Team Indiana Showcase: The High Flyers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday, following all of the turkey and the stuffing and the club tryouts and the high school state titles, Team Indiana hosted their 14th annual College Showcase. This 5-hour showcase did everything from jump test to skill drill to controlled scrimmages that presented the college coaches in attendance what diamonds-in-the-rough they might discover. Here are the highest jumpers from each graduating class, their heights, positions, what they jump touched, and the skills they showed off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Class Of '23:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of the seniors in attendance, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251063' first='Bailey' last='Keusch'] ('23, 5-10 OH)</strong> from Southridge showed out at the highest jump touch of just over 9-6. Her quick rise, fast arm and solid all-around game stood out to this author, and was a head above most of the competition in multiple classes. I like her consistent play, her relentless motor, and her ability to play at a high level regardless of whom was around her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Class of '24:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were <em>plenty </em>of juniors that showed out yesterday. The highest flying of those was lefty banger <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110519' first='Isabelle' last='Poehlein'] ('24, 6-2 RS)</strong> from Zionsville. Her attack touch of 9-10, coupled with the pace she put on the ball on every swing, made her a tough kid to defend in both the drills and the scrimmages. She can play all the way around, defend at the net at an elite level, and terminates regularly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Class of '25:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of the 100+ kids in attendance at TI, none jumped higher than <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251065' first='Bella' last='Holmes'] ('25, 6-1 MB)</strong> from Terre Haute South. She's a strong, broad-shouldered M2 that takes up space on the block and can cause fits for smaller defenders at the net. Although a bit raw in her athleticism, you can't teach size and jumping ability, which Bella showed off at TI. She's currently playing club at COA in Terre Haute, so here's to hoping that she continues to develop by playing some higher level ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Class of '26: </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's either in the water or in the food, but yet another Zionsville kid dots this list. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='251066' first='Elli' last='Strecker'] ('26, 6-2 MB)</strong> was, literally, head-and-shoulders better than every other middle in the classes of '26 AND '25, and it wasn't close. She gets up fast, is just as effective in front of the setter and behind, can adjust to multiple tempi, and defends at an elite level. Add to all of that talent that she had an attack touch of 9-9, it's only a matter of time that she'll surpass the ten foot mark.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->