Weekend Review: 16U
This past weekend was my first true venture out of the house since the pandemic slowdown began in mid-March, and it was great to be back in the gym again seeing many coaching friends, parents, and most importantly prospects. It…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend was my first true venture out of the house since the pandemic slowdown began in mid-March, and it was great to be back in the gym again seeing many coaching friends, parents, and most importantly prospects. It was also the first chance for many of the below teams to open their grassroots season (a handful of teams played in early March before the shutdown). Saturday I headed to Noblesville for the USJN Mid-America Qualifier, while Sunday I was in Fort Wayne for the Gym Rats Summer Tune-Up. I saw a variety of teams, and below is a look at several prospects from the 16U teams I was able to see over that two-day stretch. If a team you follow was there and I didn’t get the opportunity to see them, I will seek them out in the next few weeks.
First Lady’s GRIND – Anderson
The First Lady’s program has expanded to three high school teams this year, and the 16U group was on display Sunday. 5-8 wing Jayda Shannon (2022) of Tindley Accelerated caught my eye early on. She is long, fast, and athletic, she played with a good motor, and she was constantly around the ball making plays. A new name to me who caught my attention was Khin-Irrawaddy Tin (2022) of Ben Davis. The 5-6 combo guard was steady/solid in both games, she took care of the basketball well, and she didn’t force the action. I really liked her pace and poise. Another Ben Davis Giant new to me, Alaysia Divine (2022), showed really nice potential to become a quality small college prospect. While she still needs to gain a lot of strength, the 5-11 power forward is extremely long and fairly fluid athletically. She also played with a good motor and battled girls stronger than herself.
Grand Park Premier UA Rise – Drudge
This team has changed coaches over the years, but the roster has remained fairly well intact and is entertaining to watch. While many of the girls played well, I felt like the one who showed the most improvement was 5-7 combo guard
Chesney Tebbe
Chesney
Tebbe
5'7" | CG
Westfield | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Westfield. She looks taller, longer, and much more assertive offensively. She still needs strength, but her all-around court-sense, skill level, and fluid athleticism will surely attract some good small college interest. 5-9 wing
Kennedy Tolen
Kennedy
Tolen
5'9" | SF
Benton Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Benton Central also stood out to me. She too looks taller, stronger, and much more confident. She shot the ball well and did some really nice things around the perimeter and in the mid-post. Point guard
Annika Marlow
Annika
Marlow
5'5" | PG
Rushville | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Rushville Consolidated will be a college coach’s dream because she is just tough-nosed, skillful, and doesn’t attempt to play outside of her abilities. She is a traditional floor general who understands how to lead a team, take care of the ball, and run offense. I also think 5-6 combo guard
Tressa Senesac
Tressa
Senesac
5'6" | PG
Benton Central | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Benton Central has a lot of physical tools. She’s incredibly long, quick/fast, bouncy, and full of energy. Her tenacity at the defensive end certainly stands out.
Illinois Rockets Red – Rufus
I wasn’t completely focused on this group, as I was in attendance to watch their Indiana counterpart, but they had three girls who stood out to me. 6-0 power forward Emily Ytsen (2022) of James B. Conant High School (IL) might have been the most intriguing. She is a long, wiry strong, fairly fluid face-up ‘4’. She showed a very good motor, plus she was skilled in the mid-post and around the perimeter. I also thought 5-11 forward
Alina Anderson
Alina
Anderson
SG
Rockford | 2022
State
MI
(2022) of Romeoville High School (IL) showed a great deal of upside/potential. She is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and she was pretty smooth attacking the basket from the perimeter. I haven’t seen her enough to know if she’s better suited as a wing or as a skilled ‘4’, but she definitely is one to watch. 6-0 power forward Katie Sosa (2023) of York Community High School (IL) was a younger prospect on this roster, and while she might have a little more work to do, she showed quite a bit of talent. She is very long, fairly fluid, and she showcased the ability to bury a few long jumpers. I think she’s the type of kid that as she gets stronger physically, things will start to fall into place for her.
