Southern Illinois Players Primed for a Breakout(Part 1)

As we HOPEFULLY prepare to begin the 2020-2021 school season there more than a few players that are looking for a breakout season. These players may be upper classmen that will not have a better chance to shine and they may be underclassmen that will stepping into the lineup for the first time or a more crucial role on the team. Here are a few girls looking to carve out more attention and a new identity this season.   [player_tooltip player_id="123609" first="Tori" last="Standefer"] Civic Memorial 2021 5’7 Guard Tori is the leading scorer returning for CM as they transition from the [player_tooltip player_id="121834" first="Anna" last="Hall"]/[player_tooltip player_id="121865" first="Kourtland" last="Tyus"] years and also into the Mike Arbuthnot years. Tori had a nice summer with the Kentucky Premier and has begun to garner some attention from college recruiters. She is now 26 months removed from her ACL injury and is showing the speed and athleticism that she was blessed with prior to the surgery. Tori will look to have a big senior season to help CM maintain their high level of success and show the skills she can bring to a college program. [player_tooltip player_id="193913" first="Kristen" last="Taylor"] Highland 2021 5’10 Guard Kristen is a big strong guard that is ready to step to the front of the pack for Coach Hamilton. She has played with three class of 2020 guards for the last two years, sharing the minutes and spotlight in the Highland backcourt. Kristen is a well rounded player that excels using her size and strength to take advantage of smaller guards. She has the ball skills and shooting ability to score in a variety of different ways. Kristen does a very good job of getting to the boards and helping her posts clear the ball on defense and create additional scoring opportunities on offense. Many colleges may not have Kristen on their radar, but if they get a chance to see Highland this year, that will change. [player_tooltip player_id="124886" first="Abby" last="Williams"] Alton Marquette 2022 5’10 Wing Abby is returning from an ACL injury that required surgery in late January. With her recovery coming along ahead of pace she has been cleared for full action and was able to get in a few AAU games in the fall. Abby is a long player that is very effective through her hustle and toughness in the lane. Due to some roster turnover Coach Lee Green will need Abby to step up and take on more responsibility in the scoring column. Abby has shown the ability to score off the dribble, from behind the arc and in the post against smaller players. This will be her opportunity to bring that all together and show off her game. [player_tooltip player_id="160152" first="Alyssa" last="Cole"] Nashville 2022 5’10 Wing With and experienced an talented class of 2020 having graduated Alyssa will become the most tenured player on the roster. She will be expected to step into the role as the main option on offense and be asked to be an extremely versatile player. Alyssa is capable of playing inside and outside on both ends and will most likely need to do that this year. With the height of [player_tooltip player_id="121902" first="Rylee" last="Luechtefeld"] gone Alyssa will need to help control the boards and defend the paint. Alyssa has shown great strides in developing her game on the wing over the past two years which should help as she can draw bigger defenders away from the rim and beat them off the dribble. [player_tooltip player_id="148169" first="Sophia" last="Loden"] Mascoutah 2023 5’11 Wing Sophia had a very good freshman campaign and was a player that could be counted on to deliver results every night in the rough MVC. She plays with a high motor that allows her to gather rebounds at a high level and score points on effort alone. As she steps into her sophomore campaign Sophia has put countless hours in to her game and has improved in every aspect. Offensively her shot has improved as has her game off the bounce. Because she has put in so many hours I look for Sophia to not only have more success but to also play the game with more confidence. This will help her step to the level of a leader and a top level player in her conference. She will not be able to fly under the radar anymore, but she will still bring the effort each night and the strong desire that it takes to be the focal point of the team. [player_tooltip player_id="148172" first="Kylie" last="Kisgen"] Freeburg 2023 5’7 Point Guard Kylie will be stepping into the starting point guard role that has been occupied very successfully by Haley Kimes for the past few years. Kylie burst onto the scene early in her freshman season with some big games off the bench. She remained a steady contributor throughout the season and will now step into the role of running the team. She is more than capable of excelling in that spot. Kylie has the athletic ability and the ball handling skills to run the point and get her team into good spots to score. What she brings to the team in addition to those point guard abilities is the knack for scoring. Kylie uses her skills to get into the lane frequently where she is adept at drawing contact and getting to the line. Last year she converted 73% of her attempts at the line. If she can increase her ability to hit the 3-point shot this year, she will be really hard to stop.