The Grinch Would Be Proud

As we approach the new year, most Indiana girls' basketball teams are at about the halfway point in terms of the number of games they've played. With that said, I wanted to take a moment to look back at the action from November & December, and to point out some standout individuals from around the state. Below is a look at players who are stealing the basketball at a high rate...something the Grinch could certainly relate to. I am using what has been provided through MaxPreps, so if your coaches don't enter information for you to be considered, that is why you are omitted here.    In Indiana's 2029 class, Avery has one of the more mature games already, she thinks the game very well, she sees things a step or two ahead, and this has allowed her to make plays on the ball defensively early and often. The point forward type is averaging 6.8 steals per game as a rookie, making her an imposing threat to opposing ball-handlers. In addition, the youngster is putting in 13.9 points per game, plus she's handing out 3.4 assists per game for a good, veteran Kouts team who could make deep tournament runs this season and next.     I really got to know Shantel's game sometime between her Freshman and Sophomore years of high school, and I always thought she would eventually make a bigger impact at Warren Central. But a Senior year transfer to Tindley has worked out for her in a great way, as she is a playmaker at both ends of the floor for a very good small school team. Shantel is strong for her size, quick, fast, and explosive. She is averaging 6.8 steals per game and able to really get into ball-handlers and make them uncomfortable. Additionally, she is averaging 13.0 points and 4.7 assists per game.     First, let's address the elephant in the room. You can't be from Northwest Indiana, named Jordan, and named Steele and NOT be at least somewhat good defensively. That would just be tragic. All kidding aside, Jordan is a long and fast athlete who has always done a nice job of utilizing her physical tools to turn opponents over. She always sits in a stance one pass away from the ball and explodes into the passing lanes to take off with it the other direction. While she has made a name for her high scoring outputs (26.4 ppg last year; 24.8 ppg this year), she is as good of a defender as a shooter/scorer.     Bella is somewhat overshadowed at Eastern Hancock by 2027 Ball State commit [player_tooltip player_id='750766' first='McKenzie' last='Koch'], and McKenzie is a heck of a player, so I get it. But over the past year and a half, Bella has made a tremendous mark herself on the Lady Royal program, acting as a secondary ball-handler, a capable shooter/scorer, but most importantly, someone who can sit down and defend the other team's best player when necessary. Bella averaged 5.6 steals per game last season as a Sophomore, and she's averaging 5.0 steals per game this year as a Junior, but I also feel like she's doing a much better job of not gambling and just containing/keeping ball-handlers in front of her.     Of the five girls in this article, Jillian's ability to come up with steals can be viewed as a bit more impressive, because she does it from more of an interior position defensively. Jillian will likely transition to the wing next year as a Freshman at Taylor University, but until then, she helps patrol the paint some for a good Delta Eagles squad. She is very athletic, she has some length, and so she has the physical tools to cause havoc defensively. But it's her eye, her timing, and her ability to defend both inside and out that stand out as impressive to me. She has always been somewhat under the radar.

As we approach the new year, most Indiana girls' basketball teams are at about the halfway point in terms of the number of games they've played. With that said, I wanted to take a moment to look back at the action from November & December, and to point out some standout individuals from around the state. Below is a look at players who are stealing the basketball at a high rate...something the Grinch could certainly relate to. I am using what has been provided through MaxPreps, so if your coaches don't enter information for you to be considered, that is why you are omitted here.