“Clashing” Again
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The featured image is of Kaelyse Mitchell Kaelyse Mitchell 6'5" | C Evansville F.J. Reitz | 2025 State IN (2025) of Evansville’s Francis Joseph Reitz High School and IGB S40-Scheidecker 17U. A little over a week ago was a big…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kaelyse Mitchell Kaelyse Mitchell 6'5" | C Evansville F.J. Reitz | 2025 State IN (2025) of Evansville’s Francis Joseph Reitz High School and IGB S40-Scheidecker 17U.
A little over a week ago was a big step in the course of a grassroots season, as it was the first time NCAA Division-I women’s basketball coaches were allowed to be out evaluating prospects. I spent my time in Hamilton, Ohio, watching The Clash…a huge event that has provided many kids the opportunity to be “seen” over the past several years. After you remove the core shoe company teams, many of the rest of the better teams/programs in the Midwest, Northeast, and South were in attendance. This serves as the fifth of eight articles I am writing to review some Indiana prospects who stood out to me at the event. This is not everyone who played well, nor is it someone from every single team…there were too many teams/prospects in attendance to cover everyone adequately. However, below are several prospects who played well when I was able to see them.
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Kaelyse has stood out for quite some time, because she has always been tall. However, she is starting to figure it all out and have consistent efforts each game. She is using her frame to create physicality instead of just lean on defenders, and she’s finding that she’s able to rise above shot-blocking arms and finish. Defensively, she is running in transition much better, and she’s most comfortable rooting out her matchup and keeping them off the lane. She will still need to sit down lower and wider and defend out on the floor better, but her growth as a player over the last 12-18 months has been nice to see.
Hello, Zyann!! Talk about growth over the past year, Zyann has gotten noticeably stronger, more confident, and much more aggressive. In one of the games I saw, she was consistently knocking down perimeter jumpers, attacking off the bounce North/South and finishing at the basket, and she looked like an effective scorer that could draw some really nice small college interest this Spring & Summer. She can play in the mid-post as well with her strength and athleticism, but if she can shoot it this consistently all the time, she defends well enough to play on the wing full-time.
When I watch Ashiyah play, I think she is a kid who is going to surprise some people and be even better at the next level. She was a key sub on a loaded Lawrence North team this year, and she hasn’t really had her moment to shine in high school or grassroots basketball in the past. But she is extremely long, somewhat bouncy, and just strong enough she doesn’t get moved easily inside. She is one of those kids who I think will get stronger, maintain her athleticism, and learn how to really score it in that mid-post area. Look for her to draw some good D2/NAIA interest over the next few months.
When you first see Leah, whether that’s in warmups or early in the game, you think she is just going to go straight to the block and dominate inside. She definitely has that in her, and with her hands and soft touch, I honestly would like to see a little more of that dominance. However, she has also worked so hard over the years on her touch and perimeter game, that she is great as the “trail”, she can stick open jumpers, and she has turned herself into an effective North/South driver. I really like her inside-out ability, and I think she can be a matchup problem as a face-up ‘4’ at the next level.
Highlights
Whitney has become a favorite of mine to watch over the last couple of grassroots seasons, and she just continues to find ways to impact the game more and more. She is one of the toughest kids on the circuit, she is physical, aggressive, but also skilled and has a high basketball IQ. She has turned into a dangerous shooter from outside, she’s a nice North/South driver, and she has started to handle it more in transition and initiate the offense. She has been one of the stronger kids on her team each of the last two Summers, so she has defended forwards. I would like to see her defend out on the floor more.
Highlights
I feel like over the past 12-18 months, Brooklyn has gone from being more of a shooter/scorer to becoming a playmaker, for herself and others. She still shoots it well from the perimeter, she has great touch at the free throw line, but now she’s attacking the basket more. As she continues to learn how to finish in traffic and find open teammates, I think she will continue building her game into that of a more traditional point guard. She is a nice all-around athlete with some quickness, and she has a solid handle, but putting herself in those creative situations should really help her instinctually.
Highlights
Hannah is a bit of a ‘tweener, but she is a strong, athletic, competitive forward who absolutely battles at both ends of the floor. I feel like she’s more of a ‘4’ right now skillfully, but athletically she can play outside, defend wings, and even attack from the perimeter. She is great in the mid-post, and she can even move bigger post players to grab rebounds or just keep them away from the basket. If she can continue her skillful growth as a wing, work on a consistent jumper to 3-point range, and be a little more dynamic off the bounce, she could be a powerful wing prospect.