2021 Frontcourt Players from the State Tournament

For teams to excel at the highest levels, they need a balance between outstanding guard play and outstanding front court play.  Although the game of basketball continues to change and evolve, you need frontcourt players compliment the emphasis on perimeter play, whether that is by taking it away or by making the other team pay for playing too small.  Here are some players that I saw at the 2020 Nebraska State Tournament that will be outstanding prospects and/or contributors to their team making a run back to Lincoln in the spring of 2021. <strong>Karly Sylvester (6’0", Sidney): </strong>Sylvester played an outstanding game for the Raiders in their heartbreaking first round loss to Grand Island Northwest.  Not an explosive athlete, Sylvester is crafty and finishes well.  She fits well into the "Unicorn" category, the hardest of basketball players to defend; she can take bigs outside and beat them off the bounce or with the perimieter shot, but if you put a smaller player on her, she will take them down to the block and score around the basket.  If Sylvester works on her athleticism, she has a chance to be a very nice NAIA prospect next season. <strong>Lacey Sprakel (5’9", Crofton): </strong>Sprakel is good in a back to the basket situation, and she has outstanding footwork.  An undersized post player, she uses foot work and a variety of post moves to score, but she can also face up from 15-17 feet and knock down the open jump shot if you leave her open.  Sprakel is very physical and attacks the offensive glass well, creating extra opportunities both for herself and her teammates.  A summer of expanding her range to the three point line will do Sprakel’s next level opportunities a favor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94489" first="Abby" last="Orr"] (6’1", North Platte): </strong>Orr is similar to Sylvester, but Orr is more skilled and a little more athletic than Sylvester, while Sylvester is stronger than Orr and probably finished around the basket better.  Orr is perhaps the longest, lankiest player on this list, and really excels in the full court or facing up to the basket.  I think that Orr has a chance to be a very nice NAIA forward, but she has to get stronger and continue to work on her perimeter shot to extend defenses out to defend her beyond the arc, but she will be a key to the Bulldogs returning to state and making some noise next season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94401" first="Charli" last="Earth"] (5’10", Fremont): </strong>Earth really raised her stock this state tournament with some outstanding play, including shooting the ball very well.  She hit multipe 3’s in both games, including a couple a step behind the arc.  Earth is a strong athlete, with a solid build that enables her to guard pure posts in the scoring zone, but her ball skills make her difficult to stop on the other end.  With a solid summer, I believe that Earth will be a prized recruit at the NAIA level, but she has the build and athleticism of a Division II player. <strong>Claire Caspersen (6’0", Grand Island Northwest): </strong>Caspersen had a very good tournament for the Vikings as they nearly upset the eventual state champion Crete Cardinals in the semi-finals in a triple overtime thriller.  Caspersen’s game, build and athleticism is similar to Sylvester’s, but Caspersen has a little more explosiveness than Sylvester.  I would also put Caspersen in the same category as Sylvester; a good summer of working on her athleticism and footwork will make her a very solid NAIA level prospect. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94394" first="Alexis" last="Markowski"] (6’3", Lincoln Pius X): </strong>Markowski delivered perhaps the finest performance of the state tournament, a 32 point, 18 rebound domination of Millard South in what many people (including your’s truly) believed what was going to be the game of the year; instead, Markowski’s performance allowed Pius to roll to a 25 point victory.  The best pure post player in the state, the South Dakota State commit has expanded her game to include the three point shot.  She is leaner and more athletic than she has ever been, and, unfortunately for everyone else in the state, she is back for one more season.