Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:33 PM CDT
Neoga’s Will plans to walk on at St. Louis University
By MIKE MONAHAN, Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com
NEOGA — After looking into continuing her basketball career at Lake Land College or Illinois College, Neoga’s No. 2 all-time rebounder (973) and one who scored 1,375 points in her high school career, Kayci Will is to play at the Division I level at St. Louis University.
The six-foot-one center who earned first team all-National Trail Conference this year, decided to attend St. Louis University and originally wasn’t going to play. That is until Will and Neoga coach Kevin Haarman sent Shimmy Gray-Miller, the SLU coach, a packet of information and tapes of Will.
“I have a Dean Scholarship and I put academics before athletics,” said Will, who averaged 14.8 points and 11.4 points per game last year for the Lady Indians. “I didn’t actually think they would call me, but they (St. Louis coaches) did. It was so exciting. They said they have a scholarship open for next year (2009-2010). It is definitely going to be a challenge.”
Haarman said, “This is a great opportunity for her. She wrestled with the idea of going to a junior college. In the end this is what really wants to do. She got a 31 on her act and she started applying to different places. They (St. Louis coach Gray-Miller) called immediately and asked her to come down for a visit.”
Will is to be on the team and travel with the squad as well.
“She can play step in and play defense; grab some rebounds and get a putback,” said Haarman. “She may be capable of more. I think talent wise her physical build is her biggest attribute,” said Haarman. “Her physical play is a plus and obviously she has the body that can play Division I. I think she has yet to play her best basketball. She will be able to devote more time to her game and she will improve. . Her second attribute is her work ethic. That is something the coaches said they really like to see in players.”
St. Louis is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and Gray-Miller is the sixth coach in the history of the program. She had been an assistant coach at Washington University and at Arizona and was a volunteer coach for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm.
“I visited St. Louis University and everyone was really nice and the campus is so pretty. They had an itinerary set up for me and I met with all the coaches and many of the players.”
St. Louis has a new arena also, a 10,600 seat Chaifetz Arena at a cost of $80.5 million and opened April 11 to the Harlem Globetrotters-Washington Generals game. It is also to be home of the volleyball and men’s basketball team.
The Billikins finished 10-20 last year overall and 5-9 in the A-10. St. Louis has not had a winning season since going 17-14 in 2002-03 and has had 12 in 33 years of existence.
“They are not really prominent in basketball, but I would like to have an impact and help turn the basketball program around,” said Will. “I really like their coach. She is a good inspirational talker. She said, ‘Why be part of history, when you can make it.’
Will watched some of the team workout, which includes three-time All-Big 12 Conference player, Hope Elam, who just completed her freshmen year after graduating from Champaign Central.
“Any time you have a player move on the collegiate level it benefits your program,” said Haarman. “I have had Kendra Mette go to Lake Land; Whitney McClellan to Olney Central College and Mallory Deters go to Lake Land and now my first Division I player. As a coach you feel rewarded for the work you put in. You hope that it gives younger players something to shoot for.”
Will averaged 13.3 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Lady Indians, who have a school enrollment of 268, as a junior for the 21-10 IHSA Class A regional champions and a three-time member of the Journal-Gazette/Times-Courier All-Area team. She averaged 9.9 points and seven rebounds per game as a sophomore for the 22-9 Class A regional champions.
Tony Frances, an assistant coach at SLU, is the co-recruiting coordinator and also helps the post players.
High school graduation is May 16 and Will, who is done with high school, is to go to St. Louis for six weeks at the end of June and school is to start two weeks after Labor Day.
“Coach told me flat out that if I want a scholarship I was going to have to work harder than everyone else,” said Will, who offered this advice to younger players “If you work hard enough you can do anything you want to. It is all bout work ethic and determination.”
Will is to be the second player from Neoga to play at the Division I level this decade as Molly Hartke (2002 graduate) played at Bradley (2002-2006) and is now a first grade teacher at Villa Grove and the softball coach and junior high girls’ basketball coach.
Will is to study physical therapy at the Jesuit Catholic University of 12,000 students and the oldest university west of the Mississippi River.
The A-10 includes UNC-Charlotte, Dayton, Duquense, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Xavier.
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
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