The Clash, Day-1: Morning Standouts

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 morning portion of the day.   .    I first saw Courtney when she was in middle school, and with her size, she always flashed nice potential but definitely needed some skill work. Fast forward to today, and she has come a long way and is now highly productive. She has broad shoulders, length in her arms and legs, and she has the ability to play with physicality when she wants. She does like to pursue rebounds instead of box out, and she prefers to catch the ball low, reverse-pivot, face the basket, and shoot over defenders. But she can run the floor for a traditional post, she plays with a nice motor, and she still has room to grow her game.     Briley is a part of a very talented 2027 class at Franklin Central, so it can sometimes be easy to get overlooked. Friday wasn't the case, as she had a great game for her [program_tooltip program_id='1002297' first='IGB' last=''] group against a talented West Virginia Thunder squad. Briley shot the ball well from the perimeter and made a handful of 3-pointers, she put it on the floor, attacked the basket, changed directions in traffic, and finished through contact. She has really nice tools on the wing, and if she can make these types of efforts consistent throughout the Spring & Summer, look for her to draw a lot of elite small college interest.     I've always appreciated Izzy's game and talent, but I've struggled in the past with what position she might play at the next level. After watching her handle pressure today, in addition to seeing her creativity at times, I feel like she could make a really nice point guard or combo guard for a good school. She possesses really nice length, she's a solid athlete in all directions, and she can knock down rhythm jumpers consistently, and with some range. But it was her play with the ball in her hands that stood out to me today. Additionally, I think she has the talent to become an upper-level on-ball defender.     Pike has seen very talented classes in 2026 and 2027 come through, but the 2029 class is extremely deep with talented guards and wings. Lania is one of those, and she could carve out a nice Varsity role next year with the 2026 graduation losses. Lania is a strong, physical guard who likes to attack off the dribble. She has a mid-range pull-up, she can go through contact to finish, but she also has a couple of nice spin-moves inside. In some ways, she reminds me of 2026 Indiana All-Star [player_tooltip player_id='486528' first='Laniah' last='Davis'] from Marquette Catholic. With a little more control, Lania can become a problem for opponents.     Not being from Kentucky, nor covering hoops down there, this was my first time seeing Lyla play, but she was noticeably good in the game I got to see. She is a strong, athletic, and physical front-liner. She does a nice job of getting out and running the floor, and she does have a little perimeter skill...some touch outside and the ability to put it on the floor. But her strength is her power inside, her ability to own the boards, and her soft finishes with either hand over defenders. Additionally, she can be a bit of a "bully" defensively, and she showed that a couple of times today, stealing rebounds.

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 morning portion of the day.