as a rookie, she helped Lapel to the State Finals, and she was dominant on the glass, something she has repeated again this season as a Sophomore. She continues to try to expand her offensive skillset, but her nose for the ball and ability to collect rebounds outside of her area is crucial to her and her team's success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">12.6 rpg - Cheyenne DeJong, 2024, Illiana Christian H.S.</font></strong><br>- Illiana Christian is in just their fourth year as an IHSAA State Tournament eligible program. I am not terribly familiar with Cheyenne, but the 5-7 forward clearly outplays her size and has used effort and toughness to collect 702 rebounds already in her 4-year career. What's more impressive is that nearly half (<em>336</em>) of those rebounds have come at the offensive end of the floor. She does have nice length, solid athleticism, and a wiry-strong frame to her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">12.1 rpg - Alyssa Simpson, 2024, Rising Sun H.S.</font></strong><br>- Alyssa is a prospect hidden down along the Ohio River near Cincinnati, but all she has done throughout her career is work at her game. She has averaged double digit rebounds the last three years of her career, and she is now over 900 for her career. She has also been an active rebounder at 5-10, chasing down a number of offensive rebounds. This season, she has figured out how to score it at a much higher rate (<em>16.9 ppg</em>), making her a double-double threat each time she takes the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">11.8 rpg - [player_tooltip player_id='834925' first='Kylah' last='Patterson'], 2027, Hammond Morton H.S.</font></strong><br>- I mentioned Kylah earlier today in the article about top scorers, and as a rebounder, she is a problem. She is extremely active and athletic, she chases down boards all over the floor, and whether she is rebounding her own miss or someone else's, she is a quick second-jumper who can rise up before others have landed following their first leap. As she learns to let the game come to her and becomes more efficient, she could be scary good and an even bigger problem for opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">11.4 rpg - [player_tooltip player_id='201885' first='Faith' last='Wiseman'], 2024, Indian Creek H.S.</font></strong><br>- Yes, you can simply look at the fact that Faith is 6-4 and say she has an advantage over the four girls mentioned above. However, Faith has gotten stronger and more physical over the years, she seeks contact/box-outs, and she will drive people away from the boards. She also has very nice athleticism at her size, and she's able to chase down caroms outside of her area. If you only concentrate on her height, you clearly aren't taking into account all she does at her height.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->