Don’s Class of 2022 Backcourt Newcomers and Stock Risers

With a new an updates Class of 2022 rankings released on the site this week I wanted to talk about some of our newcomers and stock risers in the back court. These guards have had a season that has put them on the radar of scouts and college coaches in the area. There are excellent point guards, excellent scorers, excellent defenders and players that can do everything. Most of these girls will be NAIA/D3/JC level players but there is definite college potential in this group. <strong>(46)[player_tooltip player_id="159965" first="Madyson" last="Rigdon"] </strong>is a 5’7 Guard from Paris. Madyson is a player that can affect the game on both ends of the floor. She is an excellent defender that has had success against some of her areas best scorers. Offensively she has a well rounded game. She can get into the lane consistently and has a nice 3-point shot with good range. Madyson has started most of the games her first two years but was a complimentary player on offense. Look for her scoring average to take a big jump next year after the loss of the 2020 class. <strong>(65)[player_tooltip player_id="160146" first="Reese" last="Bennett"] </strong>is a 5’8 Guard from Belleville West. Reese took a big jump from her freshman to sophomore season. She started most of her freshman year and gained valuable experience in the tough SWC. During her sophomore season she showed herself to be a consistent threat from the 3-point line She hit 73 shots from behind the arc at a 40% rate. She is tough and will defend and rebound well for her position. <strong>(70)[player_tooltip player_id="160153" first="Chloe" last="White"] </strong>is a 5’8 Guard from Jerseyville. Chloe is another player that took the opportunity of more playing time as a sophomore and made the most of it. She excels at using her long arms on defense to get tips and cause havoc in traps. Offensively Chloe excels at using the bounce to get to the lane where she can use her length to finish. She doesn’t shoot the 3 a lot but converted over 50% when she took them. Chloe showed signs of her offensive potential when she scored 19 points in the late season upset of Highland. <strong>(71)[player_tooltip player_id="160150" first="Rachel" last="Holthaus"] </strong>is a 5’6 Point Guard from Pana. Rachel took over the reigns to the team at the start of the year and never looked back. She handles the ball well and has very good court vision. She can score the ball by getting into the lane with a variety of crafty moves off the bounce. Once she is there Rachel does a good job of reading the defense to either pass or finish with either hand. Rachel averaged 8.2 points per game and was very consistent the last half of the season putting up 8-10 each night. <strong>(72)[player_tooltip player_id="160151" first="Maddy" last="Schwemer"] </strong>is a 5’8 Guard from Freeburg. Maddy stepped into a starting role as a sophomore and made the best of it. She is a natural scorer that can really stroke it from the 3-point line. She led the team in scoring at 10 per game and hit 37% from behind the arc. Maddy has the strength to take defenders off the dribble and finish in the lane, which makes her hard to guard. She finished strong with 16 points in the Regional Championship game win over Chester and 16 in the Sectional loss to Carterville. <strong>(73)[player_tooltip player_id="160161" first="Brooklyn" last="Stiefel"] </strong>is a 5’8 Point Guard from Unity. Brooklyn has good quickness that she uses to be a very good dual threat guard. She can use her ability to get in the lane off the bounce to score or pass if the defense collapses. Brooklyn combines her game off the bounce with a reliable outside shot to be able to being a consistent scoring threat. <strong>(74)[player_tooltip player_id="160159" first="Alexis" last="Pohlman"] </strong>is a 5’8 Guard from Greenfield. Alexis has a smooth shot that she can make from anywhere on the floor. She is deadly when she can get her feet set. She can handle the ball enough to play some point guard and also will take the ball to the hole to open up more chances for the outside shot. Alexis averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds per game this year. <strong>(75)[player_tooltip player_id="160164" first="Bree" last="Portz"] </strong>is a 5’5 Guard from Marissa. Bree is an excellent scorer. She does best in a up and down game where she takes advantage of her ability to get to the basket. She averaged over 17 points per game before she went down with a knee injury in January. Once she comes back she will resume working her way towards 2,000 points and helping Marissa make another deep tourney run. <strong>(78)[player_tooltip player_id="160147" first="Lamiya" last="Terrell"] </strong>is a 5’6 Guard from Belleville West. Lamiya is very long for her height. She excels on defense because of her build allowing her to gets tips and steals. She does a good job of finding gaps to drive on offense. As a two year starter in the SWC she gives West a pair of young guards that will be tough the next two years. <strong>(79)[player_tooltip player_id="160149" first="Alecia" last="Doyle"] </strong>is a 5’7 Guard from Carterville. Alecia is a wiry athlete that has done a great job as a role player for a senior oriented team. She can hit the mid range jumper with great consistency and will use the bounce to attack the basket. Alecia is a tough defender that can really get out and run in the open floor. With the 2020 class moving on after the State tourney run, expect Alecia to really take on a big role the next two years. <strong>(80)[player_tooltip player_id="160145" first="Abby" last="Sussenbach"] </strong>is a 5’7 Guard from Greenville. Abby played a valuable role off the bench for a very good senior led squad. Despite being undersized she did a great job at the bottom their zone providing defense and rebounding. Abby averaged an outstanding 5 rebounds per game off the bench. As we move into her junior season she will look to improve her scoring to provide another option to replace the points from the 2020 class. For many players the AAU season going from their sophomore to junior season is a key time for them to get on the radar of college coaches. With the changes in our world these girls will have to go about it a different way, but they can all play at the next level. &nbsp; &nbsp;