2022 Southern Illinois AAU All Stars

In these next few articles I will be recognizing some AAU All Stars from this summer. One thing that is important to understand is that with the addition of Brian Carman to our team we have defined some territories. For the purposes of stories like this I will now only be writing about players south of Quincy/Jacksonville/Springfield/Decatur and Tuscola over to the border. Mt Zion is the only school that is on the border that is possibly unclear, that will be in my area. It is obviously not a straight line from West to East, but a line none the less. That will allow Brian and I to ensure when we write articles like this that there is a clear and defined area for us to use so that we do not try to recognize the same players and therefore get recognition for more players. So, with that said, here are my 2022 AAU All Stars:

[player_tooltip player_id="124852" first="Mallory" last="Ramage"] is a 5’10 Guard from Matoon and Indiana Elite Havoc. Mallory has had a very good summer both on and off the court. She has continued to show her ability to play both ends of the floor. She uses her length to be a pesky defender and get tips and steals. Offensively she continues to show that she can get to the rim and finish while showing an excellent pull up game too. Mallory has picked up 6 D1 offers this summer and I am sure they will keep coming.
[player_tooltip player_id="78769" first="Sydney" last="Harris"] is a 6’0 Wing from Edwardsville and Midwest Elite. Sydney continued to show her consistent outside shot as a huge weapon for her on offense, What many people might not have seen before is her ability to use her strong frame to get through smaller wings on the way to the lane. Sydney also had a fun last few weeks picking up more offers from 3 D1 schools which brings her total to 4.
[player_tooltip player_id="124863" first="Maya" last="Osborn"] is a 5’5 Guard from Marshall and Heart of Illinois. Maya is an extremely talented and cerebral point guard. She does a great job of managing the game as a coach on the floor type of player while also having the skills to score the ball at a high rate. Maya defends very well and plays with a high octane motor. While she is a bit undersized for the D1 level she certainly has the skills and game they are looking for in a point guard. Maya should be tracked by D2 teams and lower level D1 schools looking for a player that will contribute to the culture and find ways to contribute on the floor.
[player_tooltip player_id="124895" first="Jillian" last="Hamilton"] is a 5’11 Forward from Pana and Indiana Elite Havoc. Jillian had her first opportunity to show her skills on a big stage and did not disappoint. She is raw and explosive with plenty of speed and jumping ability. Jillian has shown a reliable jumper from 15 feet and out beyond the 3-point line and is improving her game off the dribble. On defense she uses her speed and jumping ability to be a top shelf defender in the full court/pressing game. Jillian could easily be an effective stretch 4 at the D2 level but also has even higher upside as she works on her perimeter skills.
[player_tooltip player_id="160152" first="Alyssa" last="Cole"] is a 5’10 Forward from Nashville and the Saints/Semo Sizzle. Alyssa played with two different teams as she worked her way through the summer of 2020. She played locally with the Saints where she was counted on to be more of a force in the lane and use her strength in the post. When she played with the Sizzle she was able to showcase her game on the wing. As I have repeated many times, she is a power wing, to me. What that means to me is a player that can do both and take advantage of her mismatches. Alyssa is very capable at posting up and using the drop step or turn around jumper to get quality looks in the paint. On the wing she can hit the 3 or take a slower defender off the bounce. She is high level D3/NAIA/JC player that should be getting looks.
[player_tooltip player_id="78768" first="Anna" last="Blank"] is a 6’0 Guard from Olney and Indiana Elite Havoc. Anna is a very good point guard that is also showing her ability to score. As a bigger point guard she is not the lightning quick player that some coaches look for, but she is a very capable ball handler and a special passer. As a combo guard Anna does have the ability to hit the 3-point shot, as shown by her making 85 in her high school season, but is really improved in the mid range. Anna can take the one or two dribbles to create space and get her defender on their heels and then pull up for the 10-15 footer that is almost impossible to defend.
[player_tooltip player_id="124869" first="Elle" last="Evans"] is a 6’0 Wing from Edwardsville and Blue Star St. Louis. Elle is a long and lean wing player that shows the skill to contribute in many different ways. She has a nice shot and hits a very high percentage from the free throw line. Her range is good out past the 3-point line and the mechanics of her shot remain consistent no matter where she is on the floor. Elle can defend and use her length in addition to being a very good passer. She does a good job of crashing the boards and finding ways to use her length to get a hand on the ball and keep it alive. Elle has a D1 offer in hand and another handful more that are showing interest in her.
[player_tooltip player_id="124890" first="Macy" last="Silvey"] is a 5’9 Guard from Edwardsville and Blue Star St. Louis. Macy has had a very nice summer showing her abilities as a combo guard. She played a large amount of minutes at the 1 in the summer of 2019 but spent most of the summer of 2020 as a 2. Macy handles it well enough and is poised enough against pressure to play a part in handling the ball against pressure. Her scoring skills and shooters mentality likely fir the role of the 2 more than the 1. Macy has a very good stroke from the behind the 3-point line where she shot 41% for the summer. Macy showed a more consistent game off the bounce this year which is a nice addition for her. But, what I like most is the confidence and attitude you see on the floor that stems from the coaching she has received from Coach Blade and her dad in the summers. Macy is a coach on the floor that sees the game and can help her team be in the right sets to make the plays needed to win. She has interest from many D1 schools and will most likely decide between a good D2 school and a lower level D1 school in trying to find her best fit.
[player_tooltip player_id="160149" first="Alecia" last="Doyle"] is a 5’8 Guard from Carterville and Kentucky Premier. Alecia is a special athlete that is really getting a chance now to come into her own and show what she can do. She has had a good summer and will become the unquestioned leader and go to scorer for Carterville this year. She has a nice mid range shot that she has been consistent hitting but with the ball in her hands more we will see her game off the bounce play a bigger part in her scoring. Alecia recently added a D1 offer from SIU and should garner more attention as she moves through her junior season.
[player_tooltip player_id="124861" first="Bella" last="Dudley"] is a 5’8 Guard from Tri County and Example Sports 16UAA. Bella has had a very good summer showing off her improved 3-point shot. She has always had the toughness and strength to score in the paint, but has really improved her shooting. Bella rebounds and defends well, especially against taller wings. She really jumped off the page during the PGH Top 250 last fall where she had a big day showing off her skills. To punctuate her great summer Bella hit 8 three pointers in a USJN tourney game on 8/1. She is not done for the summer yet and will continue to grind and improve.

Next we will look the 2023 AAU All Stars.