A First Look: Lawrence North

Last night, I traveled to Noblesville to see the Millers take on Lawrence North in the opener for each team. The game started off incredibly slow, as Noblesville plays a box-and-1 every night, hoping to wear down and frustrate opponents. But in the second half, the Wildcats were able to apply a lot more pressure and run away with a 52-32 victory on opening night. Coach Chris Giffin and Lawrence North have reached 20 or more wins five times in his first six seasons, and it looks like they should get there again this year. They have balance throughout their lineup, and they are incredibly long and athletic. Below, I’ve taken the time to highlight seven Wildcats who stood out to me during my time at Noblesville. Lawrence North will be back in action Saturday, as their home opener pits them against Anderson.   Maddie Howe, 2019, 5-10 W Maddie has been a staple in the Wildcat program, but this year she has come to the forefront a bit more as a key starter and contributor. She has very good length, she’s a fluid athlete, and she has a wiry strong frame. She is a designated shooter offensively, and she likes to hide in the long-corners or up on the wings and hunt jump-shots. She plays with a good motor at both ends of the floor, and I think she could be a really good defensive player because of her length, especially if she adds just a little more strength and quickness. She’s an under-the-radar type of kid who small colleges should be all over.   [caption id="attachment_15536" align="alignright" width="225"] Junior Wing Katie Davidson[/caption] Katie Davidson, 2020, 5-11 W Katie is a strong, physical, skillful wing prospect. She is a one-directional athlete who attacks the basket with power, she has a solid handle and can even run offense on occasion, and she’s a capable jump-shooter with consistent range to ‘3’. She didn’t put up huge numbers last night, as Noblesville keyed in on her with their chaser most of the night, but she should have some big games this season. She has already drawn several mid to mid-plus Division-I offers during her career, and a big season as a leader this time around could help enhance her recruiting even more.   Kristian Young, 2020, 5-5 PG Kristian is an extremely quick / fast little jet who flies around the floor causing problems for opponents. Her impact last night was primarily defensively, as she played at the top of Lawrence North’s 2-3 and picked off numerous passes leading to breakouts for the Wildcats. In man defense, she’s great on the ball, feisty even, and offensively she typically does a nice job of getting into the paint and collapsing defenses. Last night she struggled shooting it from the perimeter, but she was good when she went on the attack and got inside. She already has a couple of Division-I offers because of her physical tools.   [caption id="attachment_11443" align="alignleft" width="265"] Junior Point Guard Kristian Young[/caption] Lauren Gunn, 2020, 5-8 F Lauren makes her living being tremendously versatile. She is a “jack-of-all-trades” sort of player. She has really good length, she’s a fluid athlete, and she can play inside or out. She has a decent handle and can knock down the occasional 3-pointer like a wing, but she’s probably most comfortable in the mid-post and the short-corners working around a 15-foot bubble. She is an active rebounder who pursues the ball outside of her area, and she can stretch her versatility to the defensive end as well, guarding big guards, big forwards, or anyone in between.   Justis Odom, 2020, 6-1 F/C Justis isn’t very well-known on a statewide scale, because I don’t believe she’s played travel ball since the Summer of 2016. She is a long, wiry strong athlete, who plays with a solid motor. She has gained noticeable strength and is starting to play much more physical inside, she has really good length and bounce, and she absolutely slammed one blocked shot out of bounds to end the 3rd quarter. Offensively, she has good hands, decent footwork, and she finishes well inside. There’s some definite upside to her game, but she will need to continue working on her face-up skill.   Jayla Smith, 2021, 5-10 G Jayla is our #3 prospect right now in the Class of 2021, and while she is still very slender and not totally complete as a ballplayer, her upside is tremendous. She was just 5-5 to 5-6 this time a year ago, and now she’s a legit 5-10 working on 5-11. She is incredibly long, fluid, and shifty, plus she has some bounce to her. She hit several jump-shots, a couple of deep 3-pointers, and her handle was much better than I recall. She often rocked the defense off-balance and sliced by the person guarding her. She is just so smooth, and as she ages, finishes growing, and gains strength, watch out! She led Lawrence North in scoring last night, and she already holds a couple of Division-I offers because of her potential.   Montasia McAllister, 2022, 5-7 W Every year Lawrence North rolls out an intriguing youngster or two, and Montasia stood out to me during portions of the Junior Varsity game. She actually reminds me a little of Jayla Smith (above). Montasia isn’t quite as skilled with the ball, but she has a soft touch and pretty jumper, and she’s a slender, incredibly long athlete with good fluidity. I don’t know how much she’ll help the Wildcats at the Varsity level this season, or even next season with all of the Juniors and Sophomores they have, but she can definitely use this time to gain strength and tighten her skillset.   Header photo of the Lawrence North logo courtesy of the Lawrence North Athletics Facebook page. Photo of Katie Davidson courtesy of the Lawrence North Wildcats Twitter account. Photo of Kristian Young courtesy of the Lawrence North Wildcats Twitter account.