Midseason Mentions (15U)
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The featured image is of Kenzie Garner Kenzie Garner 6'0" | SF Sheridan | 2025 State IN (2025) of Sheridan High School and IGB-Bowsman 15U. Now that we are through Memorial Weekend, the Spring season of grassroots basketball has concluded.…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Kenzie Garner Kenzie Garner 6'0" | SF Sheridan | 2025 State IN (2025) of Sheridan High School and IGB-Bowsman 15U.
Now that we are through Memorial Weekend, the Spring season of grassroots basketball has concluded. Kids now return to their high school programs for open gyms, shootouts, showcases, and elite camps in June, before returning for the July 6-12 “live” period events. I wanted to take this time and catch up on some observations I’ve made throughout the Spring season with regards to the 15U teams and participants.
TOP 15U TEAMS
To this point, there are three teams who have really stood out to me. Every time I watch them play, the Lady Gym Rats-Walker team has played extremely well against top competition. And they are doing so with 4/10 girls on their roster still yet to play high school basketball. Amirah Jordan (2027) is the most dynamic of the bunch. At a slender 5-4, she plays well above her grade level, as she navigates defenses, finds open teammates, and knocks down shots herself from all three levels. She is from Louisville, Kentucky. I have also been consistently impressed with Icesis Thomas Icesis Thomas 5'10" | SF Kenwood | 2025 State IL (2025) of Hammond Bishop Noll, and with Naja Winston (2026) of Indianapolis, Indiana. Thomas is a strong and athletic 5-9 forward who can operate around the paint or attack from the outside as well. She brings toughness and a great work ethic to this team. Winston is a 5-10 do-everything power forward. She is a really nice athlete, she has some strength to her, and she works hard on the boards. 5-11 power forward Ashiyah Teague (2025) of Pike recently moved from a different Gym Rats roster to this team, and she gives them a nice blend of height and athleticism. She fits in seamlessly and should be a nice prospect moving forward.
I’ve also enjoyed watching the IGB-Bowsman group in the 15U division. They play extremely well together, they are all highly skilled kids, while also possessing well-balanced talent in their lineup. 5-5 point guard Addison Bowsman (2025) of Twin Lakes is one of the better traditional point guards in the state, let alone in the 2025 class. She takes care of the ball well, gets it where it needs to go, plus she can create space to shoot or get to the basket. She also has a nice feistiness to her game that teammates feed off of. 6-0 forward Kenzie Garner Kenzie Garner 6'0" | SF Sheridan | 2025 State IN (2025) of Sheridan has her best days way out in front of her, but she’s already productive. She is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and she has a beautiful stroke from 3-point range. As she continues to gain strength, look for her to be an efficient multilevel scorer. I’ve also been impressed with 5-11 forwards Laniah Wills (2026) of Lapel and Kayla Stidham (2026) of Hamilton Southeastern. I’ve known of Wills for a couple of years, and she is a talented athletic prospect with good length and a wiry-strong frame. As the skill and situational understanding grow, she could be scary good. Stidham is a strong-for-her-age, very skillful kid who can handle it a little, knock down shots outside, or battle for boards inside.
The Indiana Elite Drive group has also performed well most times out. They live and die by the 3-pointer some games, but they also shoot it well from all five positions. They have a tough backcourt trio of 5-11 wing Lily Graves Lily Graves 5'11" | SG Franklin Central | 2025 State IN (2025) of Franklin Central, 5-7 combo guard Ellie Richardson Ellie Richardson 5'8" | CG Scottsburg | 2025 State IN (2025) of Scottsburg, and 5-8 guard/wing Hylton Brumley Hylton Brumley 5'8" | SF Lanesville | 2025 IN (2025) of Lanesville. Graves has shown the most improvement from last year to this, as she looks to have finished growing vertically and is starting to play stronger. She can attack the basket and create like a point forward, but she also has some touch from the perimeter. Her father, Matthew, plus uncles Andrew and A.J., all played at Butler University from 1993-2008. Richardson also has shown improvement, as she looks leaner and more explosive, while also being able to shoot it consistently outside. She has really nice length, and a natural all-around feel for the game. Brumley seems like the tough kid who this team follows. When she dives on the floor or takes a charge, they all rally around it and step up their game. She is strong, fairly athletic, and she plays with a tremendous motor and a solid skillset. Even little 5-3 guard Lola Fouts (2025) of Scottsburg is fun to watch, and if you ignore her, she will bury 3-pointer after 3-pointer until you realize you can’t give her any space.
