Roses Reflection: Front-Liners at Work

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='1137332' first='Ava' last='Punak'] (2027) from Crown Point High School.   The Run 4 The Roses Championship took place last weekend, beginning on Sunday, July 12th, and finishing up on Tuesday, July 14th. As usual, a large number of Indiana teams/programs traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, where they participated in two tournaments last weekend. The Run 4 The Roses Classic tournament ran from July 9-11. In this article, I take a look at a handful of power forwards and posts who made an impression in the time I was able to see them.   .    Now that it has been a couple of months since Nieah appeared to have returned from a serious knee injury, she looks much more fluid, bouncier, and more effective. She is finishing stronger through contact, using both her right and left hand in half-hook situations, plus she has a solid 15-foot jump-shot. She is getting up and down the floor better, rotating to and from "help" much better, and she just looks much more confident in herself. She could be a real find for a small college program, because she has some talent; she just looks like she needs continued reps.     If one thing can be said about Eden after this past weekend, really anytime she plays, it's that she has a great motor...and coaches took notice. She has an athletically strong frame, she's a solid all-around athlete, and she's one of those hustle kids who chases down loose balls, comes up with offensive rebounds, and produces "scraps" baskets off of teammates. She does have some skill around the perimeter and in the mid-post, but her real value right now at the small college level will be to step in, defend, rebound, and save possessions for her team.     A year ago, I felt like Ava was stretching her game to near the perimeter, but after this past weekend, she looks noticeably stronger, much more physical, plus she's more assertive inside and playing with some attitude around the basket. While she has built her strength, she does have some length as well, and she still maintains some perimeter skill and good mid-post skill. I think she can add a great deal of versatility, energy, and toughness to a small college program right away, plus she has played in a quality high school program, so she understands the game well.     Kenleigh has had some really nice moments throughout the Spring and Summer, and what's more is she's doing it against quality competition from out of state. Non-Indiana colleges have taken notice, and she has picked up offers from NCAA Division II and NAIA schools. She is a strong, athletic front-liner who can play with her back to the basket or in the mid-post. She is bouncy and can explode up and over taller defenders with a half hook, and she can "bully" smaller defenders. She also plays with a nice motor and tends to rebound outside of her area well.     Talk about a "sleeper" who has had a nice Spring and Summer, Kendall has gone a little under the radar, but each time I've seen her, she has been critical to her team's success. She has nice length, some athletic strength, and she's bouncy as well. She runs the floor, defends and rebounds with energy, plus she is showing a face-up skillset to the 3-point line, in addition to some back-to-the-basket moves. She is certainly more talented and more advanced than a few other girls in 2028 who have drawn offers/interest already, so her time will come once the right school sees her.     Jayda is an intriguing younger post who is just waiting her turn on a deep and talented Snider squad. She has an athletic, strong frame, she likes to play with physicality around the paint, and she will "bully" defenders inside often. She has a little touch facing the basket, but offensively, she is primarily comfortable inside of 10-feet. Defensively, she can absorb contact and root out opposing posts, forcing them to play outside of their comfort zone. Additionally, she isn't too bad in pick-and-roll situations, and she's a solid rebounder, especially coming from "help" side.     Leighton is part of a youth movement at Ben Davis, and while she isn't necessarily in the starting lineup right now, she eventually could be a big contributor because she has some tools. She looks like she has gotten noticeably stronger in the last year, she's playing with a lot more attitude and physicality around the paint, but she still maintains her tremendous length. She has always been a good rim-runner, she can catch and finish in transition, and she prefers to play facing the basket. But her new strength has made her more forceful inside, offensively and defensively.

The featured image is of Ava Punak Ava Punak 5'11" | PF/SF Crown Point | 2027 IN (2027) from Crown Point High School.