Grassroots Introductions: Gym Rats

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="59766" first="Karsyn" last="Norman"] (2023) of Bedford North Lawrence High School and Nike Lady Gym Rats 17U EYBL. Now that we are in the home stretch of the 2021 grassroots season, I wanted to finish introducing several of the state’s programs over the next few weeks. For the bigger programs in 17U-15U, they will get their own articles, while some of the smaller programs and individual teams will be found later in articles summarizing the remaining teams in each of those age groups, 17U-15U. Below is a look at the Nike Lady Gym Rats program. The Gym Rats have been around for many years now and are centered out of Indianapolis. They are the state’s Nike EYBL representative, drawing girls from all over the state of Indiana, as well as rostering several ladies from Kentucky and a handful from Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.   17U: There are three entries in the 17U division for the Lady Gym Rats, including the 17U EYBL group, NLGR Team Dana, and NLGR Team Karissa. The Nike Lady Gym Rats 17U EYBL team is not only the flagship team for the Gym Rats program, but it’s also widely considered one of the top teams in the state and Midwest each year. This year’s 17U group has taken on quite a youth movement, with five of its nine players being from the 2023 class, and two more hailing from the 2024 class. The two rising Seniors include All-State guard [player_tooltip player_id="61030" first="Jessica" last="Carrothers"] (2022) of Crown Point, and versatile forward [player_tooltip player_id="128170" first="Destinee" last="Hooks"] (2022) of North Central (Indianapolis). Carrothers plays with one of the best motors in the state, she’s tough-nosed, physical, but also highly skilled, and intelligent on the floor. Hooks brings an intriguing inside-out dimension, as she has the size and strength to battle some inside, plus she has 3-point range on her jumper. [player_tooltip player_id="59773" first="Ashlynn" last="Shade"] (2023) of Noblesville, our top-rated prospect in 2023, and [player_tooltip player_id="176409" first="Chloe" last="Spreen"] (2024) of Bedford North Lawrence, our top-rated prospect in 2024, join Carrothers in the backcourt and add huge offensive punch. Shade has proven herself as a top National prospect, as she can score the ball at a high rate from all areas of the floor. She’s also strong, tough-nosed, athletic, and plays with a nice motor. Spreen is another smooth, versatile playmaker. She can score it off the bounce, knock down perimeter jumpers consistently, plus she’s a solid on-ball defender. She has drawn a number of Power-5 offers this past week. Add to them fast-rising point guard [player_tooltip player_id="96086" first="RaShunda" last="Jones"] (2023) of South Bend Washington, and cerebral lead guard [player_tooltip player_id="59766" first="Karsyn" last="Norman"] (2023) of Bedford North Lawrence, and it would be tough to rival their backcourt. All Jones has done since she’s gotten to high school is build her skill and understanding of the game, adding to her high-level athleticism. Norman has always been a poised and efficient floor general who runs the show as well as anyone, plus she can shoot/score it from all over. Up front, they are neither huge nor small. 6-1 athlete [player_tooltip player_id="59757" first="Laila" last="Hull"] (2023) of Zionsville Community has been outstanding all Spring. She can run and jump with anyone, she’s a monster in the mid-post, but her perimeter skill has improved a great deal as well. 6-0 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="177362" first="Juliann" last="Woodard"] (2024) of Jennings County has been a nice surprise, giving them solid board work and skill inside of 15-feet. And 6-1 post [player_tooltip player_id="127238" first="Mackenzie" last="Thomas"] (2023) of Carmel can cause problems on the low-block with her size, but she also has a little touch around the perimeter. NLGR Team Dana is a hard-working, well-coached group who just gets after it. I had the chance to see them a few times in Louisville last week, and I feel like they have several under-the-radar kids who small colleges who love to have in their lineups. [player_tooltip player_id="61057" first="Halle" last="Shelt"] (2022) of Park Tudor is a strong, athletic wing guard who does a little of everything. She can run the offense when necessary, attack the basket off the bounce, and knock down the occasional perimeter jumper. She’s also a gritty defender, and she plays with a great motor. [player_tooltip player_id="97284" first="Tori" last="Smiley"] (2022) of Lawrence Central has really developed her game over the years. She is a nice athlete with length, and she can play on or off the ball. DeNishia Nalls (2022) of Warren Central is a track type of athlete with elite speed and quickness. She can cause