Unseen hours in the gym: Carterville

This week I was lucky enough to be invited to observe another PureSweat training session. This time I was with Justin Barrington at John A. Logan college. Justin had a group of 9 girls that night. There were 4 girls from Carterville, 3 from Herrin, 1 from Pinckneyville and 1 from Christopher. In this article I will review the 4 girls from Carterville. As with the previous PureSweat sessions I have observed, Justin and his team did a great job with meaningful drills for the girls. Ball handling, proper footwork, finishing drills and shooting are always a focus. The girls were also able to get up and down playing some 4 on 4 to get some game like action. The PureSweat staff does a great job of creating game like situations with specific outcomes. They are always working on specific moves for specific situations. <ul> <li><strong>Jeniah Thompson </strong>is a 5’10 2020 wing that has verbally committed to SIU. Jeniah is very strong and athletic player. She plays very physical which should translate to the next level. Jeniah is a tough matchup at the high school level as she can beat smaller players in the lane and hurt taller players on the wing. She has a reliable jump shot that she will need to keep improving and extending to maximize her potential. Jeniah is coming off a junior season where she averaged 15/10 and was a 2nd team all state player in 3A. She will be fun to watch in her senior season.</li> <li><strong>Abbey Crain </strong>is a 5'5 2020 point guard from Carterville. Abbey is a very good point guard that is a child of a coach. She knows the game and leads her team. Abbey does a good job of pushing the ball in the fast break to get easy points. She sees the floor well and can find the open player. Abbey hit 71 shots from behind the arc last year in route to averaging 12.3 points per game. Abbey does a good job on defense and is aggressive in the passing lanes. She has had some attention from D3/JUCO programs and should be on the radar of small schools. As all All State 3rd team selection last year Abbey is looking to do even better this year.</li> <li><strong>Megan Barton </strong>is a 5'7 2020 guard from Carterville. Megan is extremely athletic and plays hard. I love to see a player like her out sprinting on the fast break to beat the defense back. Megan can finish with a variety of moves in the lane when she gets going downhill. Megan is a good defender and is suited well for it with her build and tenacity. She averaged 10 points per game as a junior after hitting 12 per game as a sophomore. Megan dealt with a high ankle sprain last year that limited her a little. Megan can hit consistently from the mid range and can hit the 3. With a healthy senior season Megan is another player that should be on the radar for D3/NAIA/JUCO programs looking for a tough wing player.</li> <li><strong>Alecia Doyle </strong>is a 5'7 2022 wing from Carterville. Alecia was the 6th man last year and provided a nice punch off the bench. She scored 7.3 points per game and hauled in 3 rebounds. Alecia will be in the starting lineup this year and will bring that hustle and toughness to the team. Just like Megan, Alecia will get out and run the floor and provide Abbey options on the break. She has a very bright future and will take over a much bigger role when the class of 2020 is gone. As Alecia continues to develop her outside shot she will be very tough to handle in the half court.</li> </ul> This was my first time seeing the Carterville girls live. They have had huge success over the past 3 years. As the senior year approaches for Thompson, Crain and Barton they look to finish with a long post season run. From what I can see if they continue to focus on defense and playing as a team they should have another big year.