Dynamic Duos in Class 3A

As I was reviewing the top Class 3A backcourts and frontcourts, I realized there were several really nice duos in this class who don’t necessarily qualify as either a backcourt or a frontcourt.  Below is a look at a handful of duos consisting of a guard and a forward or post who should stand out this season.  These duos are arranged alphabetically by what school they attend.   Chanteese Craig of Concordia Concordia Lutheran H.S. (Fort Wayne, IN) The duo of 5-6 2019 point guard Carissa Garcia (20.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.3 spg, 70 made 3s) and 6-1 2021 post Chanteese Craig (8.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.3 spg, 2.3 bpg) will be incredibly difficult to stop this season.  Garcia is a dynamic little guard with great speed & quickness, and a nice overall feel for the game.  She can score the ball in bunches at all levels, she can find open teammates, and she’s tough-nosed and feisty defensively as well.  She might be the most creative guard off the dribble in the state.  Carissa was an Indiana Junior All-Star this Summer, and she has already committed to play at Division-I Northern Kentucky University.  Chanteese is a big, strong, powerful post, with good hands & feet, and a soft lefty touch from the mid-post on in.  She is a great interior passer, and she’s a monster on the boards.  She already has multiple Division-I offers, and that list will only continue to grow as more colleges find out about her.   Trinity Thompson of Gary West Side Gary West Side Leadership Academy (Gary, IN) This next pair will enjoy two more years together, and they should cause nightmares for opposing coaches.  5-6 2020 guard Dash Shaw (22.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 4.8 spg) is a blur and can flat fill it up in bunches.  She is wiry strong, athletic, and just an explosive offensive weapon.  She is best off the bounce, but she’s starting to shoot it much better from the perimeter.  Defensively, she can really get into people and turn them over possession after possession.  She already has a lot of Division-I interest, and her recruitment is picking up steam quickly.  6-0 2021 forward Trinity Thompson (7.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 spg) is rather unknown at this time, from both a recruiting standpoint and general public awareness.  She has good height, great length, and she’s a fluid athlete who can run, jump, and play facing the basket.  As she continues to grow and mature, look for her to be a double-double machine for West Side down the road.   Aliyah Evans of Greensburg Greensburg H.S. (Greensburg, IN) Greensburg graduated five Seniors, four of which started, but they have two nice 2020 prospects who should step in this year and make some noise.  5-9 forward Aliyah Evans (10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.8 apg) has played an integral role for the Pirates the last two seasons.  She’s a strong kid who plays with a good motor, and she can play inside, in the mid-post, or knock down jumpers and attack the basket from the perimeter.  She is sort of a do-everything combo forward.  She actually started with the four 2018 grads.  5-4 guard Micha Morrison (9.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg) has also played a key backup role the past two years, but now she jumps into the lineup in a leadership role, and she should elevate her scoring quite a bit.  She is smallish, but she’s quick / fast, very feisty, and she can score the ball at all levels.  Defensively she can also be a pest and really hound opposing ball-handlers.  These two should keep Greensburg on the winning track the next two seasons.   Shelby Caldwell of Jay County Jay County H.S. (Portland, IN) Jay County consistently puts together good seasons year after year.  This year they look to a pair of Seniors to lead them to a potential Sectional #24 title.  5-11 forward Shelby Caldwell (15.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 36 made 3s) actually grew up as more of a wing, but after dealing with an injury and gaining a great deal of strength, so has developed a more physical approach.  Don’t get me wrong, she can still step outside and knock down jumpers consistently, but now she’s much more effective in the post and on the boards.  She has a tough inside-out game that’s hard to defend.  5-7 guard Kendra Muhlenkamp (9.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.7 spg) can be an absolute mismatch athletically for some opponents.  She is long, extremely fast North / South, and she’s great at getting to the rim.  She uses the free throw line as a weapon, and she just plays at a different speed altogether.  If these two are able to getting going on a given night, they can control a game.   Mallory Hawkins of South Vermillion South Vermillion H.S. (Clinton, IN) Our last duo consists of two players who joined forces a year ago after being conference rivals growing up.  5-9 2020 wing Mallory Hawkins (20.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.4 spg) erupted last season and really put herself on the map as far as opposing coaches are concerned.  She is a long, fluid, and fairly smooth wing who can hit shots around the perimeter when open and in rhythm, but she’s so much better putting it on the floor and gliding to the basket.  She also plays with a good motor and is a willing & capable defender.  5-11 2020 front-liner Rebecca Berry (11.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg) put together a really nice Sophomore campaign after transferring in from Covington H.S.  Berry is a wiry strong, athletic, and fairly physical forward / post who can play around the block or in the mid-post equally well.  She’s really tough on the boards, and if she can continue working on her face-up game, she could be a nice inside-out mismatch.   Header photo of Sesame Street's Bert & Ernie; photo courtesy of cnn.com.  Photo of Chanteese Craig courtesy of journalgazette.net.  Photo of Trinity Thompson courtesy of Gary West Side's Hudl account.  Photo of Aliyah Evans courtesy of her own Twitter account.  Photo of Shelby Caldwell courtesy of her own NCSA page.  Photo of Mallory Hawkins courtesy of the Indiana Flight Twitter account.