Indiana Elite Venom 22′

By Randy Beckett
Updated: June 23, 2020

We recently had the opportunity to spend the evening with one of Indiana’s top 2022 teams, Indiana Elite Venom, at their workout in southern Indiana. We have followed the core of this squad over the last three club seasons, first as Southern Indiana Venom as they entered their high school careers and last year in the Flight program. Two core members of those teams have been in our top 25 of the 2022 class since first published, in 6’0 W Diana Burgher (#8) and 5’9 PG Ali Saunders (#10) both of North Harrison High School (both also carry multiple D1 offers at this point as well). Others have steadily been moving up the IGBRR stack rank with all members in the class Top 100. Shooting guards Natalie Noel and Emme Rooney both attended the All-Indiana Showcase last year and are currently Top 50 prospects, along with point guard Hadley Lytton who was added to the roster this season. Additional newcomers, athletic guard Keegan Kaiser and shooting forward Kennedy Wenger are among the Top 75. Forward Abigail Ratts has been among the biggest stock risers over the last year and Demaria King shows promise with her athleticism in the paint. The team also features 6’5 post Gracie Merkle of Bullitt East HS in Kentucky and high level prospect Myah Montgomery who is currently out recovering from a knee injury during the high school season.

Diana Burgher 6’0 W North Harrison – Diana has a versatile game, she can knock down the mid range jumper and has the length and agility to make plays at the basket. She is comfortable with the ball and shows good instincts on both ends. She is going to score, rebound and defend.

Ali Saunders 5’9 PG North Harrison – Ali is one of the most crafty point guards in the state. She is an excellent ball handler, has great court vision while on the move and understands how to use angles and tempo to set up teammates time and again. She can also score it in bunches as a deep ball threat and playmaker going to the rim.

Hadley Lytton 5’5 PG Heritage Hills – One of the top playmaking guards in her class. She has a high level handle, a great motor and instincts for the action allow her to be an elite threat while on the move with the ball. She can bury it from the three point line and has a knack of creating shots on her way to the basket with her agility and skill.

Natalie Noel 5’9 G Salem – Simply stated Natalie just keeps getting better and better. She took on a much bigger role this season as a sophomore on her high school team and had a break-out season. She can handle as a primary when needed, is aggressive with the ball and plays with a purpose. Shows a cerebral approach and has the skill set to score at all levels. She has nice length from the guard spot and has a good motor and gets after rebounds from the backcourt.

Abigail Ratts 5’10 F Salem – Abigail is of the the biggest stock risers in our stacks over the last year. She plays with a great motor and really uses her length and athleticism at the rim. She is becoming more comfortable with the ball away from the basket and will advance the ball in the open court if needed. She is a handful around the basket with her ability to get off of the floor, her length and willingness to play physical. She is a productive and efficient frontcourt prospect.

Emme Rooney 5’8 SG Silver Creek – Emme is a high level shooter that can bury it from downtown. She also plays with a high motor and will make hustle plays, take charges and do the dirty work on both ends. She is improving her ball handling, increasing her versatility in the backcourt. A glue kid that is a competitor that knows what it takes to win.

Keegan Kaiser 5’9 PG Floyd Central – We first saw Keegan as a frosh in a couple games in a holiday tourney and was really excited about her athleticism and motor from the backcourt. Fast forward to our next live view during the workout and we are even more excited to see her in games again. She has grown several inches, put on some additional size and is as explosive as we remember. Hard to keep her in front of you off of the bounce and she creates shots going to the rim in a variety of ways with her athleticism. Quick hands and feet make her a solid on ball defender as well.

Kennedy Wenger 6’0 W Evansville Mater Dei – Kennedy is a newcomer to the squad and the one prospect I have not seen live. While she was unable to participate in all of the workout it was nice to see her in some drills and shooting. Her obvious strengths is her length and ability to to shoot the ball. She looks to have a lot of upside as she develops and learns to play at this level. We look forward to seeing more.

Demaria King 5’9 F Charlestown – Demaria is a bit undersized up front but uses her athleticism and motor to play bigger than her size. She is developing her faceup game which will create even more value in her offensive game. She can defend multiple spots with her athleticism, rebounds, and work every possession on both ends.

Gracie Merkle 6’5 C Bullitt East, Kentucky – Gracie is a mountain in the middle, big strong post frame. She shows good hands and feet as well and owns her area burying opponents. For those down south with a long memory think of former Jeffersonville (Purdue) standout Mary Jo Noon.

Myah Montgomery 6’0 W Southridge – Currently ranked #11 in class. Recovering from injury.