Insights from Illinois' Number 1 Ranked Players

If you had the opportunity to interview the number 1 ranked players in the state of Illinois what would you ask them? Okay, now what if you had about 30-40 minutes for this interview? I was afforded this opportunity via a Zoom video conference and had to answer this tough question. Here is what I came up with, I would want to find out some common threads about these girls to try and help other players. It would be about their talent, their drive to get better and the recruiting process. I think many kids need to understand who they are, what they are good at and where that really fits at the next level. I think many kids need to understand what they need to get better at and be realistic with themselves. Last, I think many kids want to know how to handle the recruiting process. In as much as you can within a short interview, here are some answers to those questions that you can take away from this interview. Obviously some of this article is me taking the concepts I have mined from listening to them and adding my own thoughts and concepts. I prefer not to do that but in this format I can only get a certain amount from 4 girls that have never met me. I apologize if any of this reads like it is me talking, it is not about me. So, with that said, here is what I learned from Angela Dugalic Angela Dugalic 6'4" | C Maine West | 2020 State IL , Greta Kampschroeder Greta Kampschroeder 6'0" | SG Naperville North | 2021 State #10 Nation IL , Brianna McDaniel Brianna McDaniel 5'10" | CG Kenwood | 2022 State #13 Nation IL and Jordan Wood Jordan Wood 6'4" | PF Carmel Catholic | 2023 State #15 Nation IL , our current #1 players in their respective classes.

Skills. Know your own game. Be realistic and don’t just go by what you or your closest supporters think. Get feedback from college coaches via their camps, get feedback from trainers and scouts that are trusted sources in your area. You should watch college games and try to compare yourself to players in the game as Greta mentioned. It will not only help when the time comes for recruiting but it helps evaluate if you can play at the level you are watching. While all of these girls are D1 players it is no embarrassment to be a NAIA or D3 player. Get in a gym and watch teams play at those levels. See the athletic ability of those players and see where you fit. However you do it, get an honest feel for what your best skills are and start to get an idea of the level of school your skills and athletic ability will allow you to play at.
Versatility. Colleges value versatile players. In this interview the main point of emphasis for 3/4 of the players when discussing their skills is that they have a very versatile game. Any coach loves having players that can contribute in different ways. A stat stuffer if you want to call it that. Brianna is only one that did not mention that right away and she is capable of doing many things on the floor too. If you are a one trick pony ( say a spot up shooter), that does not translate well to the next level. Good high school programs will figure out a way to take that away from you, almost every college will be able to take it away, no matter how good you are at that one skill.
Development. Have a plan to get better. Take what you know form your analysis of your skills and your need to be more versatile and have a plan to improve. Be specific. I need to get better at my footwork, I need to improve my 3-point shot or whatever it may be. You hear in this interview all of the girls talk about improving shooting. There are very few players out there that don’t need to improve shooting. Do not confuse scoring with shooting. There are many players that score 20 + points per game that cannot make shots consistently from 15-22 feet from the basket. There are many players that can dribble the ball just fine in the open floor but cannot make moves in tight spaces. Get your ball handling to a place that the ball will go where your mind and instincts take you. In addition look at your body. You hear it mentioned by Angela that the college game is much more physical. Prepare for it. Lift weights and train for what is coming because it is coming.
Dream/Learn from others. Find players that you admire. Male or Female. Watch what they do and learn from it. It is great to be a fan and just enjoy watching them score and win. As you get older get more specific. You hear each of these players talk about role models that have a game/build similar to theirs. You hear Brianna talking about DRose, a Chicago point guard. You cannot get a much better comparison than that. One Chicago area point guard following another and trying to learn from him. You heard Elena Delle Donne and Kevin Durant. Those are tall players that can play anywhere the floor. No wonder you heard those names come from Angela, Greta and Jordan. Angela and Jordan definitely fit that bill and Greta was taller than most growing up so she identified with that type of player. You can be a fan of anyone, but pick someone out that has a game that fits your profile and try to learn the small micro skills from them. Study their game. Allow yourself to grow and change. Jordan identified with Brittney Griner when she was younger but now she sees herself as more of a wing player than a post up player so she looks at players that are tall but have that skill set.
Don’t settle. One item that came up through conversation is the concept of being taller when you are young and getting stuck in the post. Everyone except Brianna had some experience with this. It may be best for the team if you play in the post during a game but that does not mean you have to settle for that. Find your role model and spend your practice time developing the skills to be able to expand your game and play the position/style that you want to play. Be versatile. Learn the skills and put in your own time to perfect them. It is one thing to say that is who you are and want to be. It is another to develop the skill set to show that the coach cannot ignore what you can do. The only things stopping you from being whatever you want to be is your imagination and hard work.
Recruiting. As early as you can, start to learn what is important to you in deciding what college to attend. Brianna mentioned that a family atmosphere is important to her. As a sophomore she knows that she will be making a transition away from her family and needs to be comfortable with the staff to know she can rely on them when she moves away from her mom and dad. Greta and Angela talked about things like academics, the style of play and knowing the make up of the roster. Greta mentioned knowing that Oregon St would be losing guards and when she arrives on campus in the fall of 2021 there may be open spots for her to compete for playing time. Angela talked about how she just knew when she had checked into the hotel at Oregon that it was beautiful there and it just felt right. Once she interacted with the staff and players even more she knew it was the place for her and she was not going to make her official visit to UCLA, it was time to commit. It was not that easy for Greta, she loved Stanford too. Everybody has a different path which is exactly the point. Nobody can tell you what is important to you, except you with some help from loved ones. In the end, you need a list, again, something Greta talked about, and on that list you should write down all of things that important to you. Angela and Greta both talked about schools that did not match up with their list were eliminated right away. It is great to get offers but all offers don't match up with what you want. Take your time and don't settle.

My hope is that all players can learn from these young ladies. They are an amazing group. All at different stages of their career. It is no surprise that the older girls had much more detail and information to offer. I expected this to be a learning opportunity for Jordan and Brianna just as much as everyone else out there and hopefully it was. The audio has some rough spots, but when you get this many people on there can be issues with bandwidth and internet quality. But, I believe most of it comes through and tells the story we were looking to tell. Thank you goes out to Jerald Davis from Chicago Hoops Express who made setting this up as simple as me presenting an idea to him and he made it all happen by contacting the girls on my behalf, so I deeply appreciate that.