Indiana Attack Basketball Club (IABC) – Leek
These Northern Indiana ballplayers did a really nice job of battling all day, even though they were missing some teammates and playing with fill-ins from their younger team. 5-6 point guard
Bailie Stephens
Bailie
Stephens
5'6" | PG
Warsaw | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Warsaw Community always provides a burst of energy. She is strong, aggressive, and passionate about the game. She competes every possession, and her approach can be contagious for her teammates. She is good scoring it as a downhill driver, she is shooting it fairly consistently outside, and she defends with effort. I also thought 5-7 point guard
Kelly Ratigan
Kelly
Ratigan
5'8" | PG
South Bend St. Joseph | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of South Bend Saint Joseph did some really nice things. She’s a strong, physical guard who plays with a good deal of toughness. She isn’t necessarily track-speed fast, but she has pretty quick feet and does a nice job on the ball defensively. She also takes care of it and gets it where it needs to go. 5-5 combo guard Payton Rangel (2022) provided a boost off the bench for Mishawaka Marian this past year, and she too is a tough-nosed, high-energy competitor. She can shoot it a little, she’s strong going to the rim, and she’ll give effort defensively as well.
Indiana Elite Havoc
– Gates
This was another situation where they are team centered out of Illinois, so I was more focused on the Indiana team across from them, but I did think a couple of their girls stood out. One who I paid particular attention to is 5-7 combo guard
Zoe Stewart
Zoe
Stewart
5'8" | CG
Terre Haute North Vigo | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Terre Haute North Vigo. Zoe is a really nice athlete with good speed and quickness, she has some length, and she plays with a solid motor. I like her ability to break down her defender and get to the basket, plus she’s capable of knocking down rhythm jumpers consistently. I’ve always enjoyed watching 5-9 guard
Mallory Ramage
Mallory
Ramage
5'11" | CG
Mattoon | 2022
State
IL
(2022) of Mattoon High School (IL). She is incredibly long, fluid, smooth, and very versatile. She has ball skill and can play point guard, but she’s such a good multilevel scorer that I’d want to get her open for shots each possession. The other girl who I thought played well when I saw them was 5-11 forward
Payton Jacob
Payton
Jacob
5'11" | SF
St. Joesph-Ogden | 2022
State
IL
(2022) of Saint Joseph High School (IL). She is a strong, physical, tough-nosed forward who is built like a power player, but she often shows the ability to handle the ball in transition and make plays for others. She is another energy kid who, at her size, could draw a variety of college interest because she strikes me as a “fit” kid.
Indiana Showcase BlueStar – Gorman
This Showcase 16U team has a really nice mixture of 2022s and 2023s. One of my favorites to watch is 5-7 point guard
Nataley Armstrong
Nataley
Armstrong
5'7" | PG
Garrett | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Garrett. Her length, speed & quickness, and her feistiness at the defensive end of the floor really stand out to me. I also like her playmaking ability and willingness to find open teammates. This weekend she played much stronger than I remember. Another Garrett Railroader,
Bailey Kelham
Bailey
Kelham
5'10" | SF
Garrett | 2023
State
IN
(2023), had an outstanding rookie year in high school ball. She is a wiry strong, very athletic, slashing 5-8 wing who can score the ball at all levels. She’s best using her athleticism to get to the rim, but she is a definite talent who could develop into a Division-I prospect. 5-9 wing
Lilly Toppen
Lilly
Toppen
5'9" | SG
Kankakee Valley | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Kankakee Valley stood out in the Fall at our PGH Top-250 Expo, and she again played well Saturday. She is a long, fairly fluid shooter who is dangerous from just about anywhere on the floor. I think once she gains strength and is able to finish around the basket more consistently, it will really help her become a multidimensional scorer. Also keep an eye on 5-10 wing Brooklyn Peterson (2023) of Mitchell. I really enjoyed watching her Saturday, and I think she has come a long way since last year. Her skillset has improved a great deal, she looks stronger and more explosive, and she is playing with a great deal of confidence at the offensive end of the floor.
