Checking In: City Elite

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='324077' first='Gracie' last='Little'] (2025) of Washington Township High School and City Elite.   Over the last couple of years, City Elite has grown into a legitimate grassroots option for girls in Northwest Indiana. They have several of the better players from "The Region", plus they enter a lot of the top events throughout the Spring and Summer months. Sunday, I had the opportunity to check out a showcase they hosted for their girls, and below are six ladies who I felt college coaches will want to know sooner rather than later. They have several more throughout their program, so make sure to check them out this Spring on the circuit!   .   [player_tooltip player_id='570380' first='Andrea' last='Benefield'], 2025, 6-1 PF, Westville H.S. - Andrea had a really nice afternoon Sunday, and she is one of the under-the-radar kids in the 2025 class. She is extremely long, wiry-strong, fluidly athletic, and somewhat bouncy. She is physical and much more aggressive than her frame might suggest, and she does a really nice job of finishing at odd angles around the basket in a variety of ways. She looks to have added a better face-up jumper this year, and as that becomes more and more consistent, look for her interest to grow. Right now, she will likely draw interest from several of the quality small colleges in the Midwest.   [player_tooltip player_id='324077' first='Gracie' last='Little'], 2025, 5-7 PG, Washington Township H.S. - When Gracie was younger, she struck me as more of a shooting threat/scoring option for Washington Township. But over the last 18-24 months, she has developed into a nice point guard prospect. She is a high IQ kid, she sees the floor very well, and she plays with a craftiness to her game. She could still use some strength for the next level, but she does look noticeably stronger than a year ago. She can still knock down a shot when left alone, but her game now is creativity off the bounce, looking to get to the rim or find open teammates. She reminds me a little of 2024's [player_tooltip player_id='326487' first='Jayden' last='Flagg'] of New Prairie High School.   [player_tooltip player_id='486528' first='Laniah' last='Davis'], 2026, 5-8 SG, Marquette Catholic H.S. - Laniah put together a strong 2023-2024 campaign for Marquette, especially when it came to tournament time. She is a strong, physical, athletic attacker who can get to the rim anytime she wants. She has the ability to finish inside with either hand, over and around bigger prospects as well. She is a great offensive rebounder, especially of her own misses, and she can get put-backs away before the defense even reacts to the initial rebound. She has developed a nice mid-range pull-up, and her outside jumper continues to improve over time. She has the ability to become an elite on-ball defender as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='624858' first='Tenley' last='Davis'], 2026, 6-1 PF, Chesterton H.S. - As a Freshman, Tenley's talent was noticeable, but she was going through that somewhat awkward stage of growing into her frame and figuring it all out. As a Sophomore, she was much more complete, and now it's just a matter of her continuing to gain strength to absorb contact. But she was much more fluid and under control as an athlete; in fact, she was very explosive at times. She is bouncy, long, and she plays with a nice motor. She is very active around the rim and can score in a variety of ways, she has a nose for the ball, and she can block shots. She's also showing better touch facing the basket.   [player_tooltip player_id='486479' first='Addison' last='Penziol'], 2026, 5-4 PG, La Lumiere Preparatory - Addison was maybe the most well-balanced guard I saw during the day. She looks leaner, stronger, and more explosive than last Summer, and she was very good in all directions. She is a physical lefty, with quickness and some burst, and she did a nice job in transition of weaving her way through traffic and understanding where everyone was located. She found open teammates in positions to score, located defenders and drew contact, but she also found time to knock down her really nice pull-up jumper or get to the basket and finish strong. She also has a nice IQ and craftiness for the position.   [player_tooltip player_id='624883' first='Jordan' last='Steele'], 2026, 5-8 SG, Highland H.S. - Jordan was a legitimate perimeter shooting threat as a Freshman, and this year she is even better/more complete. She looks a little stronger, much more aggressive off the bounce, and she is really using the dribble nicely to create scoring opportunities for herself or others. She can still shoot it at a high level from the perimeter, but diversifying her game should really help her open up options. She'll still need a little strength, but she also might still gain another inch or two. Her older sister played at Eastern Illinois, and Jordan might even be a little more advanced when compared at the same age.

The featured image is of Gracie Little Gracie Little 5'7" | PG Washington Township | 2025 State IN (2025) of Washington Township High School and City Elite.