As Dayton signee Jayla Scaife and the Central Bearcats aim for the same success in Class 4A, here are five other East Central Indiana girls basketball players to watch.
DeAnn Kauffman
DeAnn Kauffman, Union
Kauffman already surpassed 1,000 career points as a junior, a year in which the 5-foot-10 point guard averaged 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3.3 steals per game. With fellow senior Rylee Davis also back, the Rockets are shooting higher than their 22-4 mark last season, which included a Class 1A sectional title. A standout on the volleyball court too, Kauffmann plans to play both sports at Indiana Tech. “Everything you need, this girl can do,” says Union coach Andrew Moore. “She sets up her teammates and just has a knack for the game. She sees the floor extremely well. At the high school level, not many kids can do what she does.”
Kambrey Jolley
Kambrey Jolley, Wapahani
If there’s one player making the transition for first-year Wapahani coach Brad Cutter easier, it’s the 5-11 Jolley. “She gives you everything you want from a senior, that’s for sure,” Cutter says. “She can handle the ball, post up or shoot from the outside. She’s an all-around player.” Jolley has spent time on the varsity since she was a freshman and is coming off a junior campaign in which she averaged 13.5 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.8 steals. A core that includes juniors Payten Lee, Haley Strombeck and Kaci Mangus will try to improve upon a 14-8 season.
Faith Morris, Blackford
Faith Morris
A solid sophomore season has sparked Division I interest for the 6-3 junior center, and that’s not all that’s changed. Without Lauren Godfrey (14.1 ppg), Maggie Weeks-Foy (10.5 ppg) and four other seniors, Morris is expected to significantly increase her 12.6 points, 9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks she averaged last season. “She looked up to them, followed their lead. She was a major part of that,” coach Jack Norton says. “She found her groove in the summer and fall and is learning how to be that dominant player she can be.” Norton says Morris reminds him of former NBA player Manute Bol with her long arms and ability to not only block a shot but retrieve the loose ball, too.
Micaya Richardson
Micaya Richardson, Delta
Everything Delta does revolves around the 5-6 Richardson, who is coming off a sophomore season during which she put up 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Her numbers were actually a little down from her freshman campaign when she averaged 13.6 points. A lot of that had to do with an ankle injury which caused her to miss eight games. But numbers are secondary when quantifying Richarson’s impact, as everything revolves around her. Delta coach Bruce Ruble called her one of the best girls basketball players he’s coached. “She’s not a 20-point scorer yet,” Ruble says, “but it’s all the other things she does, like getting steals and guarding the other team’s best player.The kids look up to her, and we go as she goes.”
Laura Thomas
Laura Thomas, New Castle
A leader in every sense of the word, the hard-nosed, hard-driving guard has started since she was a freshman. After averaging 15.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2 steals per game and leading New Castle to a 16-6 record as a junior, Thomas signed with Northern Kentucky. “Her basketball IQ is out of the roof. She sees the floor really well,” coach Corie West says. “She makes everything happen for us offensively. She’s very good at getting in the lane and getting the ball where it needs to be. A great kid, the hardest-working I’ve ever coached.”
Four Central seniors aim for big finish
Contact sports features writer Ryan O’Gara at (765) 213-5829. Follow him on Twitter @RyanOGaraTSP.