Top Forwards & Posts In Northwest Indiana

In selecting the five regional areas for my regional articles, I used the Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association’s (ICGSA) five districts. Schools are evenly distributed by county and somewhat geographical, though not exact. Counties included in the "Northwestern" articles include: Benton, Carroll, Cass, Fulton, Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Starke, Tippecanoe, and White. Across the entire Prep Hoops Network, we are exploring ways to bring you different types of content in each of the states we cover. One idea we’ve come up with is "city rankings", where we highlight some of the better players in each metropolitan area. I felt like in Indiana, however, there are talented kids spread all over the state, so it wouldn’t be fair to solely focus on Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Evansville, for example. Instead, I have divided the state into five regions based on a fairly even distribution of the 400+ high schools available to choose from. It isn’t exact, but it seemed like the best way to make sure all prospects from the Hoosier state were considered. (Please see the italicized fine print above for a more specific breakdown of the counties used in this article.) Without further ado, below is a look at some of the top returning forwards and post players in "Northwestern" Indiana, arranged alphabetically within their graduating classes.   [player_tooltip player_id="130363" first="Remi" last="Jordan"], 2021, 5-11 PF/C, Knox H.S. For a Class 3A "big", Remi can be a matchup nightmare at times. She has enough size, strength, and back-to-the-basket skill to play on the block effectively, especially if Knox wants to play a smaller lineup. At the same time, she is very skilled in the mid-post facing the basket, and she pairs nicely with a couple of Knox’s other post players so they can put a bigger, more powerful lineup on the floor. She plays with a good motor, she has touch to near the perimeter, and she will battle on the boards. She also has a solid basketball IQ and understands defensive positioning. [player_tooltip player_id="158395" first="Holly" last="Kaim"], 2021, 5-9 SF/PF, Munster H.S. Because I have never seen Holly on the grassroots "circuit" in the past, she really came onto my radar when I saw Munster play against LaPorte in the Regional this year. She was outstanding in that game, going 8-9 from the field, scoring 19 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and collecting two steals. She is a tough-nosed, physical, high-motor forward who does a little of everything inside the arc. She battles for rebounds, defends bigger players, scores the ball in the high-post, mid-post, and at the rim, plus she brings a lot of contagious energy for her team. [player_tooltip player_id="99429" first="Julia" last="Schutz"], 2021, 5-11 SF/PF, Andrean H.S. Julia has been a Varsity performer for the 59ers since her Freshman year, and she has been nothing but consistent each season. She has grown a couple of inches since her rookie year, she has gotten noticeably stronger and more physical, and this past season she averaged a career high 8.1 rebounds per game. I think what I like most about her is her ability to play inside-out. She is physical and can rebound/defend inside, but she has a solid handle and good touch around the perimeter. I think she can be a pick-and-pop ’4’ or a ’3’ in bigger lineups at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="35017" first="Trinity" last="Thompson"], 2021, 6-0 PF, Michigan City H.S. While Trinity is starting to see some momentum with her recruiting, I think she’s still a hidden gem in Northwest Indiana. She started her career at Gary West Side, but she has spent the last two seasons at Michigan City, averaging 20.0 points and 15.3 rebounds this past year. She is strong, athletic, and she plays with a tremendous motor. She moves well and can defend multiple positions, plus she has perimeter skill and can handle the ball in transition at times. With MAC, Missouri Valley, and Horizon League offers in hand, look for her to make an impact immediately at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="97290" first="Megan" last="Bolen"], 2022, 6-0 PF/SF, Knox H.S. Megan is another really nice talent at Knox, and with most of their rotation returning (including two girls on this list), you can see why they’ll be a favorite in Class 3A in 2020-2021. Megan is a long, wiry strong, fluid, and athletic forward. She can handle the ball and make plays on occasion, she can slice to the basket for scores, plus she has a solid jump-shot in the mid-post. I think she shows her potential the most in transition when she can be an athlete, but her game should come full-circle once she proves to be more efficient in the half-court. I really like her upside, and I think she could turn the corner this year. Maddie Hudspeth, 2022, 6-1 C/PF, Oregon-Davis H.S. I touched on Maddie a few weeks ago, but she really had a nice, notable Sophomore campaign. She grew a couple of inches, transferred into O-D from John Glenn H.S., and her game really took off. She averaged 7.