Spring Review: 2029 Stock-Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='1690467' first='Kylah' last='Kendall'] (2029) from South Bend's John Adams High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Memorial Weekend tends to mark the wind-down of the Spring grassroots season each year. Moving forward, prospects will begin participating with their high school teams throughout June, with the focus returning to grassroots basketball in July during the NCAA's two live periods. With that said, I wanted to take a moment and highlight a handful of 2029 prospects who I felt really helped themselves this Spring. Some are already ranked and won't necessarily move much, but they played extremely well. Others are on the watch list or not even listed and will have a shot at changing their standing when we update rankings in mid-June. Either way, I just wanted to highlight the ones who I felt stepped it up when I was able to see them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1278862"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a1789fbacff6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hadley has been playing "up" two age groups in 17U, and at times she was the most poised player on her team. She has a very steadying demeanor, she has good ball skill, and she does a nice job of getting downhill and drawing contact. Additionally, she has touch outside, the ability to find open teammates, plus she plays with effort and rebounds her position reasonably well. She is one of those prospects who is just a really nice basketball player. In due time, she'll have the attention of some colleges.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1690464"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a1789fbad0c1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Keianah is probably a bit of a lesser-known, as LaPorte is in the process of building their girls' basketball program back up. They have several nice youngsters, but she is a great building block for the program. She has good size and strength, she's a nice athlete in most directions, and she plays with a motor. I've seen her with both the 17U and 16U [program_tooltip program_id='715528' first='City' last='Elite'] teams, and she looks like she fits right in. She doesn't shy away from contact, and she's aggressive to the basket. As she continues building her skill, watch out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1264570"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a1789fbad15c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">And the rich get richer...Homestead just graduated a talented 2026 group, and now they look forward to a strong 2028 group to take the reins for next season. At the same time, this is a good opportunity for Emelia to make her mark and get in the mix. She is a long, wiry-strong, athletic wing who plays with versatility and a ton of energy. She never stops moving to the point college coaches have already noticed her activity on the floor. She can shoot it a little, but she's so aggressive to the basket, plus she's a quality rebounder and defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["896936"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a1789fbad1ee"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Pike is another program that is just blessed with several consecutive classes of talent. Their Freshman group this year has several guards and wings, and Lania is one of them. When I saw her this Spring, she did a nice job of taking her strong frame and playing with physicality around the perimeter. She'll drive the ball, absorb contact, and finish inside, she can basket cut and post, or she can even back down weaker defenders and score over/through them. She is skilled around the perimeter, and she has touch. Watch for her in the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1690467"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a1789fbad27d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We've had Kylah listed for quite a while on our 2029 lists, and she is a talent who just continues to improve each week, especially as she finishes growing and gaining strength. She is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and she's a talented multilevel scorer. While much of the rest of the state might not know anything about her, she is one of only a few 2029s in the state to already possess a Division I offer. Look for that attention to grow as she continues making her game more consistent. She's got a chance to keep moving up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1263977"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a1789fbad30a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Speaking of the rich, my goodness. Malia has a chance to be a real contributor next season for Homestead. She has a great frame, strength, length, and she's a nice athlete in most directions. What I saw of her last Summer was primarily a 15-feet-and-in forward/post who just dominated the interior with her size. But this Spring, she has been handling the ball in transition, knocking down open 3-pointers consistently, and becoming more of a face-up '4/5'. Her versatility and athleticism at her size are a problem for opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->