2020 Stock Riser profile: Rylee Luechtefeld

Nashville 2020 6’1 forward <strong>Rylee Luechtefeld </strong>is a player with a very high ceiling. Rylee has a very diverse game. With her height she can be an asset on defense, rebounding and blocking shots. Shot blocking is something that comes natural to Rylee. She does an excellent job of high pointing the ball and limiting her fouls. She can shoot the 3 and beat slower players off the dribble on offense.In addition Rylee is a good passer that plays team basketball. Rylee played her AAU ball with the  Blue Star Renken 17u team. Because of scheduling issues the team just played during the spring session. They played mostly in the St Louis area in addition to a trip to Louisville. The team had a good spring session including winning one of the local events in St. Louis. This group had a lot of height which allowed Rylee to play with bigger girls and get plenty of work guarding and playing more on the wing. She felt that her coach, Dale Renken, really helped her improve her defense. The Nashville High school girls teams had a great run last year, winning a sectional title. With graduation a new year and new team always comes and Rylee sees her role changing coming into her senior season. She knows she will be counted on to score more and also take on a leadership role. Each season a new dynamic exits and creating the atmosphere of sharing and working together is important. With her experience in the program Rylee will need to be a big part in fostering that mentality. The team just played in one event this summer, the Breese two day event at the end of June. The team went 2-4 in the event and played some tough competition. The biggest thrill was winning an overtime game against host and rival, Breese Central. This will leave the rest of the summer and fall for the team to find a way to prepare and gel before practice starts. During this time Rylee wants to get stronger and work on her 3 point shot. To be able to hit the shot consistently during the season she wants to build the confidence through her work in the off season. In the past Rylee has played on the golf team and was out for track. This year she plans to concentrate on basketball alone to get the most out of her senior year. To get the most out of her game Rylee will need to continue getting stronger and more explosive. If she continues to work on her skills, ball handling and shooting, Rylee could turn into the ideal face up/stretch 4. Right now she is a NAIA/D3/JUCO level player. By the time she is done, she could be much more. You can't teach her height and her feel for the game. She finishes through contact on the drive well for someone her size. Many girls that are her size would get knocked off balance by the contact but she stays in tact moving towards the basket. She feels most comfortable facing the basket on offense so she is ideal to facilitate the high low game with a bigger, stronger 5. Because she has taken the time to do well in the classroom Rylee will have many options. There has already been interest from JUCO schools. Her academics will be strong enough to be a good fit at D3 and also help with money at the NAIA level if those options come her way. I expect her recruiting to pick up and allow Rylee to search for her best fit. She would like to stay fairly close to home but would of course entertain any options. No matter what route Rylee ultimately chooses, that school will get a high quality kid. Rylee will work hard, play hard and will be invested in the team. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;