real problems defensively. I also really like point guard [player_tooltip player_id="243568" first="Lauren" last="Smith"] (2022) of Cowan. She has nice length, fluid athleticism, and the ability to make shots from all over the floor. Dionna Craig (2023) of Culver Academy is someone I definitely want to see more. She is a long, wiry, bouncy athlete with some definite upside. This team doesn’t possess a great deal of size, but [player_tooltip player_id="128121" first="Meredith" last="Weiss"] (2022) of Vincennes Rivet does a nice job of manning the middle. She is strong, tough-nosed, and skilled to the mid-post. She is very undervalued at this point in her career. Guard Kenadee Frey (2023) of Vincennes Rivet, along with Kentucky additions Darian Griggs (2022) of Louisville Male, Mia Gandolfo (2022) of Louisville Assumption, and Hailey Mueller (2022) of Sacred Heart round out Team Dana. I really like the length and athleticism of the NLGR Team Karissa group. On this team, Lawrence Central wing [player_tooltip player_id="128206" first="Montasia" last="McAllister"] (2022) has drawn the most buzz from coaches over the past couple of weeks. She is a long, fluid, and smooth guard who can make shots at all levels, plus she causes problems defensively with her length. [player_tooltip player_id="97258" first="Kyrisha" last="Hay-Swope"] (2022) of Castle is a quick/fast and explosive athlete who makes plays at both ends of the floor. She also does a nice job of distributing the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="97260" first="Trinity" last="Barnes"] (2022) of Gary Lighthouse is a bit under the radar, but she’s definitely helping herself with her July play. She is a multilevel scorer with nice length, a wiry-strong, athletic frame, and she plays with a motor. Justice Billingsley (2023) of Fort Wayne South Side has been a rather nice surprise for this group. She is an extremely athletic guard who can create offense or lock up defensively. [player_tooltip player_id="128195" first="Gabby" last="Gay"] (2022) of Zionsville Community and Aniah Lewis (2024) of Lake State Edison are a couple of solid wings who play hard. Along the frontline, Team Karissa looks to [player_tooltip player_id="303395" first="Alaysia" last="Divine"] (2022) of Ben Davis and [player_tooltip player_id="61053" first="Ariel" last="Helm"] (2022) of Lawrence North. Divine is an extremely long and wiry forward with nice mobility. She looks noticeably stronger and more confident, plus she has solid skill. Helm is a strong athlete who loves to play with physicality. She recently made a commitment to play volleyball at Duquesne University. There are also two Kentucky girls on this roster...guard Jazmine Chatman (2023) of DuPont Manual and wing Olivia Kaufman (2022) of Sacred Heart.   16U: The 16U division for the Gym Rats has also seen three teams take the floor this year. They are the 16U EYBL squad, NLGR Team Sydney, and NLGR Team Madison, however Team Madison did not participate in early July, though nearly all of their players helped fill in on other Gym Rats’ rosters. The Nike Lady Gym Rats 16U EYBL team would be their flagship 16U team, as well as one of the best 16U teams in the state most years. A pair of 2024s have definitely made their mark with this group, and both are seeing a lot of college interest because of it. 6-2 wing [player_tooltip player_id="177344" first="Ellery" last="Minch"] (2024) of Mount Vernon (Fortville) is a long, fluidly athletic point forward type who shows good ball skill, a nice overall feel for the game, plus she can make shots at all levels. Guard [player_tooltip player_id="177361" first="Reagan" last="Wilson"] (2024) of Noblesville has also been outstanding. She plays with an incredible motor and energy, but she’s also highly skilled and can play either guard position effectively. As far as the rising Juniors go, [player_tooltip player_id="96077" first="Ava" last="Couch"] (2023) of North Central (Indianapolis) has been fantastic. She plays with a tremendous motor and toughness, but she’s also very polished skillfully and can really hurt opponents from the perimeter. [player_tooltip player_id="59781" first="Sanaa" last="Thomas"] (2023) of Warren Central is a talented point guard in a deep guard class. She has athletic talent, but she also sees the floor very well, she can make shots outside consistently, and she’s an effortful defender. [player_tooltip player_id="178230" first="Dani" last="Mendez"] (2023) of Noblesville and [player_tooltip player_id="59754" first="Mallory" last="Heerdt"] (2023) of Zionsville are a pair of strong, quietly tough, hard-working front-liners who just go to work, helping their team any way they can. They like physicality, but both have some touch in the mid-post and short-corners as well. This team has also looked to the Bluegrass State for a trio of performers. Ka’Niah Edelen (2023) of Louisville Male, plus