A First Glance

Brandon Bradley October 9, 2024 @ 10:35 AM

Sunday, I spent the afternoon at Thomas Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Indiana, watching the [program_tooltip program_id='712570' first='Indiana's' last='Best'] Back to School League. While in attendance I saw a number of faces I had never seen before, so below is a look at a handful of "new" prospects who stood out to me in the time I was able to see them.   .   [player_tooltip player_id='1122682' first='Amani' last='Byrd'], 2025, 5-6 SG, Lafayette Jefferson H.S. - Amani is a really nice, talented athlete, who seemed to play with an outstanding motor. She was on attack each time she caught the ball, and she often blew by her defender to get to the rim or at least draw contact. She has nice length, speed & quickness, plus some bounce to her game. I wasn't really able to evaluate her perimeter shooting, but with the addition of 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='486509' first='Maya' last='Layton'] this year, Amani should have easier scoring opportunities during her Senior year.   D'Aniyah Johnson, 2026, 5-7 SF, Lafayette Jefferson H.S. - D'Aniyah is another nice athlete for the Bronchos. She has broad shoulders, some strength, nice length, and she's a solid North/South athlete. She can use her frame to play physically in and around the paint, she can be a handful from the mid-post, plus she has some skill around the perimeter and can get to the rim. She is a very active rebounder and finds a lot of second-chance points, plus she showed some versatility at the defensive end of the floor.   Keara Allen, 2027, 5-7 SG, McCutcheon H.S. - Keara was at Benton Central as a Freshman but has transferred to McCutcheon this season. She is extremely long and wiry, fluidly athletic, plus she possesses quickness and some bounce to her. She handles it to create offense, and she often got her defender off-balance and was able to glide to the rim. She has some touch outside, but once she ensures she has rhythm on each attempt, I think her percentages will climb. She also showed ability as a defender, using her length.   [player_tooltip player_id='1137319' first='Layla' last='Gomez'], 2027, 5-11 PF, Southmont H.S. - Layla is an incredibly deceptive problem for opponents. She has broad shoulders and a strong frame. She is physical and can compete around the paint for scores and rebounds. However, she also has really nice skill around the perimeter. She can handle it in transition, find open teammates with her vision and awareness, plus she can create offense off the bounce as well. She has such a versatile skillset offensively, plus she brings size, strength, and interior value defensively.   Lauren Potts, 2027, 5-4 PG, Lafayette Central Catholic H.S. - I think the easiest way to describe Lauren's play Sunday is scrappy/feisty. She isn't very big, but she is always around the ball, she has speed & quickness, a nice motor, and she has craftiness offensively. She can knock down an open rhythm jumper, create offense off the dribble, or she can act as a game manager and just make sure the ball gets where it needs to go. She was also a gnat defensively, constantly hounding the opposing ball-handler. She's fun to watch.   Crickette Draghici, 2028, 6-0 PF, Twin Lakes H.S. - Crickette is a really nice prospect who could draw a lot of interest in the next couple of years. She has tremendous length and the potential to grow another inch or two. As she is able to absorb contact better in the future, she will become even more consistent, but she was playing physical and battling inside Sunday, constantly getting put-backs and scoring it inside of 12-feet. She's also a fairly fluid and bouncy athlete. In a couple of years, she could be a 6-2 face-up '4'.

Sunday, I spent the afternoon at Thomas Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Indiana, watching the Indiana’s Best Back to School League. While in attendance I saw a number of faces I had never seen before, so below is a look at a handful of "new" prospects who stood out to me in the time I was able to see them.