THE BIGGER THEY ARE…
Actually, in this case, they are rising, not falling. Several 2025s playing in the 15U age group have really increased their recruiting through their play this Spring. 6-1 forward Kimber Abshear Kimber Abshear 6'3" | PF Monroe Central | 2025 State IN (2025) of Monroe Central and 5-11 forward Emma Daugherty Emma Daugherty 6'1" | PF Summerville | 2025 State SC (2025) of Huntington North both play for Always 100 teams, and they have been great of late, especially throughout the month of May. Abshear is extremely long, fluidly athletic, and still growing. She has sort of a mid-post face-up game, but as she gets stronger, look for her to battle inside even more. With her constant work in the gym, she could also work towards playing more exclusively around the perimeter long-term. Daugherty was an impact player immediately for the Lady Vikings, adding nice height, length, and ability to their lineup in 2021-2022. She has a wiry-strong frame, and she has a solid all-around skillset. She’s still probably most comfortable somewhere between the low-block and the mid-post, but she has shown some touch and ball skill outside as well.
One player who should make a nice jump when we update our 2025 rankings later in June is 6-0 power forward Nevaeh Dickman Nevaeh Dickman 6'0" | PF Fishers | 2025 State IN (2025) of Fishers and Indiana Elite Orange. She has such a strong but athletic frame, she runs the floor very well, and she has great hands and can finish either direction equally well. She works hard to establish position when she posts, but she also cuts hard, and she has shown nice touch in the mid-post. Look for her to be much more impactful for the Lady Tigers during the 2022-2023 season, as she is starting to draw a great deal of Division-I interest this Spring. I’ve also been impressed with the progression of 6-1 power forward Leah West Leah West 6'1" | PF Greensburg | 2025 State IN (2025) of Greensburg and Indiana Elite Drive. A year ago, she looked more comfortable with her back to the basket, mostly because she just overwhelmed opponents. But now, especially against more elite competition, she has had to figure out new ways to be productive, and she has stretched her range to the 3-point line. She also looks a little leaner, more explosive, and I think she’s set for a big July run in front of coaches.
KEEP AN EYE ON…
This class is still so young, you could pick any of about 300 kids to choose for this category. Unfortunately to save space, I’ve limited it to four who have really stood out this Spring. Keep an eye out for 5-9 forward Amari Jackson Amari Jackson 5'8" | PF Richmond | 2025 IN (2025) of Richmond and All-Area Basketball. She still needs some skillful work at the offensive end of the floor, but she plays with a really nice motor, she has tremendous length, quick feet, speed, and bounce. She can actually sit down and defend some point guards with her quickness, and she willingly and successfully battles ‘4s’ in the paint as well. She is a walking rebound who also creates turnovers and just makes plays for her team. As she develops more of an offensive game around the perimeter, I look for her to be a really nice wing prospect long-term. Also look out for 5-9 combo guard Avah Montgomery Avah Montgomery 5'9" | SG Southridge | 2025 State IN (2025) of Southridge and Pocket City Basketball. Avah is a long and wiry, quick and fast kid who is still growing. Her sister is a 6-1 2022 grad headed to Kentucky Wesleyan, and her brother was a 2021 grad and is a 6-5 shortstop in the Chicago White Sox organization. Avah has that similar type of genetic makeup, and she could end up being a 5-11 to 6-1 guard over time. She is really smooth and fluid, but she’ll eventually need to work on strength and being able to absorb contact better. She has a natural feel for the game, she can knock down open shots, and she can create for teammates.
Now that she’s finally healthy, check out 6-1 wing Lauren Perry Lauren Perry 6'3" | SF Carmel | 2025 State IN (2025) of Carmel and Indiana Elite Orange. Her father, T.J., is 6-9 and also a former Butler Bulldog, and Lauren shows the potential to grow into the 6-3 to 6-4 range over the next 12-18 months. She has some late-growth similarities to maybe a Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield/Akron) or a Bridget Dunn (Carmel/Kent State), only Lauren probably has more ball skill and a better shooting touch from the perimeter when compared at the same age. Once she finishes growing and starts to gain strength, it will be much easier to see her ceiling, because she’s another one whose best days are well in front of her. And last, but not necessarily least, is the baby of the group…5-10 wing Lillian Barnes Lillian Barnes 5'11" | SF Valparaiso | 2026 State IN (2026) of Valparaiso. Lillian is playing “up” in the 15U age group and has a great deal of potential. She is already strong for her age, very skilled with the ball in her hands, and she understands how to score it at all levels equally well. In middle school games, she almost looks like her team’s post in warm-ups, then she displays a nice handle, creativity, and the ability to make shots. You quickly find out she is a perimeter player, but she honestly could probably play ‘1’ through ‘4’ at this point in time. She could step in and be an immediate impact player as a Freshman in 2022-2023.