15 Players to have on your radar: Southwestern Conference

In this new series I will be exploring 15 players you need to know, by conferences that I cover in the Southern Illinois area. The players will be broken down into lists of 5. The first will be the starting 5. This list is the 5 best players, roughly based on position, in the conference. I will not be over the top on this and so you will see two guards, one of them may or may not be a point guard. However, you will not see 5 guards in the starting lineup. The second list will be players ready for a breakout season. This will be players that have most likely contributed on the varsity level but appear to me to be ready to have an even bigger impact in the 2020-21 season. These are players that should fight for 1st or 2nd team All Conference spots and have big seasons. The last list are newcomers to watch. They may or may not have already played some minutes on varsity but if they did they were in a complimentary role and I see them breaking out and showing more next season. Here we go with the Southwestern Conference: Starting 5 <ol> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="160146" first="Reese" last="Bennett"] is a 5’8 2022 Guard from Belleville West. Resse is a tough player coming off a breakout sophomore campaign. She showed the consistent outside shot that became her trademark during the season. If you want to slow down West you cannot leave Reese open behind the arc. Reese is deadly in the corners, which is a shot many players don’t like, apparently Reese is comfortable there.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148161" first="Shakara" last="McCline"] is a 5’6 2023 Guard from East St Louis. Shakara is a very talented offensive player. Her best quality may be shooting off the dribble. She is a top level shooter that can also use that dribble to get all the way to the rim. Shakara has played out of position some by running the point but she is a more than willing and capable passer too.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="78769" first="Sydney" last="Harris"] is a 6’0 2022 Wing from Edwardsville. Sydney is a shooter. That seems so simple and under stated. I feel like I just said Shaq knows how to finish at the rim. Sydney has great form, a repeatable shot and is confident. Not many players step into the role of the trusted and counted on scorer in a top level 4A program as a freshman. Sydney continues to improve and if you watch her play instead of looking at her points per game you can see it plain as day. She can score running off screens and off the bounce more consistently now.</li> <li>Tyler Butler is a 5’9 2021 Forward from Belleville East. Tyler gets a ton of credit from me and others for being a hustle and effort player. That is obviously very true but sometimes I wonder if that makes others think she lacks skill. Tyler has skill. Her skill is physical ( strength, good first step, jumping ability, long arms) and basketball (finishes with both hands, good footwork, good positioning). As Tyler expands her game to have a consistent 15 jumper she will be really hard for high school players to stop.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="123579" first="Amelia" last="Bell"] is a 6’1 Forward from O’Fallon. Amelia is that type of player that every coach should want to have. She works hard, plays hard and loves to play. Amelia brings value on the defensive end and on the boards so she can contribute in many ways. She has been working on her outside game and that paid off against Edwardsville in the last regular season meeting when she hit five 3's and had 29 points. That does not mean she can stop working, that was one game and Amelia needs to show that more in her senior season.</li> </ol> Players Ready for a Breakout Season <ol> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148167" first="Laylah" last="Jackson"] is a 5’6 2023 Guard from Belleville East. Laylah got the opportunity to play extensive minutes as a freshman which is always a learning tool for any good player. Sometimes she was the best player on the floor and sometimes she was still a middle school player with lessons like shot selection still to learn. Those times are familiar to any player that steps into a 4A program as a freshman and plays significant minutes. Laylah will be better for those experiences and I expect her to take her deep range jumper and ability to get to the rim to a whole new level as a sophomore.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148160" first="Jailah" last="Pelly"] is a 5’10 2023 Guard from East St. Louis. Jailah is a special talent with speed and ball handling that are the envy of many players. She also uses her athletic talent and length to be an exceptional defender. Jailah can play as either the primary ball handler or the off guard. As her confidence continues to grow Jailah will take big steps forward in her production.