Stock-Risers: 2022 Point Guards

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="128162" first="Nataley" last="Armstrong"] of Garrett High School.</em></span> Wednesday we released our Winter rankings update for the Class of 2022. Since it coincides with the midpoint of the 2020-2021 high school season, I felt like it was a great opportunity to highlight five young ladies who have either played well following our September update, or who have gotten off to nice starts to their Junior seasons. Below are five guards who are quickly gaining the respect of their teammates and opponents as the season turns toward the home stretch. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128162" first="Nataley" last="Armstrong"], 2022, 5-7 PG, Garrett H.S.</strong></span> If you are looking for a true point guard, then Nataley is about as selfless as they come. Her scoring has dropped 2.3 points per game since last year, but she’s still shooting it at similar percentages across the board. What has changed is her understanding and vision to find teammates, as she has increased her assist average from 5.8 in 2019-2020, to an outstanding 9.3 in 2020-2021. She is now affecting the game on more offensive possessions each game, and Garrett is out to a 13-1 start and #5 ranking in the ICGSA Class 3A poll. She is long, fluid/smooth, and incredibly feisty defensively, but her offensive sacrifice this season shows her desire for the team to be successful. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="182141" first="Madelynn" last="Denny"], 2022, 5-5 PG, Mooresville H.S.</strong></span> On a high school team that plays with tremendous balance from year to year, Madelynn has been their lead guard and playmaker these last two seasons. She is a wiry strong, quick/fast, and feisty playmaker who can find open teammates, attack the basket and score, or knock down shots from the perimeter. She can defend the ball 84-feet at times, and she has a natural feel for the game. This season, she has increased her assist average and decreased her turnovers at the same time. I think once college coaches are able to see her again this Spring, she is going to really impress them with her steadiness/consistency, motor, and competitive nature at both ends of the floor. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128165" first="Hope" last="Fox"], 2022, 5-7 CG, East Central H.S.</strong></span> Hope is one of those deceptive players who you take for granted as an opponent, until she scores 20 points, grabs eight rebounds, and hands out six assists in a win. She has some length, a wiry strong frame, and she’s a solid athlete in most directions. She isn’t overly dynamic at any one thing, but she has a natural feel for the game, and she is good in just about every area. She can handle it some and run offense, she can break down a defense at times and get to the rim, plus she’s a fairly consistent shooter outside. She rebounds her position well as a guard, and she’s a sneaky defender who gets her hands on passes when you least expect it. She has had a nice season. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128171" first="Kelly" last="Ratigan"], 2022, 5-7 PG, South Bend St. Joseph H.S.</strong></span> Kelly was really good all Summer/Fall, and she seems to have stepped into the leadership role at St. Joseph this Winter. She is a strong, physical lead guard, who uses her body to shield defenders at times. She does have a nice handle, good court-vision, and she can knock down shots from the perimeter. She isn’t necessarily going to blow by defenders off the bounce, but she does a really nice job of getting them off-balance and getting them on her hip, drawing fouls. She is very crafty, feisty, and tough, plus she uses her instincts well defensively. I think if she can prove to play well against length and speed this coming Spring/Summer, she will garner a lot of college interest. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65535" first="Olivia" last="Smith"], 2022, 5-4 PG, Fort Wayne South Side H.S.</strong></span> Olivia hasn’t necessarily moved around the rankings much, if at all, over the last calendar year, but she is playing at such a high level right now, I had to point her out. The last couple of seasons, Olivia played more off the ball due to the presence of 2020 grad <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="64119" first="Jaci" last="Jones"]</strong>. But with Jones now in college, Olivia has been South Side’s primary ball-handler more often, and she is both scoring and distributing the ball at much higher rates, showing off her outstanding playmaking ability. She is a strong, tough-nosed, and physical lead guard, but she’s also quick/fast and explosive. She does a really nice job of attacking defenders and finishing, plus she uses her strength and quickness well defensively.