Spring Rankings: Jumpin Up The 2025 List
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The featured image is of Ellie Richardson Ellie Richardson 5'8" | CG Scottsburg | 2025 State IN (2025) of Scottsburg High School and Indiana Elite Drive S40. In this article, I wanted to take the time to talk about a…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Ellie Richardson Ellie Richardson 5'8" | CG Scottsburg | 2025 State IN (2025) of Scottsburg High School and Indiana Elite Drive S40.
In this article, I wanted to take the time to talk about a handful of young ladies who, for one reason or another, have quickly risen in the Class of 2025 rankings. Some have grown and/or gotten stronger, others have continued their skill development, while in the end, anyone in this article has figured out ways to be more productive and draw more attention to their abilities from college coaches.
At the point guard position, Aniah Smith Aniah Smith 5'3" | PG Avon | 2025 State IN of Avon and Lilly Bischoff Lilly Bischoff 5'8" | PG Center Grove | 2025 State IN of Center Grove stand out to me. When it comes to undersized prospects, where Smith fits in, I am usually a little cautious when they are younger, because the college game just keeps getting taller and longer without sacrificing any speed. Then there is Smith…at some point you just have to watch a kid enough and say, “well, she can flat out get it done.” She has drawn Division-I onlookers at her high school games, travel games, and showcases over the past year, and at some point, this Spring, I expect it will manifest into a lot of recruiting interest. She is electric…quick, fast, and shifty…and she can really score the ball from all levels. I feel like the coach willing to look past her size will be rewarded with a very talented individual. As for Bischoff, she isn’t going to “wow” you with elite speed or anything like that. She is elite in taking care of the basketball, getting it where it needs to go on time and on target, and she also has the ability to make shots herself. She is tough-nosed, hard-working, and intelligent with the ball in her hands. She has great poise under pressure, and she offers a calming influence to her teammates when she handles that pressure. I would expect for her to continue her steady play throughout the Spring & Summer and pile up consistent outing after consistent outing.
With combo or off-guards, I feel like Ellie Richardson Ellie Richardson 5'8" | CG Scottsburg | 2025 State IN of Scottsburg has made a nice jump since this time a year ago. She is noticeably stronger, stronger with the ball as well, and she can get downhill in a hurry, especially left-handed. She has always been a knockdown shooter, and adding her ability to score/make plays off the bounce only helps her effectiveness. She can and will play point for Scottsburg, but I feel like she’s just better coming off of screens, catching and shooting from the wing. I also really like what I’ve seen out of Jacklynn Hosier Jacklynn Hosier 5'8" | SG Alexandria-Monroe | 2025 State IN of Alexandria-Monroe and Madi Allen Madi Allen 5'9" | SG North Decatur | 2025 State IN of North Decatur so far this Spring. Both have been productive through a tournament or two already this month. Hosier is extremely long, wiry, and fluidly athletic. She is great defensively, and she often gets her hands on balls in passing lanes, whether it be a deflection or a true steal. She has also worked on her handle and perimeter touch, but she’s best out in transition. Allen was really good at the Shamrock, and she just looks much more self-confident. She is playing stronger, more explosively, and she looks like a natural guard now, where a year ago I felt like she was more of a wing transitioning into a guard role. But she can create or shoot/score it herself, plus she’s an active and athletic defender.
Nina Garner Nina Garner 6'0" | SF Munster | 2025 State IN of Munster is a kid you will want to keep on your radar. She is extremely long, wiry-strong, but she’s also incredibly quick-footed. She can sit down and effectively defend point guards with her length and quickness, taking away traditional passing lanes they’re used to. Offensively, she is still best as a mid-post scorer or attacker from the perimeter, but her jump-shot could still use a little more consistency. But you can see she has put in time on it, plus she has worked on making her handle a bit more dynamic. She has already drawn some Crossroads League (NAIA) interest, and she should really have an outstanding Spring & Summer. I’ve also been a fan of the 3-year progression of Madison Sonsini Madison Sonsini 6'0" | SF Greenfield-Central | 2025 State IN of Greenfield-Central. As a Freshman, she was this rather slender wing shooter, about 5-8, playing for Richmond. By her Sophomore year, she was up to 5-10 or so and doing more things off the dribble. Now, she is so much stronger, every bit of 6-0 tall, and she’s able to play inside-out. She can use her size and strength to dominate the mid-post and even post up smaller defenders. But she has touch and a handle around the perimeter, and she’s capable of pushing tempo in transition. Depending on the system she goes into at the college level, she could play an undersized ‘4’ with small forward skill and give them so much versatility and potency at the offensive end of the floor, while not sacrificing size defensively.
Along the frontline, there are three ladies who I feel like will have big Springs, based on what I’ve seen at a handful of March events already. The first is Morgan Montgomery Morgan Montgomery 5'10" | PF Brownsburg | 2025 State IN of Brownsburg. She is a strong/powerful athlete who can get up and down the floor. She has a nice physicality to her game, plus she is very skilled in the mid-post. She can flash, catch, rip, and attack, but can also knock down that mid-post jump-shot consistently. Additionally, she isn’t uncomfortable around the perimeter, and she can defend a variety of wings and forwards. I’ve also been a big fan the last couple of years of Emerson Vlcan Emerson Vlcan 6'2" | C Center Grove | 2025 State IN of Center Grove. She has been on a very talented roster and hasn’t seen a lot of opportunity, but she is a legitimate prospect. She is extremely long, wiry, fast, and bouncy. She is probably best as a face-up ‘5’, if you will, because while she does try to be physical inside, she still needs more strength, plus she has the skill to face the basket productively. That brings me to Layla Williams Layla Williams 6'3" | C Fort Wayne Wayne | 2025 State IN of Fort Wayne’s Wayne High School. Layla has grown about three inches and gotten much stronger since a year ago, and she still has some room for growth. She has gone from that “baby deer” analogy people like to make, to a productive mid-post-and-in center for the Wayne Generals. What do people notice when they first walk in the gym? Size. And with her length and ability to get North/South, she will absolutely attract onlookers, so if she shows even a little of her improved skillset, the college interest should quickly follow.