Midseason Awards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If the season ended today, who would be the Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Coach of the Year in Missouri? Those questions are answered below.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Player of the Year</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winner: [player_tooltip player_id='302779' first='Jordan' last='Speiser']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speiser is one of, if not the most prized recruit in Missouri because of her size and skill level as it translates to the next level. She's averaging 22.1 PPG for a surging Lutheran St. Charles and shoots 34% from beyond the arc. A pure scorer. Spesier has been the favorite for this award since the start of the season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Runner-Up: [player_tooltip player_id='351752' first='Jayda' last='Porter']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Porter can compete for the award this season but it'll be tough. It's incredibly impressive that she's held in this regard as only a sophomore. She completes an already talented Rock Bridge team and gives them an X-Factor that other teams struggle to defend. Her final two seasons will be special and she has a chance to break numerous records.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Freshman of the Year</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winner: [player_tooltip player_id='782644' first='Dasia' last='Scott']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scott is a runaway favorite here. Her ability to dominate as a scorer and rebounder is head and shoulders above the rest. She can do everything on the floor and is a tantalizing prospect for college recruiters. She has helped take the entire Principia program to a new level and that'll only continue as long as she's there.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Runner-Up: [player_tooltip player_id='803061' first='Destiny' last='Manyawu']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manyawu is impacting winning in a major way at a Class 6 school early on. She's a prospect with major potential. Tall &amp; coordinated, she finds scoring and rebounding at the rim to be easy. A shot blocking presence as well. Manyawu has all the traits to develop into a dominant post player in the state of Missouri.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Defensive Player of the Year</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winner: [player_tooltip player_id='366817' first='Zoe' last='Best']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Best is capable of guarding every position on the floor and combines size, strength, and motor to dominate the game from a defensive perspective. She creates a ton of steals, shows instincts in passing lanes, and shuts down opposing teams top players. Her value to Incarnate Word cannot be overstated.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Runner-Up: [player_tooltip player_id='194408' first='Hannah' last='Wallace']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wallace continues to showcase why Saint Louis signed her this season. She's a premier athlete that can check top scorers and keep them to season lows. At 6'1 she truly does it all on the floor. Her motor is always running high and her defensive IQ continues to develop in a positive way.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Most Improved Player</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winner: [player_tooltip player_id='722136' first='Ava' last='Schlotzhauer']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The young wing from Tipton has made major strides this season and continues to trend in a positive direction. She's as stockriser in the class and someone that can be an effective scorer around the basket. She creates mismatches and earns extra possessions with her motor on the glass.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Runner-Up: [player_tooltip player_id='1020877' first='Rhianne' last='Toebben']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Toebben is another great choice for this award. She has more than doubled her PPG average since last season and has been a top player for Howell. They're a very good team and follow her lead. She's very good at attacking the rim and plays hard. Toebben deserves more credit for her major improvement this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Coach of the Year</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winner: Dan Rolfes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is his award to win each season. Rolfes creates a culture that's not replicated. The IWA win streak in state is something we might never see again as fans of Missouri hoops. A legendary coach who's constantly adding to his resume.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Runner-Up: Erin Luttschwager</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Luttschwager has outstanding talent and built this program around her core for the past two to three seasons. It's paying dividends now as they appear to be the favorite in Class 5. She deserves credit for having this team playing excellent together and winning in the fashion they are.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->