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="124869" first="Elle" last="Evans"] is a 6’1 2022 Wing from Edwardsville. Elle is a long wing player that has always been known for her outside shot. She can stroke the 3-point shot with the best of them and has really developed the rest of her game over the past year. By playing in an offensive scheme like Edwardsville’s Elle has shown the ability to score in the lane off various cuts and sets. Elle has the most potential upside in her game on the defensive end of the floor. While she is not exceptionally quick she has enough athletic ability to go with her length that would make most coaches excited to see what she can do on defense with the right work and focus.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148153" first="Shannon" last="Dowell"] is a 5’9 2023 Guard from O’Fallon. Shannon started from day one as a freshman.Just as has been discussed many times before with freshman at the 4A level, she had some great games and some struggles. She has some exceptional length and jumping ability that add to her game and upside. Shannon admits there were games last year that were a challenge for her because of the pressure/importance of the game. I am confident she will work through that and with continued focus on skill improvement she should have a great sophomore season.</li> <li>Tyanna Lovelace is a 5’11 2021 Post from O’Fallon. Tyanna is a strong and athletic post that can use her body to battle girls 2-3 inches taller than her with no problems. As I have written before, she does a very good job of using her strong lower body to establish position and hold it in the lane. From there Tyanna can finish with either hand deep in the lane. Tyanna can also run the floor on the break and will be able to score on the break through contact. To complete her game Tyanna should be continuing to work on her face up game and free throw shooting.</li> </ol> Newcomers to watch out for <ol> <li>Megan Janson is a 5’1 2023 Point Guard from Collinsville. Megan will take over the starting spot vacated by Faith Liljegren. She is a very good ball handler that despite youth and lack of ideal height, seems very comfortable under pressure. She does a very good job of keeping her head up and staying away from dead spots where she can be easily trapped. Megan will need to continue to improve her scoring ability and specifically her 3 point shot to help her team.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="124890" first="Macy" last="Silvey"] is a 5’8 2022 Guard from Edwardsville. Macy should step into the starting lineup with the graduation losses for the Lady Tigers.She has been known for her ability to score the ball throughout her career. Macy has a consistent stroke from behind the 3-point line and is not afraid to attack off the bounce. She has shown the ability to play as a combo guard by taking on the role as the primary ball handler in the summer with her Blue Star team. Macy has grown up with great instruction from her father and a sister that is a 1,000 point scorer going into her senior season at SIU. Because of this Macy knows how to play the game and is no stranger to the work it takes to play at the next level.</li> <li>Arianna Bennett is a 5’11 2022 Forward from Edwardsville. Arianna has a special motor and talent for being around the basketball. She has been given the Dennis Rodman comparison by me because of her ability on the glass and as a defender. Offensively she is still making the transition to playing more on the wing where she will need to be to play higher than a NAIA/D3 level. Arianna has the athletic ability to make the transition, the question will be her skill work at handling the ball and shooting the ball from outside the paint.</li> <li>Orionna Brown is 5’6 2022 Wing from Belleville East. Orionna is an undersized wing that displays an ability to play in the post when needed. As Coach Kemezys rounds out her lineup and replaces post Hannah Mitchell there is little doubt that the heart and toughness of Orionna will play a big part in taking over those minutes. Orionna still has the ability to play like a guard and is working to improve her outside shot in the off season. Because of this she will put many teams in the tough situation of deciding if they then go small to match her or try to play to two bigs and hope to exploit her as much as she may exploit them.</li> <li>Jenna Scheller is a 6’2 2023 Post from Collinsville. Jenna shows very good touch around the rim and the strength to create post position to receive the ball. She will need to continue to focus on her mobility and expand her offensive game to maximize potential. With that said, her size and touch will give her every chance to flirt with a double/ double most nights as a sophomore. If can expand her game to turning off her right shoulder and also come counter moves, the ceiling might be a little higher.</li> </ol> There is a nice mix of talent in the SWC as always. There are 2021 players that should be getting looks, Bell/Lovelace/Butler, but the 2022 and 2023 classes are special and should bring recruiters from all levels to the gym. &nbsp;