From The Notebook: 4A Teams Evaluated

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='990952' first='Denaijah' last='Jacobs'] (2028) of Warren Central High School.   Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen about a dozen games, and now that I've had a little more time to catch up with the holiday break, here are some of the Class 4A teams I have seen during that time and thoughts on the team and different prospects throughout each of their rosters.   .   Ben Davis (Indianapolis, IN) I was able to see the Lady Giants in the Marion County Tournament, and despite the number of departures they had from a season ago, it was good to see them competing at a high level. A new name to me was that of 5-3 Junior guard Makenzie Martin. She started and is a tough-nosed, feisty, energetic player who didn't back down from anyone. She has solid ball skill, the ability to knock down an open jumper, and she was very active defensively as well. 5-8 Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='761186' first='Aleia' last='Sultzer'] was by far their most aggressive player at the offensive end of the floor. The lefty is very strong, she is a nice North/South athlete, and she will attack or take open jumpers from just about anywhere. She's also a somewhat versatile defender. 5-8 Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='772792' first='Aubri' last='Ingram'] struggled with some fouls early, but she is probably their most consistent talent at this point. She handles the ball quite a bit, like a point forward, but she can also slash to the basket and finish in a variety of ways, plus she's another effortful defender. The Giants do lack for size, so 5-9 Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='751120' first='Shania' last='Curry'] is almost having to play a post role, even though she's more of a small forward. She is strong, athletic, and has length, plus she's willing to be physical inside. As this group matures together throughout the year, they could be a problem come Sectional time.   Carmel (Carmel, IN) Carmel has a very unique mix of Seniors and Freshman, with a couple of players from the other two classes sprinkled in. It was good to see Senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='506016' first='Mackenzie' last='Woods'] and [player_tooltip player_id='324065' first='Mallory' last='Bourquein'] on the floor together and healthy. Both are strong, solid all-around athletes, and they flat out compete. Woods is more of a primary ball-handler who sees the floor well, plus she can make open shots. Bourquein loves to play off the bounce and attack, and she has a knack for finishing at odd angles. I was also impressed with 5-9 Sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='896317' first='Taylee' last='Fisher'] off the bench. I felt like she had a nice grassroots season, and that has carried over to the Winter. She is long, wiry-strong, bouncy, and she can play in the mid-post or around the perimeter effectively. Freshmen guards [player_tooltip player_id='990047' first='Maddy' last='Wallace'] and [player_tooltip player_id='999412' first='Bella' last='Ramsey'] played admirably during the stretches they were in. Wallace is a strong, sort of "old school" point guard, with good vision and touch from outside. Ramsey is a long, wiry wing guard who can rip it, and she looks like she could still grow another couple of inches. 5-5 Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='295812' first='Isabelle' last='Shepherd'] was her typical self, flying around the floor, knocking down open shots, defending with effort, and just making veteran plays. 6-2 Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='295769' first='Lauren' last='Perry'] looked a little stronger, and she still loves to play around the perimeter and bury deep jumpers...something she's gained a reputation for.   Franklin Central (Indianapolis, IN) Franklin Central has a tremendous 2027 class, and their starting lineup reflected that, with four Sophomores out there. The one fewest are probably familiar with is 5-9 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1137311' first='Aniya' last='Doughty']. She is a really nice athlete, she can defend multiple positions, and she can make open shots at each level when defenses home in on her teammates. I was also impressed with the play of 5-6 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='756239' first='Riley' last='Huotari']. She continues to be the selfless leader, she almost overpasses at times, but she looks stronger, more physical, and I think she could score in double figures if she were the go-to on a team. 5-11 Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='295800' first='Lily' last='Graves'] and 5-9 Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='692561' first='Ashlee' last='Baker'] both shot the ball well, and they understand how to create space for themselves and find open shots around the perimeter. With 6-2 Sophomore post [player_tooltip player_id='751115' first='Payton' last='DuVall'] inside, it certainly helps draw focus away from the perimeter. The Flashes will hit the occasional speedbump, because they are still young and in Central Indiana playing a brutal schedule, but look for them to contend for Sectional titles each of the next three years, at the least.   Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, IN) The Bears aren't very deep, but they are uber-talented. Still, though, while they have a trio of high-major talents in [player_tooltip player_id='295763' first='Jaylah' last='Lampley'], [player_tooltip player_id='492321' first='Lola' last='Lampley'], and [player_tooltip player_id='295753' first='Laila' last='Abdurraqib'], who could very well carry them, they also possess a nice quartet of complementary players who make them that much better. 6-0 Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='492322' first='Aniyah' last='McKenzie'] is as hard-working as they come, she's strong, physical, athletic, but also skilled inside and out. She's another legit Division-I prospect who should draw a ton of interest this Spring. 5-6 Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='468535' first='Mariah' last='Kenter-Garrett'] is a jet on the court, and she is one of the state's best on-ball defenders. In the game I saw, I feel like she had 5 steals and just a couple of points. She can change a game defensively. Then, they have done a nice job this season of incorporating 5-5 Freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='990043' first='LeAnah' last='Hyatt'] and 5-8 Freshman forward [player_tooltip player_id='1001646' first='A'Myah' last='Sowell']. Hyatt is a long, wiry, athletic playmaker, while Sowell is a physical, hard-working player who is flashing more skill each time I see her. These experiences now will only help their games mature for later in their careers. Don't get it wrong, though, 6-2 Senior Jaylah and 6-3 Junior Lola were great in transition and on the boards, while the 5-7 Abdurraqib was causing havoc defensively with Kenter-Garrett and helping to turn over their opponent. The Hall of Fame Tournament this Friday that includes Homestead and Hamilton Southeastern, plus a January 16th matchup at Lawrence North will be the biggest in-state tests for the Lady Bears the rest of the season. Look for them to make another run at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this February.   R. Nelson Snider (Fort Wayne, IN) Due to some significant 2024 graduation losses, there were a lot of people who wrote off the Snider Panthers, but they have a really nice, well-rounded Senior group, plus they have a pair of talented Freshmen contributing. The one who has probably surprised the most this year is 5-9 Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='828072' first='Kyra' last='Parker']. She scored in double figures 9 out of their first 13 games, and she has already made 39 3-pointers at a 35% rate. She is long, wiry, and a fairly smooth athlete. 5-10 Freshman forward [player_tooltip player_id='879936' first='Janaya' last='Cooper'] has done what we expected, and she is making athletic plays others just can't. Her skillset continues to develop, but she is a run-and-jump kid with speed and a nice motor. She is a double-double threat each time she takes the floor. I also liked what I saw out of 5-3 Sophomore guard Gracie Smith. She came off the bench and gave them ball security, plus she was active and aggressive defensively in the game I was able to see. 5-0 Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='751112' first='Mylee' last='Hurse'], 6-0 Senior post [player_tooltip player_id='496072' first='Saniah' last='Sandlin'], 5-8 Freshman wing [player_tooltip player_id='992257' first='Mackenzie' last='Carter'], and 5-9 Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='828079' first='Brie' last='Barnes'] have all given the Panthers solid contributions throughout the Winter thus far, and they combine veteran experience with a youthful energy which should give the Panthers opportunities to advance when tourney play arrives.   Warren Central (Indianapolis, IN) Warren Central is a mixture of talented non-Seniors, mostly, who are all learning to play together at this time. In the game I saw of them, they played a little sped up from their opponent's pressure, but they were also able to utilize their athleticism in transition and around the basket. 5-4 Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='751072' first='Jada' last='Frieson'] did the best job, in my opinion, of handling pressure. She is strong, compact, and does a nice job of getting through gaps when attacking the basket. The tempo of this game didn't exactly suit 6-3 Junior post [player_tooltip player_id='624875' first='Laila' last='Brown'], but I will say, she was great getting up and down the floor, she used her length well defensively, and she looks stronger than she did when I saw her near the end of July. She could be a nice "sleeper" who picks up a lot of college interest this Spring. 5-7 guards [player_tooltip player_id='992362' first='La'Starr' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='990952' first='Denaijah' last='Jacobs'] make mistakes here and there, but all in all, they don't play like typical Freshmen. They are strong, confident, and aggressive to the basket. Williams is a bit more "on attack" every catch, while Jacobs will survey the floor and look to create for others as well. Junior guards [player_tooltip player_id='567132' first='Denell' last='Jacobs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='917005' first='Shantel' last='Shockley'] were defended well this game and put in tough positions, but they've done a nice job throughout the early portion of the season, following up a strong grassroots year.

The featured image is of Denaijah Jacobs Denaijah Jacobs 5'7" | SG Warren Central | 2028 State IN (2028) of Warren Central High School.