Fall Rankings Review: 2022 PG Rundown

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="34549" first="Ali" last="Saunders"] (2022) of North Harrison High School and Indiana Elite Venom. Last month we completed our quarterly rankings overhaul, and we finished it off with the 2022 class, updating those lists for the first time since June. While we didn’t expand the 2022 list this time around, we will look to do so for a final time during our December update. In this article, however, I have taken time to examine the games of a few of the point guards in this class from a variety of different angles.   Top of the Class I can remember back to when North Central’s [player_tooltip player_id="128118" first="Tanyuel" last="Welch"] was entering high school. She was a diminutive 5-5 water-bug who flew around everywhere, using her speed and quickness to her advantage. Now standing close to 5-10, she is extremely long, noticeably stronger, but she still possesses speed and elite quickness. She is one of the best on-ball defenders in the class, and she does a nice job of forcing ball-handlers to divert and move into positions they aren’t comfortable with. Offensively, Welch’s perimeter shot has gotten more and more consistent each year, plus she’s worked on taking care of the ball better in traffic. I also think she’s the type of prospect who will only get better once she gets to college. [player_tooltip player_id="65535" first="Olivia" last="Smith"] of Fort Wayne South Side might be short in height, but her game is huge. She is strong, tough-nosed, and explosive. She’s as good of a finisher pound-for-pound as anyone in this class. She understands how to control her body, protect the ball, and get it on the glass to draw and-1s regularly while the defenders hit the floor. She can fill it up outside as well, plus she’s a crafty ball-handler who can find gaps and get the ball to open teammates. She’ll have to have a big Senior season for South Side to continue their winning ways in 2021-2022, as there are a number of quality/improved teams in Northeast Indiana for them to contend with. Smith is committed to Eastern Michigan University. The Southern third of the state is blessed with guard talent in the 2022 class, and our next two point guards come from near the Ohio River. [player_tooltip player_id="128116" first="Kynidi" last="Striverson"] moved into Silver Creek as a Sophomore, and she has compiled quite the résumé in just two seasons, capped by their Class 3A State Championship back in February. Striverson is a talented athlete with a wiry-strong frame. She has nice length, the ability to change directions quickly, and a keen mind and feel for the game. She knows where her teammates are at all times, and she can find them through narrow windows. But over the last year she has really asserted herself offensively as well, consistently knocking down shots from the perimeter and scoring through contact at the basket. She is a multilevel threat who committed to the University of Evansville earlier this Fall. In the same Sectional resides [player_tooltip player_id="34549" first="Ali" last="Saunders"] of North Harrison. She is a strong, athletic, and versatile combo guard who has really learned how to score the ball consistently from all areas of the floor. She has some length and bounce as well, and she gives great effort each time out. But it’s her ability to play on the ball as a game manager, as well as the threat of her knocking down open jumpers or attacking the basket North/South that helped her draw college interest from a variety of schools. I can see her playing any of three positions at the next level, depending on if her future school wants to play smaller or bigger throughout their lineup.   On the Rise Continuing our Southern theme, I feel like [player_tooltip player_id="97311" first="Keegan" last="Kaiser"] of Floyd Central played as well as I’ve ever seen her throughout the Spring. She is long, wiry-strong, fluid, and smooth. She was stronger with the ball, much more decisive in her decision making, plus she knocked down open shots when the defense gave her space. She’ll need to continue strengthening her frame, but her fluidity and ability to put pressure on the defense off the bounce make her a really nice prospect for a variety of colleges. I think she’s currently a bit underrecruited, because someone is going to wind up with a nice "steal" at the end of the day. East Central guard [player_tooltip player_id="128165" first="Hope" last="Fox"] was strong when I saw her in July. She has sort of an "old school" game to her, she plays with great poise and patience, and she just has a natural feel for the game. She has some length, a solid frame, and the ability to make shots outside, attack the basket and finish, or run offense and find open teammates. She doesn’t look for the spectacular play too often and will make the simple play regularly, so you have to appreciate her efficiency and ability to control tempo and dissect defenses. Indianapolis Tindley’s [player_tooltip player_id="182145" first="Darryn" last="Hood"] was fantastic throughout the Spring and Summer. She has always been a talented athlete with the ability to make scoring plays, but she also showed the ability to create for others during the grassroots season. She has some length, wiry strength, she’s quick/fast, and she’s bouncy. I felt like she stepped it up defensively, made better decisions with the ball in transition, and she scored it consistently from all three levels. I think she’s an elite talent at the small college level, who if she continues adding discipline to her game, could be an all-conference type of find for someone. I also felt like [player_tooltip player_id="128183" first="Colleen" last="Miller"] of Northridge put together a strong travel campaign. She has always been intriguing, but now that she has grown, gotten stronger, and really tightened her skillset, she is playing at a high level. At times it can be tough to stand out when you play on a high school and travel team that both possess such good balance, but she figured out a way to carve out a niche with each team. She is shooting it more consistently, taking care of the ball, plus she’s an effortful defender. She has already given a commitment to play at Heidelberg University.   Don’t Sleep on Them Every class has a handful of girls you can identify quickly as really standing out, whether it be size, strength, skill, or ability. At the same time, there is another group of prospects who tend to fly under the radar for a number of different reasons, so I wanted to mention four such young ladies. [player_tooltip player_id="97258" first="Kyrisha" last="Hay-Swope"] of Castle High School has typically put together stronger Summers than Winters, but I would expect some nice things out of her during the 2021-2022 season. She is a quick, fast, and explosive guard who uses her talent to create scoring opportunities for herself and teammates. She will find her friends in good spots to score, but she too can slice through a defense and finish at the rim. She’ll need to make her perimeter jumper a little more consistent, but she can become an elite on-ball defender, and she has a lot of physical tools small colleges should enjoy. Taylor’s [player_tooltip player_id="128175" first="Emma" last="Good"] is definitely flying under the radar, and she’s another "old school" type of player. She is a high-level set-shooter from the perimeter, and if you give her any space, she’s knocking it down. She has a solid frame, good ball skill, and while she won’t wow you with fancy ball-handling, you aren’t going to take it from her. She is as steady and poised as they come, and she does a nice job of making sure the Titans are always in a position to win games. Westfield point guard [player_tooltip player_id="128161" first="Olivia" last="Robey"] hasn’t played on the grassroots circuit the last couple of Summers, but the pass-first floor general is a threat to opponents during the Winter months. She has really nice length, speed, and quickness. She can create offense off the dribble, attacking gaps in the defense and putting pressure on them to react accordingly. She does have the ability to knock down open jumpers from the perimeter, but doesn’t force shots, and almost always finds the open teammate. I also like her effort and feistiness at the defensive end of the floor, and she could be a really nice small college recruit. Another shorter athlete I liked this Summer is [player_tooltip player_id="267400" first="Jaidn" last="Green"] of Evansville North. Green is a strong, compact, low-to-the-ground athlete who does a really nice job of using her frame to absorb contact. She will go through "arm tackles" to get to the basket, and she can finish over taller players. She can knock down an open shot, but her game is really in attack mode. Defensively, she’ll use that physicality as well, coupled with her quickness. I think she’s a hidden talent in an area that is often underrecruited by small colleges.