End Of July Wrap-Up: Part-3
With many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield July 21st & 22nd, and then went to Cincinnati for Certified…
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Continue ReadingWith many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield July 21st & 22nd, and then went to Cincinnati for Certified Basketball’s The Finale on July 23rd and 24th. I saw several teams from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, but below is a look at the final eight of sixteen 2021 prospects specifically from Indiana who had nice performances when I was able to watch them.
Addyson Kent, 5-6 G, Jennings County H.S., Indiana Flight Maroon 16U
I first saw Addyson last Summer and thought she had a chance to be a really nice ballplayer. She spent this Spring playing for her father on Indiana Elite South, but they decided to join up with Maroon to end July. She is a wiry strong, solid on-the-floor athlete who has a veteran savvy to her game. She doesn’t ever seem to get rattled, she takes care of the ball nicely, and she can really shoot it from the perimeter. She has sort of a quiet toughness to her. I think she’s a really nice small college prospect, and if she can improve her on-ball defense a bit, it can only help her recruiting more.
Kamary Leaf, 5-7 G, Brownsburg H.S., Nike Lady Gym Rats Bronze 17U
I don’t know what Kamary ate before the game I saw, but she needs to keep doing it. She came out on fire, knocking down 3-pointers from all over the floor. She started with a couple of open rhythm jumpers, then extended her range a little, then started hitting contested shots from outside. Her outside shooting opened up the interior for their bigs. Kamary is a wiry strong, fairly athletic off-guard who can put it on the floor a little and attack the basket, but she’s more comfortable in that shooter role. If she can consistently score it in a variety of ways, I think she can become a really nice small college prospect.
Alexa McKinley, 5-7 G, Columbus North H.S., Indiana Flight Attack/Silver 17U
Alexa has always intrigued me as a player, and I think she has quite a bit of upside as a prospect. She is long, wiry strong, fluid, and somewhat smooth. She runs and jumps fairly well, and she has a toughness to her game as well. She likes to attack the basket, seek out contact, and finish at the rim or get to the free throw line, but she also sees the floor very well and can effectively play the point guard role for an entire game if necessary. Her one area of weakness is probably her need to be a much more consistent perimeter shooter, but if that part of her game can come around, she’ll be one of the more versatile, complete guard prospects in 2021.
Kylee Shelton, 5-9 W, Bloomfield H.S., Indiana Elite S.W.I.S.H. 17U
Kylee is a very interesting wing prospect with sort of an “old school” game. She has a solid frame, some length, and she’s a fluid athlete in most directions. She can handle the ball kind of like a point forward, but she plays with a pretty even temper and a calm, steady pace. Her ability to slow the game down a little and explore all options is lost on most kids today who just want to get out and go, but I think for her, it really helps open up opportunities for herself or others. When she decides to attack the basket, she goes strong and can get physical, but she also has some touch to the perimeter, however I think she’s still most effective as a scorer in the mid-post.
Jaci Walker, 5-9 F, Northridge H.S., Always 100-Wright 16U
I first learned of Jaci in April, and she has grown on me as the Spring/Summer has progressed. She is a fairly strong kid with an athletic frame, she moves well in most directions, and she is tough, physical, and can get even a little mean at times. I love how hard she plays, but the next step for her is controlling that energy and making it more efficient. She has some skill, she can attack the basket from the perimeter, but she can also knock down the occasional perimeter jumper when open and in rhythm. She’s more of an undersized ‘4’ right now, but as she continues to develop her skillset, I think she’s athletic enough to become more of a ‘3’ in college.
Mary Wilson, 5-9 W, Center Grove H.S., Nike Lady Gym Rats Gold EYBL 16U
I wasn’t sure exactly how Mary would fit into this Gym Rats team back in the Spring, but it appears as though she has found her niche/role/groove. She is a wiry strong, fairly athletic kid with a solid frame, toughness, a really nice motor, and she’s a very good perimeter shooter who can go on hot streaks. She had one of those last week when I saw her, and it helped her team expand their lead. She has handled the ball much better this year, and as she becomes a more efficient scorer off the bounce, I think that will open up her perimeter shooting even more. I can definitely see her drawing a wide variety of interest from schools of all levels.
Emily Wood, 5-11 F, Noblesville H.S., Indiana Flight Red 16U
Emily is absolutely one of the most workmanlike players in the state. She never really reacts to anything, and acts as though whatever happens is exactly what she expects to happen, she plays with a great motor, toughness, and physicality, and she understands how to fill her role perfectly and do whatever it takes to help her team(s) win. She has really good length, some bounce, and once she gains a little more strength, I think she’ll start finishing through defenders more consistently. She can play in the mid-post and hit a 15-footer, and she will give good effort at the defensive end of the floor, even against players much bigger than her.
Zoe Zellers, 5-11 F/C, Scottsburg H.S., Indiana Flight Maroon 16U
Zoe made the jump from Indiana Elite South to Maroon last week along with Addyson Kent (above). Zoe is a very productive front-liner who goes to battle every possession, she has a fairly strong frame, some length, and she’s a tough kid who likes to play with physicality. Her motor really helps her though, as she often rebounds outside of her area, but she also beats opponents to the ball a lot, and she gets put-backs before anyone else has really reacted to the rebound. She is just a highly productive interior player who brings a lot of value to the court because of her nonstop approach. If she can stretch her offensive game a little and be just a bit more explosive laterally, I think she can be a really nice small college player.