Proving Ground: 2026 Notables

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='655457' first='Rowan' last='Radaszewski'] (2026) of Breckinridge County High School (KY) and [program_tooltip program_id='714250' first='Indiana' last='Pride']-Duke 17U..</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just a few days ago, Select Events brought the Proving Ground showcase to Westfield and Lebanon, Indiana, and it drew several of the state's and region's top grassroots programs. There were a number of outstanding games at all levels, and there were some big-time individual performances. Below, I wanted to take the time to highlight eight ladies from the 2026 class who I felt were notable. They may or may not have been the most talented prospects or had the top performances from the weekend, but I felt like each deserved a mention because of things I saw out of their play at the event. Prospects are arranged alphabetically by last name.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["486535"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Kenedi had some tough matchups throughout the weekend, especially playing in the 17U division, but she was clearly one of the best, if not the best ball-handler for her Illinois Lady Lightning team. She is a really nice athlete, she has speed u0026amp; quickness, and she plays with a motor. I also felt like Kenedi's on-ball defense was solid as well. As she continues to adjust to the size and speed of playing high-level 17U hoops, look for her awareness to improve, as well as her ability to handle pressure. She has proven she can score, so playing a full-time point guard role would be even better.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["624875"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Laila is nothing but upside at this time, and she is definitely someone who coaches will likely be recruiting much harder a year from now. She has great length, some bounce, end-to-end speed, and a wiry-strong, athletic frame. She still has the occasional u0022baby deeru0022 moment, but you can see a great deal of talent, and some skill, within her game. She is solid with her back to the basket, but she almost looks like she prefers playing facing the basket in the mid-post. She likes to snag rebounds and push it up the floor a dribble or two as well. As it all comes together for her, watch out!!","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='928914' first='Brinley' last='Clark']","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"12124","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Floyd Central","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='805349' first='Indiana' last='Prospects']","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"This was my first time seeing Brinley live, and she was very intriguing and a likely candidate to show up in our June rankings update. She has an extremely long and wiry frame, she is a solid all-around athlete, and she has noticeable skill. She can handle the ball and initiate an offense, plus she has some touch and nice vision. Her awareness is that of a guard, but she is probably more of a forward defensively at this time. As she finishes growing and gains strength, I'll be curious to see how much more fluid and explosive she can become, because she definitely has some tools.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["486506"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Mary always seems to be one of the hardest working kids on the floor, and while it's not mentioned often enough, she typically showcases some of the best sportsmanship towards her teammates and opponents. Mary is a nice all-around athlete, she has gotten stronger in the last year, and she takes care of the ball. She isn't going to necessarily overwhelm you in any one area, but she also isn't deficient at anything. She can run offense, make an open jumper, or attack and create. She is also one of the better on-ball defenders in the class. She will draw a lot of small college interest.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["486495"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"If there is one thing that stands out about Olivia in every game I have seen, it's that she is going to give it all she has every possession, win or lose. She is a nice athlete, she has length, and she has a wiry-strong build to her. Olivia plays with a quiet toughness, she'll battle for boards, take charges, and dive on loose balls, and she does it all with the same focused expression. Defensively, she can take on bigger guards and wings, and she won't shy away from a switch to a forward. Offensively, she will show the same versatility, from playing in the mid-post to around the perimeter.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["832703"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"I got wind of Mylee during the high school season, but this was my first time seeing her in-person. She is definitely intriguing, and I can see why she is able to put up good numbers for her high school team. She has a long but athletically strong frame, she's a solid athlete in most directions, and she plays with a great motor. She switches ends of the floor quickly, she'll battle inside for post position, rebounds, and defensively, but she is also comfortable facing the basket in the mid-post and the short corners. I need to see her again soon, but she could become a really nice small college prospect.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["655457"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Rowan is a Kentucky native, but she plays for an Indiana squad, and she has been impactful for them just about every time she has taken the floor. She is extremely long and wiry, she does have a little strength to her, but she prefers to face the rim a lot and take face-up jumpers. Her range will occasionally extend to the 3-point line, and she can be a matchup problem out there because of her height, length, and ability to go off the bounce a little bit. As she continues to get stronger, look for her to attack the basket a lot more and use the mid-range game as a weapon as well.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1256524' first='Nina' last='Whitehead']","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"5'3u0022","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"12123","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"North Central (Indianapolis)","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='821312' first='Ty' last='Harris Elite']","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_7_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Nina isn't very tall, but she plays with a lot of toughness, physicality, and energy. She is more so quick than fast, but she can get the ball up the floor in a hurry. I really like how she doesn't try to play bigger than she is, and she stays compact and keeps the ball away from opponents. She is great at getting gaps and splitting defenders, plus she has good vision and consistently finds open teammates. I didn't get the chance to see her shoot it from the perimeter, so that's an area I'll need to evaluate more, but I did like her as a creator on offense, and as an on-ball defender.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661adf750008f"} /-->