Rankings Review: 2021 Small Forwards
The featured image is of Kylee Stepp Kylee Stepp 6'0" | SF West Vigo | 2021 State IN of West Vigo High School and Indiana Flight UA Rise-Perry. When this small forward group got to high school, there weren’t the…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kylee Stepp Kylee Stepp 6'0" | SF West Vigo | 2021 State IN of West Vigo High School and Indiana Flight UA Rise-Perry.
When this small forward group got to high school, there weren’t the eight to ten legitimate Division-I prospects we are used to seeing. At the same time, I feel like this group more than any position in the Class of 2021, has really improved their play, their recruiting, and their overall depth. Below is a look at the 55 small forwards who currently reside in our Class of 2021 Top-225 rankings, along with a quick look at the top five uncommitted prospects at this position. We will be following this article with one on each of the frontline position groups in the Class of 2021 throughout the rest of the week.
Mary Wilson
Mary
Wilson
5'10" | SF
Center Grove | 2021
State
IN
, 5-10 SF, Center Grove H.S.
I have raved about Mary over the last couple of seasons, because I feel like she’s a kid who has taken the talent she was given and exceeded expectations due to her attitude, approach, work ethic, and humility. She is in the gym constantly trying to get better, her skillset has developed a great deal, and it’s noticeable. She is a knockdown shooter at times, and that one specific skill should definitely draw the interest of colleges, especially with a premium on shooting right now. At the same time, she has improved her handle, her ability to score inside of 21-feet, plus she’s defending much better and understands “early help” and angles well. Additionally, she is coachable, she listens, she is a good communicator on the floor, and she helps and supports teammates whether she’s in the game or at the bench.
Destiny Jackson
Destiny
Jackson
5'10" | SF
Fort Wayne Snider | 2021
State
IN
, 5-10 CF, Fort Wayne Snider H.S.
Destiny is one of the more physically talented kids in the Fort Wayne area right now, and when you combine that with her work ethic and coachability, she should be an attractive prospect to a wide range of college programs. She can flex between the mid-post and the perimeter, she moves very well in all directions and is bouncy, plus she doesn’t take possessions off. She’s a pursuing rebounder, a versatile defender who can take on forwards, wings, and even some guards at times, and she’ll run equally hard both directions in transition. After playing three years at Fort Wayne Northrop, she recently transferred to Snider. She also committed to San Jose State late in the Spring, but she has since reopened her recruitment and has heard from quite a few Division-I schools already.
Kamryn Miller
Kamryn
Miller
5'9" | SF
Gibson Southern | 2021
State
IN
, 5-9 SF, Gibson Southern H.S.
Kami is probably the highest ranked player on this list who avid basketball fans outside of Southwest Indiana know very little about. She is a long, wiry strong, fluid, and athletic prospect. She can knock down an open 3-pointer when she’s set, but that really isn’t her game. She is a slashing, attacking, athletic creator and scorer. In fact, she has taken on a great deal of ball-handling responsibilities for Gibson Southern the last couple of seasons and plays almost a point forward position for them. She does a nice job of running offense and finding open teammates, but she also shows a great deal of versatility at the defensive end of the floor, where she’s able to utilize her length and athleticism to bother opponents and get deflections. She will need to score it a little more this year, considering they graduated a lot from their 2020 class.
Alivia Terry
Alivia
Terry
5'8" | SF
North Central (Indianapolis) | 2021
State
IN
, 5-8 SF, Indianapolis North Central H.S.
I think as a coach you grow to appreciate players/prospects a little differently than maybe the average fan. Alivia is one of those kids who I think is somewhat undervalued but who is typically always productive. She is a strong kid, a solid athlete in most directions, plus she always plays with a motor and helps her team in a variety of ways. She shoots a good percentage from 3-point range but can be a little streaky at times, however when she gets rolling, watch out. She will get inside and box out/rebound, plus she’s a quietly tough kid who’s willing to defend girls much bigger than herself. I just think she has a lot of intangible qualities that fit well in winning environments, or even help locker rooms turn into winning environments if you can get others to feed off of that and replicate her efforts.
Lydia Self
Lydia
Self
5'10" | SF
Hamilton Southeastern | 2021
State
IN
, 5-10 SF, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Lydia is another intriguing wing prospect who has drawn very little attention because she isn’t a big grassroots participant. She is very long, fluidly athletic, and skilled. For Hamilton Southeastern, she’s kind of the wing shooter who hides in the long-corners and buries daggers at key times in games. She definitely plays off of others, but in the past year she has started to attack more herself, make dribble-moves, and get to the basket and finish. She can be an effective defender as well when she uses her length to her advantage. I don’t know if she has an interest in playing at the next level, but I think a number of quality small colleges would be interested in her style of play. Regardless, considering the graduation losses the Royals have suffered the last two years, this could be a big season for her.