The Finale: 2028 Forwards Step Up on Day-1

The featured image is of Emma Fuller (2028) of Providence H.S. (NC) and Lady Attack Elite (NC).   As the Summer begins to wind down, many of the grassroots teams in Indiana are off to any number of locations for the final "live" period of the season where they can be evaluated once again by schools of all levels, including NCAA Division I. I am in Hamilton, Ohio, at the annual "The Finale" tourney held by Select Events at Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill. Below is a look at some of the top performers in 2027, 2028, and 2029 when I was able to see them Friday afternoon.   .    It is so nice to see Grace back and playing healthy. She is extremely long, wiry, and smooth. She plays with a little bounce to her as well. She has such a versatile skillset, plus she has always played much stronger and more aggressive than she might appear. Grace can bury shot after shot from the perimeter when set and in rhythm, but she's also a change-of-direction driver who can finish through and around contact. I like her demeanor, her motor, and her willingness to get inside and rebound/defend. Look for her to have a great Junior year.     Kaylie is an extremely strong, powerful, physical perimeter player. She is really difficult to define by position, because she could honestly be labeled as a point guard, a shooter, or a wing, depending on how she is utilized. She has the handle of a point guard and can create space for herself or create for others off the bounce. She is also an accurate and quick-release shooter with some range or her perimeter stroke. Defensively, however, I feel like she's probably best taking on bigger guards and wings, because she can match strength with them.     This was my first time seeing Jordyn, and she is quite intriguing. When the game began, she was operating mostly around the paint, trying to score inside on post-ups, while using her tremendous height and length to her advantage. But after a few minutes, she skyed to block a shot, then suddenly she was a different player, handling the ball more, pushing it in transition, creating for others, and even looking to knock down the occasional 15-footer. She has a great deal of potential, especially if she can continue building upon her skillset.     Emma is probably pushing 6'5 now, and she was drawing her share of onlookers, as she was really good in and around the paint. She does a nice job of catching the ball high, keeping it high, and finishing around the rim. At the same time, she has really nice footwork, good balance, and defensively she is able to come out on the floor, sit down, and defend the ball + ball screens effectively. Emma also flashed a nice mid-post game, offensively. As she continues to get stronger and advance her skillset, she could become dominant inside of 15-feet.     Addison struck me as one of those kids who is just now figuring it all out and might not even know how good she can be. I am not one to hand out inches, but I would say she is closer to 6'2 now and looks like she'll continue to grow. She has extremely long arms, long legs, plus she is fluid & bouncy. She showed nice touch to the 3-point line, but she also has a solid handle at her height and can make some plays off the bounce. Defensively, she was more comfortable protecting the paint, blocking shots, but she can come out to defend the wing as well.     I had seen Leila briefly in the past, but this was my first time watching her at length, and she has a nice all-around game. She has a somewhat strong and physical game on the wing, she is a solid North/South driver, and she can absorb contact attacking the basket. She was hunting shots outside quite a bit, and for good reason, as she knocked down her share in the portion I saw. I think becoming a consistent multilevel scorer could really help her overall game, and she could step into a much bigger role as a Sophomore for the Lady Bulldogs.     I mentioned Lilly the other day in an article about 2029 wings, but she was again very good Friday. She has nice length, a wiry strength, and she's a fluid and somewhat bouncy athlete. She can put it on the floor and get to the basket, but she also has some touch from around the perimeter. She could still grow another inch or two, and I think she'll be one of those East Central kids who plays a lot early, maybe even starts for four years, and gains so much Varsity experience that she's a lot more prepared to step into a college situation.

The featured image is of Emma Fuller (2028) of Providence H.S. (NC) and Lady Attack Elite (NC).