Midwest Summer Showcase: 17U Review

July 20-22, Westfield was once again the scene for a USJN event, however this time it was their 7th Annual Midwest Summer Showcase. With the tournament running throughout the week, it was a smaller field, but there were still several quality teams/programs from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and West Virginia. At this point in the Summer, I am seeking out teams I haven't seen at all yet, teams I don't feel like I have seen enough, or I'm simply watching teams because they are the only or best game during a specific timeslot. Below is a look at the 17U Indiana teams I was able to get a good look at throughout the 3-day tournament.   [program_tooltip program_id='715952' first='Indiana' last='Elite Havoc'] 17U - Myers Since this team is a mixture of Indiana and Illinois kids, I will focus on the Indiana kids here, and some of the Illinois kids will be mentioned in a follow-up article on the PGH Illinois site. One girl who has gotten better and better each time I've seen her is 6-1 post [player_tooltip player_id="182147" first="Hannah" last="O'Brien"] (2022) of Parke Heritage. She continues to play with more confidence and instinct, she has a great frame that will only get stronger, and she has really good length, nice athleticism, plus she plays with a motor. As she adds legitimate go-to moves, she could be a handful. High school classmate, 5-11 forward [player_tooltip player_id="157174" first="Grace" last="Ramsay"] (2022) of Parke Heritage, is another youngster playing "up" with this group who has had her moments throughout the Summer. She has really good length, fluid athleticism, and she can knock down the perimeter jumper consistently. The biggest thing for her will be adding more strength, and figuring out if she's more comfortable in the mid-post as a '4' or around the perimeter as a '3'. I have really enjoyed watching 5-4 guard [player_tooltip player_id="184238" first="Anslee" last="Michael"] (2021) of Terre Haute North Vigo all Summer. She is a quick/fast, feisty, and very active guard. She can defend and cause problems, plus she shoots it fairly well from the perimeter when given even the slightest daylight to get her shot off. She could be a nice small college "sleeper". Indiana Elite S.W.I.S.H. 17U - Kessler The Evansville area has been a gold mine for small colleges in the past, but it seems like there are very few who venture down there to recruit consistently, which is a shame. This team, specifically, has several really nice ballplayers who could be steals for the next level. 6-0 post [player_tooltip player_id="62554" first="Mariah" last="Dickerson"] (2021) of Evansville Mater Dei continues to have a strong Summer. The powerful, physical post has proven her athleticism has returned, plus she has good touch and a nice all-around understanding of the game. 5-9 forward [player_tooltip player_id="130366" first="Peyton" last="Murphy"] (2021) of Evansville Memorial is difficult to label by position, because she is so versatile and fits in well in most environments. She has length, a wiry strong frame, she understands how to play, plus she plays with a good motor. She can handle it a little in transition, knock down the occasional perimeter jumper, and she'll get inside and rebound/defend if need be. Don't sleep on 5-11 post [player_tooltip player_id="130368" first="Amaya" last="Thomas"] (2021) of Evansville Central either. While she might not be quite as polished as Dickerson offensively, she is still a high-motor rebounder/defender who plays much bigger than she is. Amaya is willing to be physical, she's quietly tough-nosed, plus she'll come up with "scraps" baskets often. 5-11 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="184230" first="Hope" last="Lensing"] (2021) of Evansville Memorial is another versatile front-liner who plays with a motor, solid intelligence, and balanced skill. She has great length, fluid athleticism, and she can play facing to 17-feet or battle around the block. She hasn't gotten much publicity in the past, but she has real upside. Indiana Flight 17U - Duke I feel like each time I watch Coach Duke's teams, there are a couple of "regulars" who stand out as expected, but there is also a player or two who really steps up. One player who really caught my eye for the first time early in the week was 6-0 post Andrea Justis (2022) of Columbus North. She has a strong, athletic frame, she plays with a good motor, and she runs the floor well for her size. She'll establish herself on the block, plus she has decent hands, but the next step for her is to become more instinctual scoring it. I do like how she's willing to be physical defensively. 