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for a Senior-laden and deep Bobcat team. She will need to continue developing her strength and her back-to-the-basket game, but this year she showed glimpses of what could come. With Junior All-Star wing [player_tooltip player_id="130332" first="Mercedes" last="Rhodes"] (2021) on the outside and Maddie on the inside, look for O-D to remain competitive as usual in 2020-2021 in Class 1A. [player_tooltip player_id="128201" first="Kendal" last="Johnson"], 2022, 6-0 PF/SF, Winamac Community H.S. After lettering as a Varsity Freshman, Kendal put together a really nice Sophomore year. In the wake of losing Laini Joseph (2021) to a move out of state, Kendal was one of the bigger reasons why Winamac stayed competitive and posted another winning season. She has height, length, and fluid athleticism. She could certainly stand to get stronger and play a little more physically, but she has some ball skill, and she’s a very good perimeter shooter at her size (46-130, 35%). As she finishes growing and gains more strength, look at her to become a multi-level scorer who could eventually score in the high teens. Jessie Ringen, 2022, 5-9 PF/SF, Rensselaer Central H.S. Jessie is a really nice talent hidden in Rensselaer, Indiana. She is a wiry strong, very athletic, high-motor forward who can play inside-out. She out-hustles opponents to rebounds and loose balls, she can shoot or drive it from the mid-post equally well, and she’s starting to shoot it and handle it more consistently around the perimeter. I think she is athletic enough and works hard enough to defend wings at the next level, so what position she could play will be dependent upon how her skillset develops over the next couple of seasons. [player_tooltip player_id="97246" first="Davina" last="Smith"], 2022, 5-11 SF/PF, Merrillville H.S. Davina is the younger sister of UIC Sophomore Daijah Smith, who averaged 28.7 points per game her Senior year and scored more than 2100 points in her career for Gary Lighthouse. Davina is a different type of player though. She too is a long and fluid athlete, but a little stronger and more physical. As a Freshman, she was more of a mid-post forward who was active on the boards and scored at the rim a lot. This past season, however, she worked on her range and consistency shooting it, her handle has improved, and she is probably closer to a full-fledged wing now. She’ll only get better with added strength. [player_tooltip player_id="128115" first="Lilly" last="Stoddard"], 2022, 6-3 PF, Crown Point H.S. Obviously we’ve mentioned Lilly plenty over the last couple of years, as she’s one of the better young interior prospects in the Midwest. Her combination of height, length, fluidity, and bounce are very intriguing to college coaches, and she has picked up her share of Big Ten and Pac-12 offers to confirm that. What stands out the most in her development, is that even though she needs to continue adding strength, she has gotten stronger, but she has always tried to play the right way and seek out contact. She does have a nice face-up game as well, and she could stretch her shot to the perimeter at some point.   Other Noteworthy Forwards & Posts: [player_tooltip player_id="130340" first="Julia" last="Blue"], 2021, Hanover Central H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130372" first="Heather" last="Johnson"], 2021, McCutcheon H.S. Lauren Pollock, 2021, LaPorte H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="130367" first="Kassie" last="Stanko"], 2021, Morgan Township H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128194" first="Bolanle" last="Ayangade"], 2022, Valparaiso H.S. Carley Balas, 2022, Chesterton H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="128160" first="Amanda" last="Blevins"], 2022, Lake Central H.S. Elizabeth Edmonds, 2022, Argos Community H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="97285" first="Haley" last="Thomas"], 2022, West Lafayette Harrison H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="96075" first="Exsencia" last="Cloma"], 2023, Gary West Side Leadership Academy Olivia Marks, 2023, South Central H.S. (Union Mills) Evelyn Scharer, 2023, Twin Lakes H.S. [player_tooltip player_id="155441" first="Janiyah" last="Watkins"], 2023, East Chicago Central H.S.