"The Clash" Wrap-Up: Additional Standouts

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='903695' first='Riley' last='Gilvin'] (2028) from Louisville's Sacred Heart Academy.   Last 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. Now that the event has concluded, I wanted to circle back and mention a few more ladies who I felt deserved some attention for their play when I was able to see them.   .    I hadn't seen Sydney in a couple of years, so it was good to catch her in action. She has grown a couple of inches and moved from Batesville to East Central since I last saw her. She has a solid/strong frame, some length, and she plays with a nice motor. She's willing to get out and run the floor, play physically inside, but she also has some mid-post skill. She is the typical power forward Midwestern small colleges love to play in their systems because of her combination of size and versatility. This could be a big Spring & Summer for her, if she's wanting college basketball.     I have always been pretty high on Jadyn, because I think she has some tools and has just flown well under the radar for some time now. She has broad shoulders and some strength, but she's also long at her height, and she's a nice all-around athlete. She plays with a motor, physicality, and toughness, plus she moves around the perimeter like a wing. She does have a little ball skill and the ability to knock down the occasional perimeter jumper, but she is also highly effective inside the arc. I'd look for her to play her most impactful role yet for Floyd next Winter, due to graduation losses.     This was my first time seeing Nieah in action, and based on the heavy brace on her knee, plus the celebratory cheers from her teammates each time she touched the ball, she appears to have recently returned to action. She has really nice length, some athleticism, and she plays hard. She's also fairly physical considering her long frame, and she likes to seek contact first. She boxes out well and pursues rebounds both, plus she has some finishing skill inside of 10-feet. Defensively, she was often around the ball, either blocking or altering most shot attempts in the paint.     I've been watching Jordyn for what seems like forever...probably since between her 7th and 8th Grade years. She stood out this past weekend because she looked leaner, longer, a hair taller, and much more active/explosive than in the past. When she was younger, she used her power, then she became a shooter, but now she is looking more like a complete player who can bury shots outside or put it on the floor and attack the basket assertively. She has always played with a solid basketball IQ, but her ability to make more plays now because of her change has already drawn more schools with interest.     In a day and age when everything is fast-paced and immediate, it's sometimes fun to watch a guard like Ja'Nyiah who plays with sort of an "old school" pace to her game. She still has some speed & quickness to her, and she does a nice job of picking her spots to use burst, but for the most part she doesn't force the action and lets everything come to her. This weekend, when she was open, she made shots. When she wasn't, she found the open teammate and made the best decision with the basketball. I think she's an undervalued option in today's game, and a lot of small colleges will like her.     This weekend was my first time seeing Lexi in-person, and she is an intriguing young point guard. She is more of a pass-first, traditional point guard. She has North/South speed, some length, but she's also strong at her size. She'll get the ball on outlets, push it up the floor, then get her offense into whatever they are running. She'll shoot when open, attack when it's there, but otherwise she's a nice facilitator. Defensively, she plays with discipline and uses angles, so she doesn't easily get beaten. I really think she could be a good one moving forward, and I'm curious to watch her growth as a player.     Maddy was very impressive when I saw her on Friday. She looks like she has gotten noticeably stronger, more explosive, and she's playing with a nice confidence to her game. She is great in the open floor, she runs the lanes well in transition, but she can also push the ball herself. In the halfcourt, she's good when she has a decided driving lane, and she can absorb contact, plus she has improved her perimeter shooting and can keep defenses honest when they help off of her. As for her defense, I think she does a nice job defending everyone from bigger guards to undersized '4s'.     I was really impressed with Sophia's play when I saw her, and I think as she continues to age and get stronger, she could move up Kentucky's rankings. She is an extremely long and wiry lead guard, she plays with speed, quickness, and a ton of energy, and she is a problem defensively, where she uses her athletic tools and her length to create turnover after turnover. She was a menace against the Indiana team she played Friday, plus she was creative with the ball, she probably racked up a dozen assists, and she was able to split traps and get downhill almost effortlessly.     As I began to write this evaluation, I had no idea Riley was ranked so high in Kentucky. All I know is that she probably played the hardest of anyone I saw this weekend, and she did so with a ton of athleticism. She played mostly off the ball, so she was able to run free. She would stay wide running the floor, then sharply cut to the rim and get easy baskets. She also rebounded her position extremely well, she broke down defenders, and she made open rhythm jumpers consistently. Oh yeah, and like her teammate (above), she too was a problem for opponents at her defensive end of the floor.

The featured image is of Riley Gilvin Riley Gilvin 5'7" | CG Sacred Heart | 2028 State KY (2028) from Louisville's Sacred Heart Academy.