Hoosiers at GJNC: Part 1

Kyp Harasymowycz June 13, 2023 @ 06:57 AM

<p>In our 11-part series, we take time to talk about three athletes per team that are available to play in the fall of their respective classes. All of the teams listed earned their way to Chicago, so we'll cover every division at GJNCs except for Patriot. Here are the first two teams, playing in their respective open divisions.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 Open: Circle City 16 Purple</h2>   <p>I've been high on this team all spring, and have had the pleasure of reffing them multiple times. If there was an attacker I'd build my class-of-'25 team around, I might start with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173248' first='Reese' last='Dunkle'] ('25, 6-3 MB, Center Grove).</strong> She changes the way opposing attackers swing and is a constant force in the front row offensively. You can't teach height, but you CAN teach effort and attitude, and Miss Dunkle has it in spades. I like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173239' first='Avery' last='Freeman'] ('25, 5-1 DS/L, Bloomington North)</strong> as my first contact queen. She's like having a coach on the floor, and her maturity and anticipation is rare for this age group. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172759' first='Ava' last='Hunter'] ('25, 5-11 S, Hamilton Southeastern)</strong> is already a state champ, and runs this 5-1 offense with ease. Her deception, athleticism and overall maturity has improved so much in the last year that I can hardly recognize her from how she was in the fall of '21.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">17 Open: Rev 17-1 Raptors</h2>   <p>Constantly and consistently in the top end of every tournament they've entered, the Raptors finally find themselves with the big girls on the biggest stage. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='191070' first='Lucy' last='Kay'] ('24, 6-2 MB, Fishers)</strong> is the biggest uncommitted kid on this roster, and her length and strength over the past year have grown tremendously. She makes a lot of blocks irrelevant with her high contact point and defends with some of the best middles in the class. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='112088' first='Katie' last='Smith'] ('24, 5-2 DS/L, Roncalli)</strong> has been one of my favorite defenders in this class for a couple of years now. Her fast feet, constant "go" mentality and anticipation suit her well on this roster. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='171342' first='Addie' last='Decker'] ('24, 6-0 RS, North Central)</strong> is a lefty hammer that defends just as well as she attacks---a rare pair traits for any right side in Central Indiana.</p>

In our 11-part series, we take time to talk about three athletes per team that are available to play in the fall of their respective classes. All of the teams listed earned their way to Chicago, so we'll cover every division at GJNCs except for Patriot. Here are the first two teams, playing in their respective open divisions.