Adah Hupfer
Claire Stoops is a budding star from the Hoosier State. *Photos by Anthony Lugardo.
NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA - The Brandon Clay Winter Showcase 2.0 was a great way for some of the Midwest’s top prospects to start transitioning to their club seasons from school basketball. Here’s a look at the progress from multiple Brandon Clay Brand Marketing Clients who were in the building:
Blum’s confidence has grown substantially over the last 18 months. She’s playing with an extra bounce to her step that didn’t exist during my first evaluation in the summer of 2023. Blum played a very competitive middle school travel schedule during the winter that’s paying dividends now. Seeing repetition after repetition against high caliber players is slowing the game down for her processing wise. Whether it’s shooting the basketball or looking to attack off the bounce, Blum is more assertive. Look for that same energy to translate vocally and to the defensive end as well. That’s a place where Blum can grow until I see her again in early May.
The growth in Chapman’s game was noticeable. She’s playing with the type of offensive confidence and production that I expected her to grow into. When she’s playing this way, Chapman has the skill set to be considered in the upper echelon of guards in her class. She converted multiple mid range jumpers and finishes around the rim. Overall, Chapman is playing with the confidence that prospect who have put in thousands of hours of work into their craft do. This was a positive setting for her to shine after a high level school year as travel season approaches.
In just our second Film Room evaluation, it’s evident that Grinstead loves to be in the gym. She came in early for extra shooting session displaying that she is a shot maker with the versatility to play either forward position. After the training session with Xavier Johnson, Grinstead sprinted out of the gym to go watch a high school playoff game. Her skill set is a place where I’m already seeing growth from the latter fall evaluation. She could play a big guard at the high school and even college level as her basketball handling skill grows. Over the winter, Grinstead helped lead her 7th Grade roster to the league championship. This spring / summer, she’ll team up for IBC with two Film Room alums in Tatum Eberly and Elle Miller.
Hupfer’s skill package is so diverse for a prospect with her build. She can isolate on the block and get a basket then turn around the next possession and hit a 3-pointer on a kick out from a guard Hupfer has the size and mobility that colleges covet nowadays. She is a consistent threat to rebound the basketball around the rim as well. Hupfer had an elite school season averaging a double double (points / rebounds) in the process.
We’ve watched Koch grow in front of our very eyes over the last three years. She just understands how to play the game. Since my last evaluation on Koch in 2024, she has become her school’s all-time leading scorer as a sophomore. She has already posted over 1,200 career points with two seasons remaining to play. Koch’s diligence to improvement plus on and off the floor leadership cannot be overstated. Koch’s physical maturation is allowing her to make the plays in real time that I saw her setup to make during her middle school days. She is attacking the lane consistently even applying pressure in a matchup with National Director of Skill Development, Xavier Johnson, in this eval. For Koch, displaying that level of assertiveness early and often this club season will be a major key to unlocking the next part of her growth.
Stoops game is growing in between each window that we see each other. That’s evident in her play on the floor. Her confidence level during gameplay was on full display inside Mojo Complex. She’s been locked in on attacking both left and right. There’s no doubt that Stoops will keep improving in that regard as well this spring. Sometimes, a quality evaluation from my desk has much less to do with what is happening on the hardwood as it does what is happening off it. Stoops is a high level basketball student. On Saturday, she knew that Southeast All Stars (Kate Harpring) and 7Days (Kaleena Smith) were playing in the 3SSBG Opening Day marquee matchup on April 25th before I did. She even sent a message to inform me. Stoops is that dialed in to what the elite guards in the classes ahead of her are doing. That’s special.
In my second Film Room evaluation of her game, Tofani showed that she can be a consistent source for made shots on the perimeter. She’s relatively new to the elite basketball scene. That’s a good thing given her natural ability to score coupled with her work ethic. It is evident that she’s enjoying the process of getting better at the game on a month-to-month basis. National Director of Skill Development, Xavier Johnson, watched her recent film as well and had the same takeaway. Look for Tofani to improve on her vocal leadership on the floor as she gets older. She’s picking up how to play the game at a higher level, faster pace. It’s showing in her overall play. I expect that to translate to her on-floor leadership over the next 12 months.
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.
