If you don’t come prepare for the punishment that is the task of guarding Lillie Spicer than it’s going to be a LONG day. The powerful PF/C has always done a great job of pushing her opponent under the basket whenever she is trying to make space on either block offensively. Over the last few seasons she has been able to keep up her production in the middle while stepping out to about 15FT and working from that area a little bit more. That’s what you love to see. Steady progression as the individual becomes more experienced. Defensively, Spicer covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time and she is always watching on help-side to see if she might need to step up. This is a hooper that opposing coaches don’t want to have to deal with. It usually takes more than one body being thrown at her to slow things down and that’s never ideal in any coaching scenario.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson put together some rememberable contests this past few months during their Winter season. Their force in the middle, leading the charge was PF – Lillie Spicer Lillie Spicer 6'0" | PF CR - Jefferson | 2027 State IA . Spicer isn’t new to production. She has participated on the Varsity floor since she was a Freshman, putting up impactful stat lines on the blocks. Her mixture of strength and height helps her handle most matchups thrown her way. She can either go over the top of them if she is too small, she can go through them if she is bigger, or she can hit them with a counter move to get a different offensive look at the basket. We saw all of these things over the last few months for the J-Hawks as they took the floor. Spicer currently holds one D1 offer to UNI but if she puts together some good weekends this AAU season, who knows what could happen.

Simply put, Spicer is a handful for opponents. The Jefferson junior was in her bag during an upset against Iowa City High late in the regular season. The Little Hawks usually have an inside advantage, but Spicer’s power, strength and motor were too much for them to handle on this night. She led all scorers and likely grabbed the most rebounds. While Spicer does her best work on the low block, she can convert on all three levels. Athleticism and a high basketball IQ lead to her being a difficult matchup. Spicer can go through people at the rim or take slower-footed defenders out to the arc. She can knocked it down from out there or drive by folks.

CR – Jefferson is going to have a new system with a new coaching staff but the something that won’t be new is that this system is going to operate around Lillie Spicer Lillie Spicer 6'0" | PF CR - Jefferson | 2027 State IA in the middle of the point. Spicer is a 6’0 PF, that currently holds an over to compete at UNI following her high school career. Spicer controls the paint. She is a force on both sides of the court to be reckoned with. She can be your main threat as an offensive weapon underneath and she can be your defensive stopper in the middle of the lane as well. All in all, there is a lot to like about this one and she is only going to get better with experience.

Lillie Spicer Lillie Spicer 6'0" | PF CR - Jefferson | 2027 State IA is a PF with the combination every loves to see, size, strength, balance, coordination, touch, and a ton of dedication to the game of Basketball. Spicer will return this Winter at CR – Jefferson as their dominant killer in the middle and I’m expecting some big numbers. If I recall correctly, Spicer had a few games last season around the 20/20 mark. If she can do that again or even come close, it’ll be noteworthy. She is a force to be reckoned with and that’s been a constant for a few seasons now at the Varsity level.

Lillie Spicer Lillie Spicer 6'0" | PF CR - Jefferson | 2027 State IA made the move this season to the All Iowa Attack program out of Des Moines and she has been holding her own at a respectable rate. So much so that Spicer is already playing up and competing with the 17U EYCL team this season, which is noteworthy. That EYCL competition can be very tough. From what I’ve seen and heard, she is doing a great job of playing her dominant-self down-low. If you didn’t guess it, Spicer is a problem for most others in the paint. I think this experience this Spring and Summer will be good for her. If she sticks with it, she should come back and have a monstrous Winter with her CR – Jefferson JHawks program.

Lillie Spicer Lillie Spicer 6'0" | PF CR - Jefferson | 2027 State IA has evolved into a serious scoring threat as a sophomore. Her physicality, nonstop motor, and aggression around the rim makes Spicer a nightmare for defenders and her stats are reflecting her efforts. As a freshman starter last season, Spicer tallied 9.3PPG, .6SPG, and was shooting at a 46.5% clip. This year Spicer has been a force – she’s increased all of these stats and is currently averaging 17.1PPG, 2.7SPG and is shooting 56.4% from the floor. Spicer has also boosted her free-throw percentage by 18% this season. I am really looking forward to Spicer’s continual improvement throughout her J-Hawk career.

The CR – Jefferson JHawks got a W on Tuesday night in a cross town rivalry against Linn Mar High School. In this contest, the PF/C for Jefferson, Lillie Spicer Lillie Spicer 6'0" | PF CR - Jefferson | 2027 State IA had quite the evening. She capped things off with 26 Points on 8-24 shooting, including going 10-16 from the free throw line. She also recorded a double-double in her efforts, grabbing 22 Rebounds throughout the contest. This is definitely one of the more impressive stat lines we have seen so far across the state this Winter but it doesn’t shock me. Spicer is a handful down low and when she has time within a 1v1 matchup, it usually doesn’t end too well for the opponent. Hopefully this performance will kick start this team in a sense and show some of their upcoming competitors that they are going to be a tough group to beat on any given night.

Lillie Spicer Lillie Spicer 6'0" | PF CR - Jefferson | 2027 State IA is the engine that makes the J-Hawks go. The six foot sophomore does a little bit of everything, and does it with all out effort. Despite facing double teams throughout the scrimmage Spicer was a rebounding machine, fighting for offensive rebounds and a handful of and-1’s. Rebounding aside, Spicer is a strong presence in the paint and has a great drop step. In addition I really liked her discipline against drivers, going straight up and forcing defenders to shoot over her. I predict a strong sophomore season for Lillie.

There are actually several factors that are going to impact the season of the CR Jefferson Jayhawks program this Winter but the most important may come in the middle with their Center, Lillie Spicer Lillie Spicer 6'0" | PF CR - Jefferson | 2027 State IA . Spicer has been a force in the painted area’s ever since she was young but this season is going to be a big one in her journey. I need to see that Spicer can demonstrate a counter move when need be offensively, while also being a killer on defense. On that side of the ball, Spicer usually finishes contests with nice numbers in the rebounds and blocks department but she could definitely add to that ability moving forward. Not only is Spicer 6’0, she has physical awareness of the situations unfolding around her, and she isn’t afraid to mix it up with anyone. Three things that will help her continue to kill it for her Sophomore season.