Hoosier Hotbeds: #6 St. Joseph County

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='295780' first='Ryiah' last='Wilson'] (2025) of South Bend's Washington High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the years, we've taken the time to look at how different counties from Hoosierland stack up against each other. This year, we're back at it, but we're having more of a countdown spread over a few articles, instead of one article highlighting just a few prospects. I began by taking a quick look at eight counties who were close to making our Top 10, but who were just on the outside looking in. Now, we're well into our Top 10 list, continuing with #6, St. Joseph County.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With our Top 10 counties, they are divided into five "starters" plus seven additional players to act as a "bench". I tried to stay as true to form as an all-star team would, with at least a couple of guards and a couple of wings/forwards as "starters". The fifth "starter" is likely to be a post player, if there are any worthy of making the 12-player list. If there isn't a post in that group of 12 players, I added another guard or forward, depending on what looks like a quality 5-player lineup. From there, the next seven players are based on a combination of PGH ranking, talent, and skill, regardless of position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Disclaimer: I specifically used the classes of 2025-2027 to determine county strength, since the 2028 class has yet to play a high school game.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">BACKCOURT "STARTERS"</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["295780"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c73f66a6489"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ryiah is one of the most explosive athletes at the guard position in the entire state, regardless of class. She is one of the best end-to-end on-ball defenders, and she can nearly control opposing ball-handlers. She is an effective scorer getting to the basket, and she has improved her vision and all-around skill. On a team such as this, she would be great at drawing defense away from teammates, so it would be difficult for opponents to faceguard or double anyone. She averaged 14.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 5.6 steals as a Junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["295745"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c73f66a6503"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jessa is a really nice all-around basketball player, and she is someone who would certainly benefit by being in a lineup like this, because she is a very good perimeter shooter. She can handle it and run a little offense at times as well, but her multilevel scoring ability stands out most. She is very strong and physical at guard, she can get North/South and attack the basket, plus she has a really nice basketball IQ and feel for the game. She was a 12.4 point per game scorer for Penn a year ago, but she could see that grow as a Senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["295766"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c73f66a655b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Monique is another extremely talented athlete on the wing. She has great length, a wiry-strong, athletic frame, and she can run &amp; jump with the best of them in the state. Her versatility is what I love about her game. She tends to let the game come to her offensively, almost too much at times, but when she wants, she can fill it up from outside, attack and finish in different ways inside, plus she can sit down and defend multiple positions the length of the floor. She is also a nice pursuing rebounder as a wing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">FRONTCOURT "STARTERS"</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["295770"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c73f66a65ae"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kira is one of the most talented and versatile forwards in the state. The Purdue University commit can play with her back to the basket against undersized defenders, she is elite in the mid-post where she can shoot or drive it, plus around the perimeter she can knock down an open rhythm 3-pointer or find open teammates. She is also one of the best interior defenders, averaging 11.2 rebounds and 6.5 blocked shots per game last season and 11.0 rebounds plus 5.6 blocked shots throughout her 76-game career thus far.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["828026"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c73f66a6609"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Maliya is probably the least known of this "starting five", and she is a bit under the radar in terms of recruiting, but she has talent. She isn't a big grassroots kid because she is a good volleyball player as well. She is strong, physical, and plays with a really nice motor. She runs the floor well, can finish in transition, plus her back-to-the-basket game has improved from year to year. She was at Clay last year, but Clay closed, so she's at John Adams now. In 2023-2024 she averaged 11.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocked shots per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><font size="+2">THE NEXT SEVEN</font></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='633002' first='Maddison' last='Lawson']</strong>, 2027, 5-5 PG, South Bend John Adams H.S.<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1122812' first='Kenadie' last='Schrock']</strong>, 2025, 5-6 CG, South Bend St. Joseph H.S.<br><strong>Alivia Turnage</strong>, 2025, 5-7 SG/SF, John Glenn H.S.<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1218593' first='Brooke' last='Edison']</strong>, 2025, 5-8 SF, LaVille H.S.<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256528' first='Kayla' last='Woods']</strong>, 2026, 5-7 PF, South Bend St. Joseph H.S.<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834954' first='Anna' last='McCullough']</strong>, 2027, 5-10 PF, Penn H.S.<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='670343' first='Anna' last='Sachire']</strong>, 2026, 6-1 PF, Penn H.S.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->