Ella is one of the most productive 2028s in the state through two seasons of high school basketball. She is a nice small school player, a well-rounded athlete, and she’s tough, strong, and assertive to the basket. She likes to drive the ball, play inside the arc around the mid-post, and she looks to get easy buckets on offensive rebounds and dump-off passes from teammates. She has a solid handle, but as she adds a perimeter jumper, she could make herself that much more difficult to defend. She isn’t a travel baller, and she is a multisport athlete, so I’m not sure what sport might be in her college future.

Ella Barry Ella Barry 5'9" | SF/SG Southmont | 2028 State IN brings a level of athleticism to the floor that immediately jumps out, and she’s using it to her advantage in every phase of the game. Not only can she run the floor and create pressure in transition, but she also shoots the ball at a high level making her one of the toughest matchups for opposing defenses. When a player is both explosive and a consistent perimeter threat, it forces teams to make tough decisions, and Ella capitalizes on those gaps.

This past week, she delivered another strong performance, finishing with 26 points and knocking down four threes. Her ability to stretch the floor while also attacking off the bounce makes her the focal point of Southmont’s offense, and she continues to deliver with confidence.

Ella has played a major role in Southmont’s impressive 8–0 start their best opening stretch since the 2020–2021 season. With the way she’s producing on both ends of the floor, she’s shaping up to be one of the key sophomore guards to watch as the season progresses.

I did not get the opportunity to see Ella in-person this season, but I did watch a couple of full-length games online. She has nice length, end-to-end speed, and she does a solid job of scoring it in a variety of ways. She is best attacking the basket off the bounce, but she did make 45 3-pointers at a 29% rate this year, and that should only improve moving forward. She is also an active defender who uses here length well at that end of the floor.