A First Look: Fishers

Earlier this season, I had the opportunity to see Fishers when they traveled to Ben Davis to participate in a nice little round-robin shootout. I saw the currently 6-1 Tigers knock off the host Giants 63-55. Fishers has a plethora of nice guards and wings, and most of them are non-Seniors. They’ve gotten off to a hot start, and I anticipate them being a major player when it comes to deciding the Sectional #8 champion at the end of the season. Fishers is back in action tomorrow, as they travel to the New Castle Fieldhouse to participate in a 1-day showcase against Class 4A Elkhart Central. I’m not sure they’ve ever met before, and it should be a very intriguing matchup. Below is a look at seven prospects who stood out against Ben Davis.   Skylar Fulton, 2019, 5-7 G Skylar is a long, fluid, and athletic wing prospect. She is great at attacking the basket, and she seemingly glides by any defender to the rim. She has done a nice job over the last couple of years of working to develop a consistent shot from the perimeter, and now she’s able to keep defenses honest. What I like most about Skylar, is that she always plays with a motor, she has a very even demeanor, and she puts in work at the defensive end of the floor. She’s solid defending the ball, but she’s also very effective in the passing lanes off the ball. She’s one of the more unsung heroes on the Fishers squad.   [caption id="attachment_15352" align="alignright" width="225"] Junior Wing Tamia Perryman[/caption] Cierra Tolbert, 2019, 6-0 C Cierra is a strong, powerful, and physical frontline prospect. She has a lot of muscle, and she’s willing to knock people around at both ends of the floor. Defensively, she creates a roadblock in the lane and can deter drivers from attacking the basket. She’s a solid rebounder, and she has good length for her frame. Offensively, she’s still somewhat limited to back-to-the-basket stuff, so if she can continue to develop a 15-foot face-up jumper, it would really help her recruiting. She is the daughter of former Indiana University player Ray Tolbert.   Tamia Perryman, 2020, 5-9 W Tamia is one of the better 2020 prospects who no one knows about. She’s is extremely athletic, long, and bouncy. She plays with a good motor, and she’s hard to stop when she gets going to the basket. She hasn’t played grassroots basketball since she has been in high school, so really no one other than people on Fishers’ schedule have gotten the chance to see her play a great deal. Her jump-shot is improving, and that will only enhance her effectiveness going forward. Defensively, she can be a real terror in the passing lanes when she’s playing off the ball. She’s a very intriguing prospect.   Lydia Stullken, 2020, 6-1 C I’ve always been a big fan of length and athleticism when it comes to anyone, but especially frontline prospects. Lydia is incredibly long, fairly fluid, and bouncy, so she fits the bill. Defensively, she blocks her share of shots on a nightly basis, but it’s her mere presence that alters even more shots. She is a nice pursuing rebounder, and she does a solid job rebounding out of her area. Offensively, she’s still an opportunistic scorer who gets most of her baskets off of offensive rebounds or others’ penetration, but she is working hard to develop a more consistent face-up game.   [caption id="attachment_11777" align="alignleft" width="170"] Sophomore Guard Katie Burton[/caption] Katie Burton, 2021, 5-8 G Katie is an explosive scorer, and she has stepped into the role of their go-to person when the team needs a bucket. She has definitely put in the time working on changing directions with the dribble, getting to the basket, and finishing through contact at odd angles. For a younger guard, she’s one of the best finishers I’ve seen inside of 10-feet, and she’s great at making a lot of off-balance attempts around the rim. Her perimeter shot is good enough to keep defenses honest right now, and I think as she gets older that will become much more consistent. I also enjoy her motor and toughness defensively.   Audra Emmerson, 2021, 5-5 PG Audra is a little, quick / fast, and feisty point guard prospect. She has really good length for her height, and I think she does a nice job of picking her spots to score the ball. She’s a capable perimeter shooter, but I really like her ability to go by defenders and collapse defenses. Defensively, she can be a pest on the ball, plus with her length and quickness, she affects passing lanes off the ball. I think the next step for her is to continue working on building more strength and being able to absorb contact better. She reminds me a little of Center Grove’s Ella Thompson (2019) when she was that age.   Katie Howard, 2021, 5-7 W Katie is a skilled, high IQ basketball player with a good motor. Her father is a former Division-I men’s head coach and the current boys’ coach at Brebeuf, so you can see a lot of that basketball background in her game. She is strong, she plays with a quiet toughness, and she’s a skilled shooter who is a threat anywhere around the perimeter if given space and rhythm. On this Fishers team, she is a really nice compliment to the slashing styles of Perryman, Burton, and Emmerson, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Katie have a game or two where she makes six to eight 3-pointers because of it.   Header photo of the Fishers athletics logo courtesy of the Fishers volleyball Twitter account. Photo of Tamia Perryman courtesy of readthereporter.com. Photo of Katie Burton courtesy of the Indiana Flight Twitter account.