Last season, Lela showcased her versatility by playing both as a power forward and as a point guard. The growth in her ball-handling skills, combined with her ability to score from the perimeter, has elevated her offensive game and made her a more dynamic scoring threat. Heading into sectionals last year, she even displayed flashes of operating in a point-forward role something she looks primed to take on more consistently this season. What sets Lela apart is her explosiveness off the dribble. She possesses one of the quickest first steps in the East Chicago and Hammond area, allowing her to beat defenders off the bounce and create scoring opportunities. That blend of size, skill, and quickness makes her a tough matchup and a player with the ability to impact the game in multiple ways.

Lela was in the lineup for the Cardinals when she arrived on campus as a Freshman, but she has seemingly grown an inch each year and transformed from more of a scoring guard to a versatile wing who can play all over the floor. She has tremendous length, some bounce, and she moves effortlessly. She’s one of those prospects who might not be elite in any category, but she is well-rounded and good at most things. I also like her ability to sit down and defend guards or go inside and battle for boards against forwards.

The phrase “growing like a weed” might not be more applicable than when describing Lela’s growth throughout high school. As a Freshman, I feel like she was about a 5-6 guard. Last Summer, leading into the 2023-2024 season, she was a 5-8 wing. Now, she looks every bit of 5-9 to 5-10 as a wing/forward. She is extremely long, wiry-strong, and fairly fluid as an athlete, despite her quick growth. She is primarily an attacker off the dribble, but she still has some ball skill and touch outside. Because of her rapid growth, she’ll need a little more time to figure some things out, but the potential is there for her to become a nicely skilled, versatile wing/forward.