The Clash, Day-1: Evening Standouts

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='1264921' first='Kylie' last='Wyatt'] (2029) from Westfield High School.   Friday began the first "live" period for women's college basketball recruits, as a number of tournaments began nationwide. What this means is, for the first time during the 2026 grassroots season, NCAA Division-I schools were allowed to be out evaluating prospects at certified events. With many of the top shoe company teams participating in contractually obligated events all over the country, I found myself in Hamilton, Ohio, at The Clash...an annual tournament that typically finds around 100 of Indiana's grassroots teams participating. Below is a look at five ladies who I felt stood out for their teams during the evening portion of the day.   .    Aniya was great Friday night. She is so well-rounded, that she can typically always find a way to contribute. She has a long, wiry-strong, athletic frame, she is a nice athlete in all directions, and she does such a nice job of playing under control. She's one of those kids who may not be a 10/10 at anything, but she's no less than a 7/10 at most things. She can handle it, she can create/attack, she can knock down an open rhythm jumper, she'll rebound her position, and she can defend multiple positions. I thought her reads between when to shoot or pass last night were spot on.     I haven't seen Miley in a while, but playing for this DistinXion team this year, I think it's a perfect fit for her. She was really good, and she showed an outstanding motor at both ends of the floor. She is much more athletic than most power forwards, so when DistinXion played smaller, she outran her matchups in transition and got easy baskets. When they played bigger, she used her strength against smaller/guard defenders and scored on them inside or attacked them aggressively from the perimeter. Miley also showed her versatility and intensity defensively.     A year ago, Kyla relied heavily on her athletic talents to accomplish things on the court. This year, she has a much-improved all-around game. She is handling it better, she has improved her jump-shot, especially in the mid-range game, and she is just all-around affecting the game in many more ways. She is still a nice athlete in most directions, she competes with a strong motor, and she has consistently been an effective defender, whether she's on or off the ball. After putting together a nice Sophomore year at DeKalb, look for her to be even better during the 2026-2027 season.     Hadley stood out almost immediately for two reasons Friday night. First, she looked noticeably younger than the 2027s she was playing against in the 17U division, and second, she was the most impactful player on the floor. Within just the first couple of minutes, she had earned her way to the free throw line three times. She has a nice handle and is an aggressive attacker. She really understands how to draw contact, but she also absorbs it well at her age. She can knock down shots outside, run an offense, and defend with positioning. She has a very bright future ahead of her.     Kylie is another Freshman who stood out Friday. She has a solid to strong, athletic frame, and she does a nice job of using her body to gain positioning when attacking the basket, boxing out, and defensively when she has to take on bigger forwards/posts. At the same time, she possesses a really nice skillset that she has worked hard to assemble. She can shoot it consistently from all three levels, she can put it on the floor and glide to the basket, plus she can use her length and athleticism to defend multiple positions equally well. I'd look for her to play a much bigger role at Westfield next year.

The featured image is of Kylie Wyatt Kylie Wyatt 5'9" | SF/CG Westfield | 2029 IN (2029) from Westfield High School.