Southern Illinois Top Glue/Hustle Players

In this article we take a look at some of the top glue players in Southern and Central Illinois. This is that "unsung" player on the roster that most times does not get the recognition. More often than not they are filling a role that is unwanted by other kids. They do the dirty work, they rebound and guard anyone on the floor. They are on the floor diving for loose balls. They are going to do whatever the team needs them to do so they can win. <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="124886" first="Abby" last="Williams"] is a 5’9 2022 Wing from Alton Marquette. Abby is a scrappy and tough player that will rebound, defend and get on the floor for loose balls. She can play anywhere from the 1-4 very easily and can defend any of them. Abby is capable of doing whatever the team needs her to do so they can win the game. She is not afraid to mix it up and do the little things.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="124863" first="Maya" last="Osborn"] is a 5’5 2022 Guard from Marshall. Maya has more than her share of talent that shows well on the floor, but one thing that keeps getting mentioned by coaches that see her play is that she really hustles and plays hard. For an undersized guard she gathers rebounds like she should not be able to get. Maya averaged 6.5 rebounds per game, who does that at 5’5? She led her team in points, assists, rebounds and steals. Maya does it all, a blue collar player that gets it done everywhere.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="160154" first="Charlize" last="Luehman"] is a 5’10 2022 Forward from Father McGivney. Charlize is a blue collar kid that comes to play every day. She will rebound and defend against players that are often taller than her. Charlize is never going to back down and she uses her strength and attitude to get the most out of every practice and game.</li> <li>Mya Gebke is a 5’10 2021 Forward from Freeburg. Mya can play any position on the front court and will get used as the 3-5 at different times in many games. She is the chaser when they press and will almost always guard the best player on the team unless it is a small and quick guard. She plays and practices with heart and shows leadership qualities by pushing her teammates. Mya is that truly unsung player that will do a little bit of everything. You wont always see her name in the paper but when you look at stats she will contribute in every category.</li> <li>Ariana Bennett is a 5’11 2022 Forward from Edwardsville. Ariana is a very athletic and active player that always seems to be around the ball. She seems to find the spot where the ball is going to be and gets there to grab it. I have compared her to Dennis Rodman in the past as she seems to be able to do anything on the boards with constant motion and effort. In addition she can defend multiple positions.</li> <li>Ellie McManaway is 5’8 2022 Forward from Altamont. Ellie is that classic undersized but over performing small town player. She defends bigger kids when she should not be able to, she rebounds against bigger kids despite the odds against her. Ellie uses hustle and toughness to get the job done no matter what her coach asks. She is not often the player being written about in the paper as she mainly scores off the offensive boards, but make no mistake, she is valuable.</li> <li>Avery Christopher is a 5’4 2022 Guard from O’Fallon. Avery will step into an even bigger role for Coach Knolhoff next season and she will no doubt turn some heads. Avery is another soccer player that the Lady Panthers use to hound the opposing team. Avery is quick and has good strength in her shorter frame that she uses to stay in front of guards on defense .She is absolutely not afraid of contact and physical play so she is chasing loose balls and getting on the floor whenever needed.</li> <li>Taylor Brown is a 5’11 2021 Forward from Flora. Taylor is a lunch box player. She comes to work, packs her lunch and gives the team a full day of effort.It does not matter what the team needs. She is another player that gets the "Dennis Rodman" comparison. Long arms, constant motion and effort lead to many deflections, great defense overall and very good rebounding. Every winning team can use a player like Taylor.</li> <li>Astacia Bush is a 5’10 2021 Wing from Collinsville. Astacia is long and strong and can defend and rebound. She has good athletic ability that allows her to defend the length of the floor and the wing span to make passes tough out of any double team. Astacia was second on the team in rebounds and also second in steals. With the class of 2020 graduated and Coach Billy retired look for Astacia to be a big part of new Coach Colin Moore’s plan.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="160145" first="Abby" last="Sussenbach"] is a 5’7 2022 Wing from Greenville. Abby is a tough player that fills a needed role on the team. She is willing to rebound and play defense and is more than happy to let the lights shine on someone else. Abby uses her toughness and ability to get offensive rebounds and kick the ball out to shooters. Abby is also a good defender that works really well in the system that Coach Dothager deploys.</li> </ul> As always I am sure there are more unsung heroes out there. I live writing about the glue players because most will never get the recognition they deserve. Some, like Williams or Osborn are also double figure scorers. But, most, Brown and McManaway are role players making their mark in another way most nights.