Valuable Centers at the Indiana Freshman Showcase

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Centers are often a hard position to find the right player for due to the versatile talents that a player needs to occupy at all times, but yet are considered the backbone of any given team. At PGH's Indiana Freshman Showcase on Sept. 6, we saw several girls that embodied valuable centers. Let's take a look at some of the Class of 2029 centers that scouts should keep an eye on as they continue to grow throughout their basketball careers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1263977"],"_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-68c07f9712c51"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">As a center on Team 1 at the Freshman Showcase, Malia dominated the paint by grabbing rebounds to secure possessions for her teammates. She was able to give her team many second chances to make scoring field goals by making sure to get as many offensive rebounds as she could. As a center, Malia's tasks on the court extend to defending the rim, which she was able to do exceedingly by putting considerable pressure on the opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1263958"],"_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-68c07f9712ca9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Leighton is currently a strong center for her basketball team at Ben David High School. At the Freshman Showcase, Leighton excelled with positioning and timing, which aided her team in several different ways. She was able to accurately infer when passes were going to be made, allowing her to get past her defenders and to the ball for a successful play. Additionally, Leighton largely remained unguarded while within the arc, due to her ability to stay in position, allowing for several points to be made on her behalf.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1310356"],"_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-68c07f9712cf0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Riley was able to display great talent on both offensive and defense this past weekend at the Freshman Showcase. However, what was most notable about Riley was her valuable abilities to play as a strong center. At 5'10", Riley was able to make accurate passes over the top of her defenders, even in the most difficult of situations. By doing so, Riley was able to limit possible turnovers for her team and keep the current rotation in play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1293057"],"_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-68c07f9712d31"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">After watching Angel's performance at the Freshman Showcase, it is no wonder that she earned herself a "Top Performer" title this past weekend. Angel proved to be one of the better centers during her time on Team 4, and added levels to their playing style. Most notably, Angel defended the paint by swatting the ball out of several opponent's hands as they went for a shot. Additionally, there were several instances in which Angel was able to recover from inaccurate passes made to her, which ended up saving plays as a whole and limiting turnovers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1263963"],"_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-68c07f9712d72"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">At 6'1", Riley served as one of Team 6's bigs, subbing in and out with Libby Berg as the center on the court. Riley proved to be a much-needed defensive anchor for the team, and stepping in when they needed her the most. The paint is arguably one of the most important parts of the court that need defended aggressively, which is exactly what Riley accomplished at the showcase. She was able to do so by taking on players that attempted to make lay-ups and blocking their scope of shot, which often turned into defensive rebounds for her team to fight for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1309279"],"_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-68c07f9712db0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Being the tallest girl on Team 5 meant that Audrey had to step up and take on the qualities of a center, which is exactly what she did at the Freshman Showcase. At 5'8", Audrey typically plays as a guard or forward, but she embodied a center surprisingly well by displaying tactical and effective defensive qualities. Since she was able to pick up and adapt to the abilities of a center so quickly and efficiently, Audrey proves that she is a very versatile player and can be a contender to be a strong center on a given team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Boys and Girls Club of Noblesville, Indiana, hosted the PGH Freshman Showcase this past weekend on Sept. 6, 2025. While the event showcased some of the top-performing Class of 2029 girls in the state, it also made way to bring attention to players with specific attributes, such as the strong-performing centers listed above.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In case you missed it, here are a few other articles covering PGH's Indiana Freshman Showcase:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/09/prospects-with-rising-stocks-after-the-showcase/">Prospects with Rising Stock after the Showcase</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/09/pgh-indiana-freshman-showcase-class-of-2029-point-guards/">PGH Indiana Freshman Showcase: Class of 2029 Point Guards</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/09/pgh-freshman-showcase-team-3-evaluations-3/">PGH Freshman Showcase: Team 3 Evaluations</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/09/pgh-freshman-showcase-team-4-evaluations-3/">PGH Freshman Showcase: Team 4 Evaluations</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/09/pgh-freshman-showcase-team-5-evaluations-3/">PGH Freshman Showcase: Team 5 Evaluations</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->