Continued Coverage of “The Clash”
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The featured image is of Ava Mikesell Ava Mikesell 5'4" | PG Northeastern | 2025 State IN (2025) of Northeastern High School and Always 100 Stars NE2K 17U. A little over a week ago was a big step in the…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Ava Mikesell Ava Mikesell 5'4" | PG Northeastern | 2025 State IN (2025) of Northeastern High School and Always 100 Stars NE2K 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 sixth 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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Paulecia is a dynamic little guard who can flat out fill it up. For her high school team, she acts as more of a scorer than a facilitator. But for her grassroots team, she does a little of both. She has very good speed & quickness, she can get into gaps without trouble, and she is able to make shots at all levels. At her size, she could definitely stand to be a little more efficient and work on shot selection, however, she has great playmaking ability, and I feel like with her athletic ability and overall awareness of the game, she could be a problem as a creator at the small college level.
Ava is another really nice, skillful point guard prospect. She is a highly competitive, facilitator-first type of playmaker, and she seems to do whatever it takes to help her teams win. She can shoot/score it a little, but I really like her ability to run an offense, get the ball where it needs to go on-time/on-target, and her ability to anticipate things in advance. Defensively, she is feisty at that end of the floor as well, and she can contain opposing ball-handlers or direct them at times one direction or another. I anticipate her having a really nice small college career in a winning program.
Last weekend was my first time seeing Mya in-person and she is intriguing. She has some strength and an athletic frame, broad shoulders, plus a little length. She is a nice North/South athlete who can attack the basket from the perimeter and finish around the rim. She seemed to compete and play hard each possession, she will get inside and rebound some, plus she is physical defensively. I need to see more of her and how well she does defending ball-screens, defending quicker ball-handlers, etc., but my initial impression was that she could be a solid small college prospect.
Westfield had really nice size on Varsity in their 2024 and 2025 classes, and it appears as though they have more in the pipeline. Audra has a solid to strong frame, nice length, and she moves fairly well around the floor. She changed ends with effort, and she had some skill facing the basket in the mid-post. I’m not sure she’ll ever be a back-to-the-basket kid, but as a face-up ‘4’, she already does a nice job. She can stick the 15-foot jumper, put it on the floor 2 to 3 dribbles and get somewhere productively, plus she’s solid in screen-and-roll situations. I would like to see if she can defend out on the floor.
Highlights
Kamri is a problem on a high school court, and she’s starting to become the same on a grassroots court. She is a strong, athletic, effortful wing who will run through walls for her team. She can handle it a little, she’s an unselfish passer, and she’s a nice North/South attacker. She has a little touch outside, and that is improving, plus she is a willing rebounder inside. She can defend bigger guards and wings, plus the occasional undersized forward. I’m just not sure if she’s a point forward, a wing guard, or whatever else. She is just a nice, solid ballplayer, who can adapt to most situations.
Sarah Thompson
Sarah Thompson
This was my first time seeing Sarah in-person, but she has had a really nice career through two seasons for Oregon-Davis. She has some length, a solid to strong frame, and she is an effortful worker. She can play a little inside, a lot in the mid-post, and a little outside. I really like how she competes and tries to battle for rebounds. She has a nice general feel for the game and solid skill, but I feel like she just needs to continue playing against grassroots competition more. Once she adjusts to the size and speed of the Spring/Summer, it should really help her during the Winter months.
Novea Brandon
Novea Brandon
This is another prospect I was able to see for the first time. Novea is extremely long and wiry, she has a little North/South speed, but she’s more fluid than anything. She likes to attack the basket off the bounce, especially to her right, and she doesn’t shy away from contact. I think as she gets older and naturally adds some strength, it will really help her finish inside of 15-feet a lot more. I didn’t really get the chance to see her shoot it from outside, so that’s an area of her game I will need to continue evaluating. But all in all, she seemed like a nice, young, wait-and-see prospect.