5-9 guard [player_tooltip player_id="130334" first="Maycee" last="Woods"] (2021) of Plainfield shot the ball well when I saw her. The Taylor University commit is extremely long, fast North/South, and somewhat bouncy. She has greatly improved her perimeter skillset across the board, and she could end up seeing some quality minutes early in her college career. 5-7 guard [player_tooltip player_id="62567" first="Karly" last="Kirkpatrick"] (2021) of East Noble is a player who I think fits several different types of systems. She is one of those kids who does a little bit of everything fairly well. She can handle, pass, and defend multiple types of guards, she plays with a motor, plus she has really good length, some speed and quickness, and she's kind of a quietly tough kid as well. I think she's the ultimate "glue" kid because of her ability to fit in just about anywhere and help a team however is needed. Indiana Flight 17U - Perry This is about as big of a Flight team as I can remember for Coach Perry, and they often cause matchup problems because of it. 6-0 wing [player_tooltip player_id="130344" first="Kylee" last="Stepp"] (2021) of West Vigo has shot it extremely well all Summer, and she continued that trend earlier this week. She has great length, fluid athleticism, and she can make shots just about everywhere around the perimeter. Her handle has improved, though she could stand to play lower, but I would also like to see her put as much of a sense of urgency into the defensive end of the floor as she does offensively. She has the talent to become a good wing defender, but right now she's probably better defending '4s'. 6-0 post [player_tooltip player_id="184236" first="Haley" last="Scott"] (2021) of Western is someone I think a few small colleges could fall in love with. She has a strong, powerful frame, she plays with a quiet toughness, and she seeks out physicality. She needs a little polish offensively, but her sheer motor and determination on the boards and inside of 10-feet at both ends of the floor are welcomed by most coaches. I have always enjoyed the upside of 5-11 forward [player_tooltip player_id="130360" first="Emily" last="Wood"] (2021) of Noblesville. She still needs some strength, but she is extremely long, fluidly athletic, plus she plays with a nice motor. She seems like a quiet, unassuming, but tough-nosed kid who isn't afraid of battling bigger girls inside. She has some touch to 15-feet, good post skill, and she pursues rebounds outside of her area. Team Blaze Select 17U - Cross This group had a much better showing than they did in early July, as they were very competitive with a couple of really nice Midwestern teams this week. One player who looked a lot better was 5-9 forward [player_tooltip player_id="99422" first="Anya" last="Friend"] (2021) of Bloomington South. I'm not sure there were many girls who played as consistently hard as her all week. She is built like a post with a strong and powerful frame, she did battle some bigger girls fairly well inside defensively, but offensively she has a decent handle and a nice touch from around the perimeter. She could be a small college matchup problem because of her ability to score it outside, while defending more of an interior player at the other end of the floor. 5-7 wing [player_tooltip player_id="97305" first="Ashlyn" last="Traylor"] (2022) of Martinsville also impressed at times. I think the thing that stood out to me this week was her vision and ability to find teammates with several really nice passes at odd angles. She plays kind of like a point forward, and she seems to be aware of where everyone is around her. She's also tough-nosed, gritty, and physical, plus she doesn't mind attacking the basket with aggression. I've been a big fan of 6-0 forward [player_tooltip player_id="35069" first="Haley" last="Rose"] (2021) of Linton-Stockton for a while now, and I thought she had her moments too. Just the combination of her tremendous length, fluid athleticism, and perimeter skill should draw a number of suitors in recruiting. She is probably more of a face-up '4' than a wing, but she can stick the 3-pointer consistently, and she's a nice athlete attacking the basket. This was my first time seeing 5-4 guard Avery Patterson (2023) of Brown County this Summer, and though she's shorter, she has good strength at her size, plus she's a nice perimeter shooter who finds space well. Look for her to step it up this coming year at BCHS.