Top Newcomers: Class of 2021

Tuesday morning we posted the first thorough update to our rankings in the Class of 2021 since the end of March. Naturally, there were a number of changes to the list, and while we expanded from 200 to 225 prospects back in mid-June, we did not expand this time around. Still, though, there are seven young ladies who are new to the Class of 2021 rankings as of this week, so below we take a look at those seven and let you know why they are now included in our PGH Indiana Top-225 for 2021. #29 [player_tooltip player_id="88414" first="Marissa" last="Gasaway"], 5-11 PF, Silver Creek H.S. Marissa isn’t necessarily new to Prep Girls Hoops, but she is new to the Hoosier state, having moved into Southern Indiana from Louisville Eastern High School. She has a long, wiry strong, and athletic makeup. She can run and jump, and she is a monster on the boards. She has drawn her share of Division-I interest over the past year, so she will definitely be a huge help to a Dragon team already deep with strong perimeter play. In 25 games for Eastern last season, Marissa averaged 17.4 points and 14.0 rebounds, plus she got to the free throw line 9.4 times per game, so she’s obviously tough to handle inside. #40 [player_tooltip player_id="209420" first="Laila" last="Rogers"], 5-10 PF, Lake Station Edison H.S. Laila isn’t new to Prep Girls Hoops Indiana or the Hoosier state, as she spent her Freshman and Sophomore seasons at Hammond Bishop Noll Institute. Last year, however, she attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Illinois. She returns to Indiana at Lake Station Edison and should provide an immediate boost to their frontcourt, where she should blend nicely with their dynamic backcourt play. Laila is a broad-shouldered, strong, long, and very athletic face-up ’4’. She operates mostly out of the mid-post and is highly productive there. She plays with a motor and is an outstanding rebounder and defender. She has already verbally committed to Purdue-Northwest. #55 [player_tooltip player_id="209421" first="Grace" last="Adams"], 5-10 CF, Penn H.S. Grace is yet another prospect familiar to Prep Girls Hoops Indiana. She saw Varsity action as both a Freshman and Sophomore at Penn High School, before opting not to play last Winter. As she returns to action this year, I will be curious to see how she fits in and where she is skillfully, because as a Sophomore I thought she had a great deal of upside as a combo forward who could do a little of everything. She has great length, wiry strength, and she’s a fluid and smooth athlete in most directions. She can handle the ball and create a little, she is a productive mid-post shooter/scorer, and she can get inside and finish or rebound. Grace adds more depth and versatility to an already strong Kingsmen team. #113 [player_tooltip player_id="209422" first="Lauren" last="Pollock"], 6-3 C, LaPorte H.S. You don’t see a ton of "late-bloomers" in girls’ basketball...at least not like you do in boys’. Lauren, however, might just be such a prospect. She has grown an inch or two each year, and over the past 12-14 months she has really started to gain strength, confidence, and become much more assertive. She is incredibly long, wiry strong, and bouncy. She still plays a little too upright at times and needs to gain lower body strength, but she has the chance to continue rising in the rankings and attracting several high-level Midwestern small colleges. Her offensive game is a bit more consistent now, but she has always been a shot-blocking presence inside. #197 [player_tooltip player_id="209423" first="Laynie" last="Graham"], 5-8 SF, Gibson Southern H.S. I touched on Laynie following the IGBRR Preseason Showcase a couple of weekends ago, and I was so impressed that I decided to add her to the updated rankings. She is a long, wiry strong, fluid, and fairly athletic wing. She is a nice straight-line attacker to the basket, she has a little bounce to her as well, and she can finish with pull-ups, runners, and at the basket. However she is also a really nice perimeter shooter who can go on hot streaks. When she has her feet set and has rhythm, she is likely knocking it down. I like her hustle/motor, her willingness to find teammates and give it up, plus her effort at the defensive end of the floor as well. #200 [player_tooltip player_id="209424" first="Jenna" last="Louden"], 5-3 CG, Bedford North Lawrence H.S. In all of the fanfare about a school like Bedford and some of their top-level prospects, really nice ballplayers like Jenna can get a little lost as it relates to media attention. But rest assured she can play. Jenna is a tough-nosed, strong, long-for-her-size competitor who can play on or off the basketball. On the ball she is a really nice game-manager, a willing passer, a high IQ kid, and someone who just executes the offense as instructed. Off the ball, if she has any space or rhythm, she can knock down open jumpers consistently. She can get into the lane and collapse the defense, and she always plays with a nice motor. Jenna has already committed to Franklin College. #215 [player_tooltip player_id="209425" first="Maddie" last="Barnes"], 5-7 SF, Speedway H.S. Maddie is someone who I admittedly have probably missed on over the years, mostly because I just haven’t had the access to see her but one time. She is a strong wing who is very skillful and plays almost a point forward type of role for the Sparkplugs. She can handle the ball and distribute, she can attack the basket and absorb contact while finishing, plus she’s a decent perimeter shooter when she’s in rhythm. She has been a letter-winner each of her first three years, and she is closing in on the 1000-point mark for her career. Last season, Maddie averaged 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game, while shooting 38% from 3-point range and 73% from the line.