Friday Night in Derby City
In this article:
The featured image is of Kya Hurt Kya Hurt 5'7" | PG Lawrence North | 2025 State IN (2025) of Lawrence North High School and IGB GUAA 17U. For the second time this Spring, an NCAA “live” period is upon…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kya Hurt Kya Hurt 5'7" | PG Lawrence North | 2025 State IN (2025) of Lawrence North High School and IGB GUAA 17U.
For the second time this Spring, an NCAA “live” period is upon us. As has been the case the last few years, Louisville is one spot a number of top Midwestern programs travel to for recruiting visibility. With the PGA Tour also in town, Derby City is crowded with sports fans this weekend. I was able to arrive in time to watch three hours worth of games Friday night, but I saw quite a few nice small college prospects who deserve the mention below.
.
This Indiana’s Best squad has been fun to watch this year, and Maddy is a big part of that. She plays so hard each time out, competes each possession, but she has also done a nice job over the last couple of years of transitioning from being a slashing athlete to becoming more of a point guard offensively. She has nice on-court awareness, she handles pressure, and she can defend both backcourt spots.
Kya was Lawrence North’s starting point guard all Winter, and she has been great so far this Spring, picking up multiple Division-I offers. She is strong at her size, she has length, and she’s athletic. She has speed and quickness, she can change directions, and she has shown the ability to score it at all three levels equally well. I feel like she is really just starting to scratch the surface of her potential, too.
Friday was my first time seeing Kanyonrae this Spring. She looks noticeably stronger from a year ago, but she also looks like she’s playing with more poise and discipline. She has always had a playmaking element to her game, and she has transitioned from being more of a point forward, to now being a truer scoring guard who can also handle and create. She has elite small college potential.
Highlights
Brooklyn is a great water-bug, quick, fast, bouncy, and always active. But what I have been more impressed with is her ability to stop & start, change speeds while changing directions, and picking the right moments to be explosive, while also choosing when to be patient well. She can get into gaps and find open teammates, but she also hit four 3-pointers Friday night, keeping the defense honest.
Highlights
Lyllee Schnell
Lyllee Schnell
Lyllee is a solid Southern Indiana post player who could have a nice small college future ahead of her. She has a long, athletically strong frame, she runs the floor North/South well, and she plays with a nice motor. She’s willing to be physical, and she has basic instincts in the post, but as she continues developing her core strength and a go-to move, she will only be more and more effective down low.
Addi recently joined this Indy Magic program, and she made an instant impact Friday night. She has an athletic frame, length, and nice strength at her size. She is a very good perimeter shooter, and that’s what she’s known most for, but she has started handling it more often and more effectively. She isn’t bothered much by pressure, and she defends hard. She’s a high-academic kid as well.
Highlights
Grace showcased a nice, athletic game on the wing last Summer and Fall, but now she looks even stronger and much more assertive. To be able to combine her skillful wing game with her strength and athleticism, Grace has a really nice future ahead of her. Friday night, she helped her team compete for much of the game against a top-level shoe company program. Expect for her to have a big Junior year.
Highlights
Claire Stoops
Claire Stoops
Killing time waiting on a game to start on a nearby court, I had the opportunity to watch Claire for several minutes. She is long, wiry-strong, and fluidly athletic and smooth. She has natural point guard skill and a nice feel for the game. She reminds me a bit of 2024’s Ellie Kelleher of Westfield. I was surprised to find out she is just a 6th Grader playing with a talented group of 8th Graders.