Jackson Jets – Sundermann
The Jackson Jets were a Michigan entry to the Gym Rats showcase on Sunday, and while I really didn’t watch this team specifically, they had two girls who were hard to avoid eyeing. 6-3 post Tadassa Brown (2022) of Columbia Central High School (MI) showed much improvement from when I saw her last July. She has a strong, athletic frame with good length, she’s a solid vertical athlete, and she runs North/South well. She is playing with a greater sense of urgency this Summer, she showed the ability to put the ball on the floor on occasion, and she was just all-around a lot more productive at both ends of the floor. The other one who stood out was 6-1 post Zoandria Bamm (2023), ironically also from Columbia Central High School (MI). She is a big, strong, powerful, and extremely physical post player. When she had 1-on-1 opportunities on the block, she was overwhelming at the rim. She will need to continue developing against double-teams and collapsing zone defenses, because she’s going to see a lot of them with her power/size. But I like her potential, and you’ve gotta love a post player named Bamm.
Nike Lady Gym Rats EYBL – Hollins
This is a fun group to watch because of their strong guard and wing play, but they aren’t very big. I felt like 5-6 point guard
Karsyn Norman
Karsyn
Norman
5'7" | PG
Bedford North Lawrence | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Bedford North Lawrence had about as complete of a day as anyone. She is a heady and dynamic playmaker who does a nice job of running offense, but I really like how she’s looking to shoot/score it a lot more. She knocked down a couple of really nice, long jumpers after creating space, but she also frequented the free throw line. I also thought 5-7 point guard
Olivia Brown
Olivia
Brown
5'7" | PG
Hamilton Southeastern | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Hamilton Southeastern played really well at times. Her length, athleticism, and ability to defend at a high level really stand out to me. Offensively, she’s a cerebral player who delivers the ball on time/on target. I have seen 5-9 wing
Ava Couch
Ava
Couch
5'10" | SF
Indy North Central | 2023
State
IN
(2023) of Indianapolis North Central a few times prior to this, but I was happy to see her playing as many minutes consistently, and she continues to improve. She is a strong, tough-nosed wing who plays with a great motor, but she also understands the game and can score it at all three levels. One player who has done a nice job of changing her game is 5-5 combo guard
Alaysha Brandenberger
Alaysha
Brandenberger
5'6" | CG
Boonville | 2022
State
IN
(2022) of Boonville. Last year, I felt like she was an undersized scorer who was just hunting shots and focused primarily on offense. Now, she is handling and distributing it much better, she is giving great effort defensively, and she looks like more of a point guard who can shoot/score.
Nike Lady Gym Rats – Patton
This was my first opportunity to see this Northwest Indiana group, and they definitely play with a lot of speed and athleticism, but they are young with several 2023 prospects. 5-8 small forward
Mya-Lee Jackson
Mya-Lee
Jackson
5'8" | SF
Merrillville | 2023
IN
(2023) of Merrillville is a strong, fairly physical, but skillful wing who flashes nice potential because of her versatility to play in the mid-post or around the perimeter. I also really enjoyed the speed, quickness, and energy of 5-3 point guard Kendall Bethel (2023) of Mishawaka Marian. She’s a tough-nosed, strong-for-her-size lead guard who flies all over the floor. She can make plays off the bounce, plus she’s an absolute gnat defensively who sticks to her assignment when she wants. Another prospect with some upside is 5-8 wing Angelicia “Cita” Del Valle (2023) of Portage. She is extremely long, quick/fast, bouncy, and she plays with great energy. Her value right now is at the defensive end of the floor, but she can drive it to the basket and finish or get to the line. If she can add a consistent jumper, she’ll be dangerous offensively.