Preseason Top-50: #2 Homestead

We are now down to the final two teams on our Top-50 list, regardless of class. For the next couple of days, we will finish previewing each of those teams in their own article. This article focuses on our Preseason #2 team in the state, Homestead. With regards to our Top-50 teams in general, we took in to account several different factors, most notably, but not limited to, last season’s record, Sagarin rating, and strength of schedule, graduation losses, newcomers, improvement of existing roster members, and coaching changes. Stay tuned to see who lands at #1…   #2 Homestead H.S. (Fort Wayne, IN)   Last Season: Following their 2016-2017 Class 4A State Championship, Homestead had a very interesting season in 2017-2018. They finished with a 19-3 record, but for the first time since 2012-2013 they didn’t win a Sectional title, and for the first time since 2008-2009 they didn’t even win a Sectional game. They started last season with a loss to Carmel right out of the gate, but then the Spartans ripped off 13 consecutive wins, including victories over Northridge, Fort Wayne Concordia, Norwell, Fort Wayne Luers, LaPorte, and East Chicago Central. Facing Fort Wayne Luers a second time to begin the annual SAC holiday tournament, they dropped their second game of the year, and they now stood at 13-2. They came back strong in January, as they posted six consecutive wins, including impressive outcomes against Lawrence North, Fort Wayne South Side, and Fort Wayne Northrop. But to open Sectional play they faced off against an athletically talented Fort Wayne South Side team once again and fell in the first round of the Sectional, 64-62. The Spartans started mostly Sophomores and Juniors throughout last season, so they return a great deal of their experience.   [caption id="attachment_16357" align="alignright" width="293"] Senior Guard Sylare Starks[/caption] Guards: Homestead has great depth throughout their lineup, and while several of their perimeter players may not have had a big name in the past, you’ll hear a lot more about them this season because they are highly skilled and talented. The one name you’ve probably heard the most is 5-8 2019 wing guard Sylare Starks (18.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.6 spg, 65 made 3s). Sylare is extremely strong for a guard, she’s a very nice athlete, and she can really score the basketball. She’s a good shooter off the bounce, she gets a lot going to the rim, and she uses the free throw line as a weapon as well. She also has some versatility defensively because of her strength and athleticism. Sylare was an Indiana Junior All-Star back in June, and she has already verbally committed to the University of Detroit Mercy. 5-6 2019 point guard Kara Gealy is probably the steadying force in the backcourt for the Spartans. She is a heady and skilled point guard who typically always plays with poise and doesn’t force action. She is more of a distributor first, but she’s a capable perimeter shooter, and she is sound defensively. She has already committed to Tiffin University. From here, there are a number of directions Homestead can go. 5-4 2021 point guard Grace Sullivan (9.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 3.4 spg, 13 made 3s) transferred in over the Summer after having a very nice Freshman season at Fort Wayne Canterbury. 5-6 2020 guard Rylie Parker is a skillful and fairly strong wing guard who can hit shots from the perimeter. She recently gave a commitment to Purdue University Fort Wayne. 5-6 2020 combo guard Katie Felger is another skillful kid who is also a very nice athlete. Additionally, the Spartans have some good youngsters in their program, but I’d anticipate these five getting the bulk of the minutes this year.   [caption id="attachment_11581" align="alignleft" width="200"] Junior Forward Sydney Graber[/caption] Forwards & Posts: As I’ve said previously, I’m not sure if anyone has the combination of both talent and depth on their frontline like Homestead does. They will be bringing legitimate college prospects off the bench this season. 6-0 2020 forward Sydney Graber (15.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.6 spg, 59 made 3s) is the best of the returnees. She is a broad-shouldered kid with good strength, and she’s starting to post a lot more and use that power to her advantage. That sounds a little odd, but she is also such a pure perimeter shooter with a nice lefty stroke, that she terrorizes opponents outside as well. She just committed to Central Michigan University this past week. 6-0 2019 forward Haley Swing (8.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.6 spg, 11 made 3s) has always been a long, slender, fluid athlete who is good in the mid-post. This Summer, though, she showed a lot more fight and toughness around the block, she scrapped for rebounds better, and she just looked much more complete. She should have a great Senior season, and she has already committed to Grand Valley State University. The third starter will likely be top Freshman Ayanna Patterson, a 6-4 forward with the athleticism and skill to play around the perimeter, but the size to also dominate inside. She will be scary for opponents to match up with. Ayanna already holds more than twenty high-major Division-I offers. 6-0 2019 front-liner Brianna Lucas has a great deal of Varsity experience as well, and she plays with a good motor and nice toughness & physicality inside. She has already given a verbal commitment to Division-II Malone University. 5-9 2019 small forward Sophia Buck is a long, fluid wing who is comfortable around the perimeter as a slasher, and she is a high-motor kid. She is the younger sister of Sydney (Butler) and Savannah Buck (Saint Francis-IN). 6-0 2019 forward Julia Huey is another kid with good experience. She is a very nice shooter who can bring another dimension off the bench, hiding in corners and burying shots. She has already committed to play basketball in college as well, at NAIA Lawrence Technological University. And then there is 6-0 2021 post Amber Austin…another strong, physical interior player who can score around the block and give the Spartans yet another sizeable option. She is already drawing her share of college interest as well. 6-0 2019 front-liner Olivia Seifert also saw some limited minutes last season.   Graduation Losses: The only graduation loss for the Spartans was 5-11 forward Lauren Selking. She is an extremely long, fairly fluid athlete who could play in the mid-post or around the perimeter comfortably. She was experienced and always solid, but the tremendous depth of Homestead’s returning roster should more than make up for her loss.   Final Thoughts: After the 2016-2017 State Championship campaign, the 2017-2018 Homestead team had to deal with the losses of 2017 Indiana Miss Basketball Karissa McLaughlin (Purdue), 2017 Indiana All-Star Madisen Parker (Bowling Green), Jazmyne Geist (Northern Kentucky), and Teryn Kline (Lawrence Tech), who were all multi-year starters and big-time contributors. The Spartans posted an impressive 19-3 record with a mostly inexperienced group, but they had a couple of speedbumps along the way as well. This season, with nearly everyone of merit back, plus the additions of Grace Sullivan and Ayanna Patterson, I look for Homestead to return to the level it was at the previous decade when it was regularly winning Sectionals and Regionals, and occasionally making a run at the State Finals. This is arguably one of the deeper groups they’ve had in a long time, especially on the frontline. They will still have to deal with Fort Wayne South Side in the Sectional, and possibly the likes of a Zionsville, Hamilton Southeastern, Carmel, or many other quality opponents in the Regional. But they will be as battle-tested as any of them, and I look for Homestead to make a run at the Class 4A State Finals again this season.   Header photo of Homestead High School's athletics logo; photo courtesy of Homestead's athletics Twitter account. Photo of Sylare Starks courtesy of journalgazette.net. Photo of Sydney Graber courtesy of journalgazette.net.