Sydne Tolbert (2023) and Madison Brittle (2023) of DuPont Manual, bring even more athleticism and playmaking ability to this group. NLGR Team Sydney isn’t very big, collectively, but they definitely have their moments, and they are very fun to watch with all of their speed and quickness. I’ve really been impressed with the play of [player_tooltip player_id="59756" first="Ella" last="Hobson"] (2023) of Center Grove all Spring. She has been more of a shooter on her teams in past Summers, but this year she is a primary ball-handler and is showcasing her ability to make plays for herself or others. [player_tooltip player_id="264111" first="Audrey" last="Annee"] (2023), also of Center Grove, is a strong, broad-shouldered wing guard who can score the ball consistently at all three levels. She also plays with some toughness and solid all-around athleticism. Maliya Turner (2023) of Ben Davis is a quick/fast and athletic combo guard who plays with a really nice motor. She is best attacking the basket, plus she gives good effort at the defensive end of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="241191" first="Gabby" last="Richie"] (2023) of Logansport has been a two-year starter for the Berries, and she plays with a great deal of energy. She is tough, strong for her size, plus she is just nonstop. She creates for teammates, she can make shots, and she’ll get after it defensively. [player_tooltip player_id="241194" first="Jordan" last="Patterson"] (2023) of University was a new addition for July, and she brings a wiry-strong, athletic frame, plus the ability to play either guard position effectively. Meagan Eaker (2023) of Brownsburg, Mya Davis (2023) of Lawrence Central, and Chloe Crook (2023) of Logansport bring great effort and add to an already deep backcourt. The one kid with any height they do have rostered is 6-0 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="96075" first="Exsencia" last="Cloma"] (2023) of Gary West Side. She is extremely long, athletic, and bouncy. She plays with a nice motor and affects shots defensively, plus she’s an active rebounder.   15U: In the 15U division, the Gym Rats field NLGR Team Lindsey and NLGR Team Ae’Rianna. Team Ae’Rianna has unfortunately escaped me all Spring, so I will focus on Team Lindsey at this time. NLGR Team Lindsey is a talented mix of girls, primarily in 2024, but there are a couple of youngsters, plus a couple of out-of-staters with this group. The headliner all season has been 2026 point guard Kamrah Banks of Franklin Township. She is an incredibly dynamic playmaker who has already drawn her share of high-major Division-I offers and interest, while just entering the 8th Grade. When you watch her, she’s just so smooth and skilled, you would think she’s a natural 2024 (or older) on this team. The other prospect playing "up" is point guard [player_tooltip player_id="295781" first="Vanessa" last="Wimberly"] (2025) of Lake Central. She isn’t very big, but she’s highly skilled, incredibly dynamic with the ball in her hands, and she has been as selfless as they come for this squad. She is just a flat out playmaker. Wing [player_tooltip player_id="177310" first="Kennedy" last="Blakely"] (2024) of Hammond Bishop Noll is the younger sister of 2021 Indiana All-Star [player_tooltip player_id="130311" first="Courtney" last="Blakely"]. Kennedy is a point forward type who can make plays for others off the bounce, she has a little height and can play some in the mid-post, but she does also have some touch outside. Guard [player_tooltip player_id="177311" first="Aubrie" last="Booker"] (2024) of Center Grove has been good in each viewing this Spring. She combines nice size and athleticism with a balanced skill package, so she can play either guard spot effectively. Fellow Center Grove Trojan [player_tooltip player_id="201881" first="Madelyn" last="Poe"] (2024) is a tough-nosed, high-energy, feisty lead guard who leaves it all out there on the floor. She can run offense, create, or shoot/score it consistently herself. Wing [player_tooltip player_id="177341" first="Koryn" last="Marshall"] (2024) has transferred from New Palestine to Heritage Christian this Summer, and the aggressive forward should help the Eagles immediately. She is a strong, tough-nosed, assertive player who does a nice job of attacking the basket and finishing through contact. 5-11 [player_tooltip player_id="177326" first="Rachel" last="Harshman"] (2024) of Mooresville and 6-1 Alexis Warren (2024) of Pike give this team some semblance of size along the frontline. Harshman plays with a tremendous motor and has nice skill, while Warren is more of a rebounder/defender type right now, but she has solid athleticism and a nice ceiling to develop her game. Forward Emily VanTimmeren (2024) comes to the team from Jenison High School in Michigan, while Taryn Morris (2024) is from Louisville Assumption High School in Kentucky.