NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- The Showcase of Rising Stars provided more than 80 players a chance to showcase their talents in front of our staff and receive skill instruction from one of the nation’s top trainers, Sean “Sticks” Smith. Here is the first of two recaps of the event.

Tiara Murphy (South Bend, Ind.) - Washington HS - 2015

Murphy played like a top shelf point guard in a sophomore class that is full of quality floor generals. She did so by hitting shots from all over the hardwood, threading the needle with passes and dominating the pace of the game on both ends. Murphy, the No. 24 ranked prospect in the ELITE 25, is just starting to emerge as a household name in recruiting circles and seems poised to have a breakout season on the club circuit.

At 5 feet 6, Murphy has a slight build but it is extremely hard for opposing defenders in front of her as she has blazing speed with the basketball in her hands. Murphy is from the same high school as current Notre Dame senior Skylar Diggins but don’t look for Murphy to follow in her footsteps and attend college in South Bend. Right now, the recruiting process is just starting to take off as Murphy lists Indiana, Michigan State and Purdue as schools who have been in to see her play this school season.

SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS

Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) - Fort Wayne Canterbury HS - 2015

Maggard is the consummate skilled guard as there isn’t much that the 5-3 guard can’t do with the basketball in her hands. Over the past 12 months, she’s added to the ability to knock down the open 3-pointer off of the dribble to her game, only increasing the amount of love that she gets on the recruiting trail. Though Maggard isn’t a speedster, she does have above average speed coupled with a unique skill to make plays without over-dribbling or doing too much to make a quality play off of the high screen and roll or penetrate and pitch.

Brittany Ward (Indianapolis, Ind.) - Pike HS - 2015

Ward was a noteworthy prospect during our trip to Indiana in January inside of a matchup with No. 4 senior Taya Reimer. This time Ward was effective playing amongst a combination of sophomores and juniors, showing that when she has the ball 17 feet and in, she’s a tough matchup for anyone in her way. At 6-2, Ward has the length and size to be an elite defender as well and we look forward to seeing her do just that during the club season.

AROUND THE RIM

♦ Remember the name Dana Evans as she’ll have an opportunity to be a premier guard in due time. Evans , a 2017 prospect, can shoot the open jumper and has good speed in the open floor with the ability to finish as well.

♦ Lindsay Walton was impressive here with her ability to play hard on both ends of the floor. Walton, a 2014 prospect, is able to be effective without needing a lot of shots playing all three perimeter positions during the course of the showcase.

♦ Allison Schofield continues to impress our staff with her ability to make open shots when the defense leaves her. On the other end of the floor, the 2015 player showed that she can defend scoring wings which was something she didn’t have a chance to do when we saw her Heritage Christian High School (Indianapolis, Ind.) practice in January.

♦ Jerrica Neal’s athletic ability in transition caught our eye and made her one of the many perimeter prospects worth taking another look at down the road. Just finishing her sophomore year, she can score it in the open floor with a frame that reminds us of Auburn sophomore Hasina Muhammad at the same age.

#ProspectsNationTV: Analyst Brandon Clay takes a look back at the Showcase of the Rising Stars:

Clay is the owner of Peach State Basketball, the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report and serves as Executive Camp Director for the Elite Basketball Academy. He can be reached at brandon@prospectsnation.com.