End of Summer: Top 2028 Stock-Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='1814569' first='Skylee' last='Feathers'] (2028) from Bremen High School.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the 2026 grassroots season coming to a close Monday, I wanted to go back and highlight a handful of prospects who I felt stood out during the Spring &amp; Summer grassroots season. Now, with right around 50 teams from Indiana at each level (<em>17U, 16U, 15U, etc.</em>), it's impossible to see every team every single game. However, based on what I've seen and what I've heard from discussions with college coaches, I felt like these were the prospects who have helped themselves the most with their play since March.</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":["1228337"],"_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-6a6aab7748742"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mary is a twin, and between her and her sister (<em>below</em>), she has always been more of an interior player and a physical presence around the paint. She does have good hands and nice touch around the basket, but she can also consistently shoot the mid-post jumper, and she can occasionally step out and knock down a 3-pointer. But it's her willingness to be physical and play with a quiet toughness inside that stand out, as she's always highly productive. She and her sister have picked up a couple of Division I offers along with interest from the elite of small colleges.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1814569"],"_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-6a6aab77487e3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Skylee is an extremely long, wiry, bouncy frontline prospect who actually looks more like a volleyball attacker. However, she enjoys basketball, and she's quite a handful. She is so quick/fast and shifty for a front-liner, that she's difficult to keep from cutting and driving the ball to the basket. She is an opportunistic scorer as well, as she often finds herself picking up loose balls and offensive rebounds for easy scores. Defensively, she can sit down and defend wings, or she can protect the rim inside. She will need additional work and strength, but she has a great deal of elite small college interest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1194486"],"_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-6a6aab774886b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Welcome to Indiana! Kendall came to the Hoosier state following her father's employment situation last Summer. She then stepped right into the Angola lineup and was a star. She put up such tremendous stats that she was selected for the Futures Games in June, where she impressed everyone in attendance. She is athletic, long, wiry-strong, tough-nosed, hard-working, and just a ballplayer. She can score it some outside, but she has a tight handle and is so good off the bounce, you always want the ball in her hands so she can create for herself and teammates. She is a talented young lady.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1869477"],"_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-6a6aab77488ef"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Za'Nariae joined the DistinXion 17U group in May, and she instantly stood out. She is so strong, she's very athletic, and she plays with a motor. She looks like a running back attacking the rim, and once she gathers it and goes up, you aren't going to stop her from scoring. At the same time, she is quick and crafty with the ball, she's a more-than-willing passer, and she can be an elite defender who can utilize her strength or her speed/quickness. She's one of those kids who I've had her name for a couple of years, but after finally getting to see her this Summer, she could rise very quickly up the list.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1857887"],"_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-6a6aab7748974"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">When I first saw Arey'a in April, she immediately stood out because of her length, her athleticism, and her balance/control. She was on attack off the dribble, and she'd often go to the basket and finish consistently. Then watching her additional times, and she can really shoot it. One game in particular, I believe she was 5-for-6 from 3-point range during the 10 or so minutes I was able to watch. With her athleticism, being able to score it consistently from all three levels will make her a nightmare to defend. Not to mention, she too can sit down and defend the perimeter well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HONORABLE MENTION</strong><br><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1225040' first='Ashley' last='Bleke'], Bellmont H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='999395' first='Maia' last='Blower'], Noblesville H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='814715' first='Jhordyn' last='Brown'], Kokomo H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1869475' first='Carly' last='Feldman'], Roncalli H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1225046' first='Reagan' last='Ferris'], Indian Creek H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1231137' first='Kendall' last='Holman'], Angola H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1144641' first='Rylie' last='Johnson'], Yorktown H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='999406' first='Zyah' last='Jones'], Crispus Attucks H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1203491' first='Lily' last='Maxwell'], Elkhart Christian Academy<br>[player_tooltip player_id='992352' first='Haylee' last='Mezera'], Hamilton Southeastern H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='992363' first='Lauren' last='Paliga'], Illiana Christian H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1812181' first='Agnes' last='Pezzuto'], Marquette Catholic H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='896531' first='Luci' last='Reich'], Columbia City H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='992140' first='Reagan' last='Reiff'], Pendleton Heights H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='999422' first='Lexi' last='Scott'], Evansville North H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1678175' first='Jaylee' last='Slone'], Central Noble H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1262621' first='Maddy' last='Watko'], Cathedral H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='933384' first='Leah' last='Werth'], Homestead H.S.<br>[player_tooltip player_id='999451' first='Chami' last='Williams'], Ben Davis H.S.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->