Kenzie Koch
INDIANAPOLIS - The Brandon Clay Small Group Sessions are an extension of our All-American Camp and Showcase Series. Basketball development in Indiana has an organic intensity and pace that I have not seen anywhere else in America. The Small Group Sessions are designed to provide future college prospects with a monthly, highly structured and elite level learning environment in which to perform.
The latest workouts were held on Sunday. Here’s a set of takeaways from the 1:15 pm group:
Fiona Breitenbach: Northeastern (IN)
This was my first time on the floor with Breitenbach. I watched her play with Chad Miller’s team on Saturday night. Her play her matched her play with him. She was good in movement action without the basketball. Rarely did Breitenbach get caught standing and watching the action. She’s already willing to move without it and can space the floor when the basketball finds her.
Already committed to Butler, Canaan can always focus on trying be a great high school player. She can really benefit from our work on setting her girl up before the pin-down screen awaits. Then it’s a matter of patience for Canaan to let the action play itself out Canaan’s size and skill set are perfect to work the inside / outside scoring opportunities that off the basketball screens provide.
It’s amazing how much more comfortable Cooley looked in the shooting part of the workout than back in the winter. She keeps showing herself as a floor spacing option. We talked about how good Steph Curry is in screen action looking to come off the action and shake free of his defender. Cooley will have that opportunity at Eastern Hancock next season alongside Kenzie Koch.
Like Breitenbach, I watched Grinstead play on Saturday night with Chad Miller’s IBC team. Grinstead’s confidence keeps growing. I see her as a prospect capable of using the screen action from today and getting wide open looks with the opposing defenses don’t communicate whether to stay attached or switch the action. Grinstead made multiple 3-pointers in last night’s game.
As Koch learns to read game situations like this pin-down series, she can become a special player. She’s already the leading scorer in Eastern Hancock history. Being able to use this action to create even cleaner shot opportunities in the half court will only help her point totals and team wins. Koch is turning out to be everything I would have predicted she would be during her middle school days.
Leffler’s game is tailored for pin-down screen actions and off the basketball movement. Even when Leffler is playing the point, taking advantage of reads and cuts that her teammates are making without the basketball is pivotal. Leffler’s skill set and IQ lend itself to being a consistent vocal leader on the defensive end of the hardwood as well.
Alex Nowacki: Creekside (IL)
Nowacki rode over four hours one way to get in the gym with me for the first time. She’s a skilled option in the backcourt who was immediately comfortable in the screening action. Nowacki’s willingness to move without the basketball is rare for a middle school prospect who hasn’t trained with me before. Her ability to make plays around the rim out of the pin-down action is advanced.
I have to assume that Stoops is going to see a lot of face guard defensive looks over the next few years. She can use today’s session to focus on burying her defender in the body of the screener then making a read from there. Stoops has the ability to be a really creative defender too. She can switch up how she plays each possession in screen action by communicating with her teammates.
Tofani’s skill set and confidence are both at all-time highs. She is going to be able to call for and then play out of pin-down action with ease at the middle school level next school season. Tofani can take the six shooter concept defensively we talked about here and grow on that end of the floor too. She’s grown exponentially since the fall.
Whelan-Edwards ability to function in this environment speaks to her upside. She was in a gym full of high level perimeter players running pindown actions to slip, seal and score. Whelan-Edwards can also shoot the basketball at her size. Her defensive mobility even in the perimeter actions was impressive. She can build in that category from here.
Brandon Clay is a national contributor for ProspectsNation.com and owns The BrandonClayScouting.com Evaluation Report, which is read by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. He also serves as the Executive Skills Director for the Brandon Clay Scouting Academy Series.
