The Clash, Day-2: Morning/Midday Standouts

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='991171' first='Kihanna' last='Mellanson'] (2027) from Heritage Christian 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 seven ladies who I felt stood out for their teams during the morning and midday portion of Saturday.   .    I saw Tatum a couple of times over the first two days, and the biggest thing I noticed from last year is that she just looked much more comfortable and aggressive with this DistinXion team. She was hunting shots on each catch, she showed a quick release, and she appeared as though she was confident every shot was going in. She has improved her ability to handle contact off the bounce, but her best weapon is her perimeter shooting. She is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and she drew several compliments from elite small college onlookers who were impressed with her play.     Kihanna was one of two impactful newcomers at Heritage Christian this Winter, and she put together solid numbers. She came to Indiana from Texas, and she is an extremely quick/fast, feisty little guard who has the ball on a string. She can attack either direction, create for teammates, or find a variety of pull-ups and finishes around the basket. Additionally, she showed the ability to knock down the occasional 3-pointer, keeping defenses honest, but I was mostly impressed with her pace of play and her understanding of how to change speeds and add pauses in her attacks. She also defends well.     McKenzi has long been a strong, physical, assertive enforcer inside the arc, and she has been highly productive for North Central. This weekend she showed that physical presence and occasionally earned fouls for her strong play, but that attitude should serve her well at the next level where it gets more physical. At the same time, she also did a little more around the perimeter than I have seen in the past. She put it on the floor, especially right-handed, and attacked the basket North/South. Additionally, she shot the 3-pointer and knocked down a couple in the 3 games I was able to see.     Carlee played well last Summer, but she had an outstanding 2025-2026 season, and she has carried that over into this Spring. She looked very active and aggressive yesterday, almost as if she was playing at another speed compared to the other girls in the game I saw. She has an athletic frame, good speed, and she can score the ball from all three levels or even handle it and initiate the offense. When you consider how hard she plays and the athletic talents she possesses, she can also be a high-level defender. I would anticipate she continues to raise her stock this Spring & Summer.     Saturday was my first time seeing Agnes in-person, and I was very intrigued by her skill, talent, and potential. She is extremely long, wiry-strong, fluidly athletic, and somewhat bouncy. She plays with a nice motor and can play with some versatility at both ends of the floor. She handles it well enough to handle it in transition. She can attack off the dribble in the half-court, and she is a willing passer. She also has the potential to be an excellent defender, because she can guard the ball, she tries to be physical inside the arc, and she's a solid pursuing rebounder at her position.     Macy's 212 Elite squad matched up with an Indiana team Saturday, and she...was...everywhere!! She is a really nice athlete at her size, she plays with speed & quickness, a great motor, plus she always seems to be on-balance. Offensively, she showed the ability to make shots from all three levels, she handled it and created for teammates, plus she showed good patience as a point guard. Defensively, she was always around the ball, whether her person had it, or she was scraping down on the post, or she was pursuing rebounds. She is a talented guard prospect.     Perryn teams up with Macy on both their 212 Elite team and at Hiland High School in Berlin, Ohio. Like Macy, Perryn brought a ton of energy and seemed to be all over the court. She is a nice athlete, she can run & jump, and she plays with that great motor. Their 212 Elite team wasn't very tall, and she plays kind of an undersized power position, so she has the necessary fight & toughness to battle inside. But she also showed the skill & understanding of playing around the perimeter. Down the road, she could be an elite small college wing and really help a winning program.

The featured image is of Kihanna Mellanson Kihanna Mellanson 5'4" | PG Heritage Christian | 2027 IN (2027) from Heritage Christian High School.