The Classic: Friday Stock-Risers

Friday, May 15, marked the beginning of the second NCAA "live" period in 2026. Indiana teams are spread throughout the country, so we chose to head to Louisville where there were the greatest number of teams to see. Below is a look at a handful of prospects who I felt stepped up their game and really helped themselves Friday when I was able to see them.   .    It was great to finally see Mia in this element against grassroots competition after having only seen her with her high school team the last couple of years. She is extremely long and wiry, fluidly athletic, and versatile. She is a wing, but she doesn't mind going inside to grab rebounds, she can put it on the floor and attack the basket, and she has a really nice mid-range pull-up. As her perimeter jumper continues to be more consistent, watch out, but she did have a few small college coaches intrigued.     Friday was my first time seeing Aaliyah in-person as well, and I was impressed with her play. She is strong, tough-nosed, and physical as a smaller guard. She has an "attack" mentality, whether that's working for steals defensively or getting to the basket and seeking contact upon finishing. In fact, she made a couple of tough finishes through taller defenders in the game I saw. She was constantly active and engaged, and she always seemed to be around the ball. She can make several small colleges tougher in their backcourts.     I've known Taylee as a prospect since her middle school days, but this was my first time seeing her in probably 18 months. She has an athletic frame, some strength, nice length, and she runs and jumps well. She played with a great motor Friday, she was constantly involved in trapping situations defensively, and she pushed the ball hard in transition and finished around the basket in a variety of ways. I think the combination of her toughness, her athleticism, and her understanding of the game should really help her recruitment, plus she can step in and play a variety of roles in different systems.     I'm not sure anyone helped themselves in a singular game Friday more than Elliot. In a lopsided loss on a main court against a strong opponent with 20+ schools there, she was the one who often stood out. She shot it extremely well, creating space for herself at times, but she also used her strength and physicality, as she always does, to get into the paint and finish, to defend, and to rebound the basketball. She always just plays so hard, so physical, and she has this quiet toughness about her. I would expect her to have a little following of her own these next couple of days.     Aleah is extremely long, wiry-strong, fluidly athletic, and bouncy. She was very aggressive and confident off the dribble Friday evening, and that is something she has worked on over the years. She likes to play around the perimeter quite a bit, but with her length at her height, she can also play around the paint, whether that's with a variety of finishes offensively or blocking/altering shots defensively. This Spring and Summer should really draw out the small college programs who are interested, and I'm sure there will be quite a few.     Just finishing her Sophomore year, and from Ohio, Charlotte has been a nice addition to this [program_tooltip program_id='1002297' first='IGB' last=''] team. She has long arms and long legs, she's fluidly athletic, and she's somewhat bouncy. Charlotte covers a lot of ground quickly, whether that's getting across the lane to block a shot or getting out and going in transition. Additionally, she is a fairly accurate 3-point shooter and brings a great deal of value as a face-up '4'. She can pick-and-pop, plus she is a capable defender and can sit down and guard wings.     This was my second time seeing Arey'a this Spring, and I've been impressed each time. She has a long, wiry-strong, athletic frame. She plays hard and aggressive at both ends of the floor, and she doesn't seem to get rattled by calls. Friday, she was great in trapping situations, constantly getting her hands on balls. She was also good attacking the rim, and she was able to change directions off the dribble upon attack. I think she has a lot of upside for the next level, and she still has two more high school seasons left to go.

Friday, May 15, marked the beginning of the second NCAA "live" period in 2026. Indiana teams are spread throughout the country, so we chose to head to Louisville where there were the greatest number of teams to see. Below is a look at a handful of prospects who I felt stepped up their game and really helped themselves Friday when I was able to see them.