Conference preview: Players to see in the Big 9

It’s easy to underestimate the impact one or two quality players can have on a program. If ever there was a fine example of that it occurred last year in the Big 9 conference, the league that encompasses the big schools from across Southern Minnesota. The team in question was the Rochester John Marshall Rockets. The players? That would be 6’2 forward <strong>Lilly Meister</strong> and 6’0 forward <strong>Katie Hurt</strong>. Meister and Hurt were just freshmen one year ago, but their superior performance sparked a massive turnaround at JM. Meister, in particular, was outstanding from start to finish. Lilly is super long, runs the floor at pace and knows how to finish. She averaged nearly 16 points per game. Hurt is long and athletic, with quality skills and huge upside. JM will miss the graduated <strong>Taylor Fautsch</strong> (Winona State) and <strong>Jesse Ruden</strong> (UW-Eau Claire) but Meister, Hurt and point guard <strong>Tori Gateno</strong> should propel the Rockets to another fine season. And, by the way, John Marshall’s 19 wins wasn’t good enough to win the Big 9. That honor went to Red Wing, which parlayed its team-first, defense-always approach to the title. Red Wing won 20 games, including the crucial second meeting between the two teams in February. The wingers graduated <strong>Lindsay Reps</strong> (16 ppg), but they are anchored by another savvy veteran. That would be senior <strong>Kyli Nelson</strong> (15 ppg), who has committed to NAIA Mount Marty in South Dakota. Kyli’s younger sister <strong>Sydnee Nelson </strong>(9 ppg) has emerged as a force. She epitomizes the defensive excellence that Red Wing brings to the court every time out. Junior <strong>Abi Demming</strong> (8 ppg) will be a key piece, as well. Watch for freshman <strong>Sammi Chandler</strong> to announce her arrival. The Big 9 stretches 140 miles across the southern part of the state, all the way from Red Wing and Winona in the east to Mankato’s two high schools (East &amp; West) in the west. Austin and Albert Lea are the most southerly participants while Northfield is, well, north. In between there are Rochester’s three public schools (JM, Mayo &amp; Century) as well as Owatonna and Faribault. And, by the way, that’s 12 teams, not nine. Even in an educational context branding takes priority over math I suppose. While John Marshall and Red Wing will no doubt be good, it would be wise not to count out Mankato West (17 conference wins last year) or Austin, which had 14 wins and made it to the class 3A state tournament. The dark horse could be Rochester Mayo, which was surprisingly good at 13-7. A number of Mayo’s best players made great strides this summer, including <strong>Anna Miller</strong>, <strong>Elli Collins</strong>, <strong>Lynnsey Hady</strong> and <strong>Mullk Hammadelniel</strong>. <strong>10 PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong> Here are some players to watch in the Big 9 this season. For the top 10 we have included their Prep Girls Hoops prospect ranking in their respective classes. <strong>Lilly Meister</strong> – sophomore forward, Rochester John Marshall (#7) <strong>Katie Hurt</strong> – sophomore forward, Rochester John Marshall (#11) <strong>Anna Miller</strong> – junior forward, Rochester Mayo (#26) <strong>Mackenzie Schweim</strong> – sophomore guard, Mankato East (#43) <strong>Lexi Karge</strong> – sophomore forward, Mankato East (#14) <strong>Lani Schoper</strong> – sophomore guard, Mankato West (#40) <strong>Teresa Kiewiet</strong> – freshman forward, Mankato West (#8) <strong>Hope Dudycha</strong> – sophomore guard, Austin (#67) <strong>Kyli Nelson</strong> – senior guard, Red Wing (Mount Marty, SD) (#97) <strong>Sydnee Nelson</strong> – freshman guard, Red Wing (#29) <strong>5 MORE NOTABLES</strong> <strong>Colie Justice</strong> – senior guard, Austin (UW-River Falls) (#94) <strong>Annika Richardson</strong> – junior guard, Northfield (#70) <strong>Elise Hebrink</strong> – junior guard, Austin (#109) <strong>Taya Jeffrey</strong> – sophomore guard, Albert Lea (#83) <strong>Peyton Stevermer</strong> – freshman guard, Mankato East <span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>Top photo: Sophomore guard Lani Schoper of Mankato West is one of the premier players in Southern Minnesota. (Photo courtesy Mankato Free Press)</em></span>