Flight Invitational Review: Class of 2021

Last Saturday was the annual Indiana Flight Invitational.  It is typically a really nice event, featuring most/all of the Indiana Flight teams, as well as many of the other top programs in the state.  This year it saw programs like IGB, Indiana Elite S.W.I.S.H., Indiana’s Best, Lady Aces, Lady Region Elite, Nike Lady Gym Rats, Shelby Sting, and Sky Digg Elite all represented in the high school divisions.  Below is a look at seven young ladies from the Class of 2021 who I wanted to point out from their play last Saturday. &nbsp; <strong>Gracie Adams, 5-9 W, Lanesville H.S., Indiana Flight Grey/South</strong> This was my first time seeing Gracie since last July, and she is a promising small school wing who helped Lanesville to an 18-7 record, their most wins in the 2000s, and their first winning season since 2005-2006.  She is a solid on-the-floor athlete with some length, she plays with a great motor, and she's tough and doesn't mind physicality.  She looks noticeably stronger than a year ago, and I like how she's willing to rebound from her position.  She can play effectively in the mid-post or around the perimeter, and she's starting to really stretch her range.  The next steps for her will be to make her handle a little more dynamic in tight spaces, and to continue working on taking angles at the defensive end of the floor.  All-in-all I think she's a really nice small forward who will draw her share of college interest moving forward. &nbsp; <strong>Layne Burke, 5-11 F, New Albany H.S., Indiana Flight Grey/South</strong> Layne is another player who I haven't seen since last Summer, as she wasn't in attendance when I first viewed this team earlier this Spring.  Layne is a wiry strong, fairly athletic, and very versatile forward who can do several different things reasonably well at all levels.  She can post on the low-block and score/rebound against smaller opponents, she can step out and knock down the occasional perimeter jumper, but I think she's most effective in the mid-post where she can put all of her skill and ability to good use.  She plays with a very good motor, she's tough and physical in her wiry frame, and I think she is still developing her skillset and transitioning from more of an interior player to a face-up player.  I like her upside and think she's definitely on the right trajectory as a prospect. &nbsp; <strong>Rylee Kleine, 5-7 F, Morristown H.S., Shelby Sting</strong> Rylee plays like you would imagine a small school Indiana kid would.  She has a good motor, she's fairly tough and physical inside, but she also possesses some skill in the mid-post and is reasonably comfortable around the perimeter.  She is strong for her size, she has some length, and she's more of a driver than a shooter right now, but her mid-range jumper is solid.  At her size, she'll need to continue making her perimeter skillset a bit more dynamic, but I like her grit and versatility, and I think she could develop into a nice small college prospect over the next couple of years. &nbsp; <strong>Kylee Shelton, 5-9 W, Bloomfield H.S., Indiana Elite S.W.I.S.H. 17U</strong> Kylee is an intriguing young wing forward.  She has a wiry strong frame, and she looks noticeably stronger than she did a season ago.  She has some length, she's a solid on-the-floor North/South athlete, and she plays with a good motor.  She could stand to work on her lateral explosiveness a bit, but she understands how to play and how to take angles defensively.  What I really like is her ability to handle it a little, almost like a point forward, she sees the floor fairly well and makes passes on time/on target, plus she can hit shots at all levels.  She had a very nice season for Bloomfield this past Winter, and with the graduation of <strong>Malea Toon</strong>, I look for her to step into the starring role for the Cardinals next season. &nbsp; <strong>Trinity Thompson, 6-0 F, Michigan City H.S., Nike Lady Gym Rats Tan</strong> I have now seen Trinity a handful of times already this Spring, and I continue to be impressed with her motor and her consistent productivity.  She is tough-nosed, strong, and physical.  She plays with athleticism and much more balance &amp; body control than you might assume based on her powerful frame.  Her nonstop motor though...that's what makes her tough to match up against.  When she was younger, she played a bit more on the wing, so she possesses good ball skill and can handle it some in transition, plus it helps her attack the basket from the mid-post at a high level.  If she can add a consistent 3-point shot, she could be scary, because she can already score it just about anywhere inside of 15-feet. &nbsp; <strong>Lexi Wilkins, 5-7 W, Southwestern H.S. (Shelbyville), Shelby Sting</strong> I saw Lexi a few times last Summer, and while she was solid, I don't recall her ever standing out like this during the times I viewed her team.  She has some length, good all-around athleticism, and she looks a little stronger than a year ago.  What impressed me the most was her confidence to take shots without hesitation, and she was on target all day Saturday from beyond the 3-point line.  All-in-all she's a very good scorer, and she can put it on the floor and attack the basket effectively straight-line.  She can finish around the paint, but she also has a solid pull-up in her arsenal.  I would like to see her continue developing her change-of-direction ball-handling, because I think that could really add a dimension to her game that would make her incredibly tough to defend. &nbsp; <strong>Emily Wood, 5-10 F, Noblesville H.S., Indiana Flight Red</strong> I continue to be impressed with Emily's play this Spring, and she's really standing out as someone who I think small colleges will come to appreciate and recruit hard as she continues to gain strength and develop her skillset.  She has very good length, a wiry frame, and she's much tougher and more physical than she looks.  She plays with a nonstop motor, she willingly battles on the interior, but she can also stick the 15-footer and be a presence offensively in the mid-post.  I think she shoots it well-enough, that with a little more strength, she can become an effective and consistent 3-point shooter you can use in pick-and-pop situations.  I am really curious to see how her game continues to develop over the next two seasons.