My Indiana Freshman Showcase All-Stars

With the almost 60 freshman in attendance from in and around Indiana, there was plenty of talent to pick a full team of all-stars from the Freshman Showcase. This isn't like other all-star teams, where they take twenty-plus random positions and say "all-star". This is a legitimate, position-limited list that emphasizes the top nine players overall from the Freshman Showcase. Here they are, in order of contact.    I said it before and I'll say it again---do not look at this kid's size, look at her abilities. Fully capable of receiving serve in half the court and more than talented to chase down off-speed shots, Cecelia showed us exactly what she's about when she arrived. I liked the immediate vocal and physical leadership she brought to Academy, and her play reflected her abilities; strong, solid and consistent.     Without a doubt, the most common name given to me by multiple coaches throughout the showcase was Gabby's. Her ability to make the extraordinary look ordinary is the hallmark of a high-end libero, and Miss Bassett did exactly that. I can't imagine things will get easier for her, as she's playing up an age group (16-1) once again at Circle. Even if the competition gets tougher, there's no doubt she'll make it look simple.     Speaking of things looking simple, Lauren's immediate presence on the court simplified play for everyone else around her. Reliable, consistent and always vocal, her floor-leader mentality carried her drill-mates and teammates to be better just because of her presence. I love the active feet and the calm platform, as that's what carried the day with Miss Delk. I'm not surprised that she's from Yorktown---looks like the future is bright in the passing department once again for the Tigers.     Strong and consistent, Rylie was one of the few that was spot on with every located ball she set. Even in out-of-system plays, Rylie's ability to get her feet to the ball to finish a set stood out among the other freshman setters on Sunday. She also plays bigger than her 5'8" frame---her hands always contacted the ball high, and she received the pass in the same spot every time, making her that much more deceptive. In short, she made the hitters she was with better because of her set location.     Wow. What an amazing addition Isabella was on Sunday. We don't see too many tall, agile AND athletic setters here in Indiana, let alone ones that can defend their position as well as they can play their position. She used her height to her advantage many times, especially when the set was tight to the net. With high hands, an understanding of what her hitters could do and consistent placement, Miss Szawinski is the quintessential future D1 setter, and the teams she was placed with on Sunday were better because of her.     Gosh, ANOTHER Yorktown kid? Absolutely. Kendall, from the first contact, is an obvious choice for high-and-hard attacks, and wil be an outstanding addition to Yorktown's outside-hitting stable. On many occasions, coaches approached me and asked if I saw Kendall play. No, the accurate statement would be, "I heard her play." As in, the ball sounds different coming off of her hand. Very few attackers, let alone compact attackers like Miss Rowray, can make me hear that they're just different in impacting the ball on the attack. Oh yeah, and she can flat out jump on that attack too. I was worried in my preseason preview of Yorktown High School earlier this month about them losing a bunch of attackers and not having any replacements. Looks like the Tigers will be just fine with Kendall, thankyouverymuch.     Miss Riekena is another gifted kid from Illinois, this time from just outside of Peoria in roughly the center of the state. Bryn is a hard-hitting, high-flying pin attacker that can put balls away from just about anywhere, and should be a six-rotation athlete moving forward. With her pass-to-attack already above average, she's ahead of the curve in relation to her fellow freshmen. I'd love to see her play in a year from now, when high school and higher level club ball develops her skills further. She was a joy to watch on Sunday, and I see no ceiling to her abilities.     Ella, coming from the South Bend area and NIVA, was the ONLY middle that came to us on Sunday in the Freshman Showcase. Some might find that awkward and tough, but she was highly coachable, played multiple positions during the two hours and really showed her length while attacking in both the right and middle. Raw but athletic, Elena never took a play off, even though she would have been allowed to because of fatigue. However, without needing a break, Miss Swanagan used her length to her advantage, blocking the attackers that attacked low and going over those same attackers when hitting on the right side. I love this kid's mentality and coachability. More training time will be needed to polish this young lady's potential, and her improvement from the beginning to the end of our Freshman Showcase proved that she's a sponge for information and her work ethic was second to none.

With the almost 60 freshman in attendance from in and around Indiana, there was plenty of talent to pick a full team of all-stars from the Freshman Showcase. This isn't like other all-star teams, where they take twenty-plus random positions and say "all-star". This is a legitimate, position-limited list that emphasizes the top nine players overall from the Freshman Showcase. Here they are, in order of contact.