Illini West and Sacred Heart Griffin Team Previews

This past week, I had the pleasure to sit in on a couple interviews with some vary talented players and coaches in Midwest Illinois.  These young ladies will spearhead their respective programs to success this upcoming season. &nbsp; <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Illini West (Carthage, IL) </strong></span>  Head Coach: Grant Surprenant     26-5 Overall Record     Regional Championship &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160160" first="Megan" last="Harrell"]    5’9" Junior Guard/Forward</strong> Aggressive wing who averaged 12ppg this past year who can get to the rim with the best of them, Megan is a multi-sport athlete (volleyball and track &amp; field) who has very strong court vision and instincts.  She is a strong finisher around the rim who has exceptional leaping ability.  Healthy from a knee injury last year, Megan is spending her off-season working on her shot to achieve a faster release and her attacking moves. <strong>Karli Artman     5’5" Senior Shooting Guard</strong> Senior Captain and leader for the Chargers.  Karli is a strong shooter, who this past season, shot 35% from 3pt and 75% from the charity stripe.  Karli averaged 16ppg last year but that, along with shooting isn’t her only strength.  Karli is a very quick multi-sport athlete (volleyball) that has strong handles.  Her handles will continue to get better and better as Karli is working all summer on her attacking the rim and scoring on taller defenders. <strong>Caydee Kirkham     5’5" Junior Point Guard</strong> The Illini West Chargers are full of talented, multi-sport athletes and Caydee (volleyball and track &amp; field) is among the top of that list.  A good facilitator who averaged 4 ast per game this past season to go along with 13ppg, Caydee also draws the top opposing player every game as the team’s best defender.  Caydee can attack the rim well with her strong ball handling that coincide well with her shooting touch.  She averaged 13ppg on 40% 3pt shooting and 85% from the foul line.  No doubt those numbers will continue to rise as Caydee is constantly working on her release and quickness. &nbsp; <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sacred Heart Griffin (Springfield, IL)</strong></span>     Head Coach: Steve Klunick     24-9 Overall Record  City Tournament Champions <strong>Sofie Lewis     5’8" Senior Guard</strong> A multi-sport athlete (golf) who has one of the highest basketball IQs in the area, Sofie is the leader of Cyclones.  She can fill the box score on a nightly basis averaging 17ppg last year to go along with 5ast and 3st per game.  Even though she already has a very quick release shot that can hit consistently from deep, Sofie is spending the off-season working on her game, hitting the weight room to improve her overall strength and working on her handles.  She has offers from Lake Superior in Michigan, Army and SIUE. <strong>Addison Scarlette     5’8" Senior Guard</strong> A hard working player who works her tail off each and every night, Addison brings a wide range of skills to the Cyclones.  A multi-sport athlete (track &amp; field), Addison can crash the boards and finish around the rim with the best of them.  With averages of 10ppg and 6reb a game, Addison isn’t satisfied going into next season. She is spending the offseason working her on her handles with the plan to bring it up the court more next season. <strong>Emily Brenneisen     5’11" Senior Small Forward</strong> An exceptional post defender with long arms, Emily loves the game of basketball.  She has been playing her entire life and spends her off-season playing AAU ball with the Springfield Predators, teaming with Addison and Sofie.  Emily had a strong season last year, averaging 8ppg, 3.5reb and 2ast per game.  She is hitting the weight room on a consistent basis to improve her strength while also spending time improving her footwork.  The sky is the limit for this young lady.