SGF native Alex Hall is working his way into a Drury great. (Photo courtesy Drury University)

Every time Alex Hall bangs a 3-pointer for Drury University, it’s a spectacular victory for SGF basketball. The SGF native has become the face of the Drury basketball program, one that has not only taken steps to become a member of one of Division II’s toughest leagues — the Great Lakes Valley Conference — but a perennial NCAA Division II Tournament team.

But the victory isn’t just because every deep 3-pointer pushes him toward the Panthers’ career scoring Mount Rushmore, but because it’s tough to not think about how each of those highlights could have been for Missouri State.

That’s right. When Hall was scorching the Ozark Conference and the AAU circuit at Kickapoo High School, his college future was one of the worst kept secrets in the Ozarks. The 6-foot-1 guard had a scholarship offer to bring his lights-out jump shot to the Missouri Valley Conference and play for MSU coach Barry Hinson. Local journalists didn’t even write the “Where is Alex Hall going to play college ball” story because everyone knew he was going to be a Bear.  Everyone. Hall is a SGF boy, and he wanted it to stay that way. There was only one option. But when Barry Hinson, um, left MSU after 10 seasons, it changed everything.

Former MSU coach Cuonzo Martin.

“He didn’t think I was athletic enough,” Hall said, referencing former MSU coach Cuonzo Martin. Somehow the words out of his mouth aren’t bitter at all, but do motivate him, he admits. That’s where the headscratching begins. Sure, athleticism isn’t all verticality and quickness, but the way that Hall was able to score, he looked to be another quality local contributor to feast in front of the local crowd. Instead, Martin never offered Hall a spot on what would have been last year’s first MVC regular season crown.

All of a sudden, Hall found himself with only one true option. Sure, he could have taken up other schools on their offers — Saint Louis and others in the Valley — but his heart was still in SGF. That’s where Steve Hesser came in. The Drury coach had always let Hall know there was a spot for him, and even to hear Hall tell it, he was happy for the opportunity.

“I wanted to play at home. I didn’t want to move,” Hall said. “And it’s not like Division II isn’t a challenge. This level is tough.”

There’s the perception gap. It would be easy to assume there’s a huge step down from D-I to D-II. But ask GLVC rival, defending national champion and current No. 1 ranked Bellarmine who played a perennial NCAA Tourney team like Louisville to 8 this season. Sometimes talent is dictated by situation, not by level.

That’s what makes Division II basketball interesting. Situations don’t work out all the time. Some of the best D-II schools are full of D-I transfers. Hall is not really any different.

Drury men's basketball coach Steve Hesser

Although when he began, Hall made D-II look real easy. He scored 33 points in his first college game — draining 8 3-pointers. He finished as the GLVC’s Freshman of the Year and on the GLVC’s Second Team by scoring 16.6 points per game. As a sophomore, Hall was again a GLVC Second Team pick averaging 18.3 points per game. Barring something drastic happening, Hall is slated for the top 10 of the all-time scoring list. Through two seasons, his 1,048 points put him 34th, trailing Lonnie Holmes’ 2,341 and he seems a mortal lock to bypass all-time great Matt Miller’s 351 career 3s. Through two seasons, Hall has 198.

Hall isn’t a perfect player, by any means. While Hall can run, jump and shoot, his flexibility is limited, which hurts him on defense. He’s still finding an alternate offensive game when it’s he’s not open from the outside or when his jump shot isn’t falling. During the season opener against Southwest Baptist, he was held to just 3 points. It’s a function of having ridiculous freshman and sophomore seasons, with defenses adjusting accordingly.

“He’s a good player. He would be a contributor, maybe even a starter, on a mid-major team,” Hesser said. “We’re trying to get him to more consistent, but there’s no doubt he can shoot it. He’s a weapon.”

It turns out Hall is making his basketball impact on an SGF college after all. It just wasn’t the one everyone thought.

Drury’s December schedule:

• 12/3 — Vs. Maryville, 3:15 p.m.
• 12/7— At Missouri S&T, 7:30 p.m.
• 12/10 — At Texas A&M-Commerce, 3 p.m.
• 12/17 — Vs. University of St. Mary, 5 p.m.
• 12/30 — Vs. Southwestern College, 7 p.m.

Catholic senior RB/LB Nick Gori

Nick Gori is the epitome of the Catholic High School football team. Talented. Versatile. Businesslike. The senior running back is a destructive piece of a high-powered offense that’s scored more then 40 points in each of its three victories, but also a demolishing linebacker who will scoop up a loose ball or dislodge it from ballcarriers.

On offense, he’s highly underrated. While he’s just at part of a balanced attack, consider his first three games:

• 51-15 victory over East Newton – 17 carries for 110 yards, 2 TD
• 42-19 over Marshfield — 18 carries for 206 yards, 3 TDs
• 55-16 victory over Hollister — 7 carries for 80 yards, 3 TDs
• Season: 42 carries, 396 yards, 8 TDs

Gori is a soft-spoken individual, but he and the rest of the No. 5 ranked Fightin’ Irish have a huge task ahead of them Friday when they host Class 3′s No. 1 team, Rogersville. The two teams split last season, with each team winning on the road. TAGsgf.com Sports Editor Allen Vaughan caught up with Gori during practice to talk about his improvement, Mizzou football and plans after high school.

Interview with Catholic’s Nick Gori

Dorial Green-Beckham is the nation's top football recruit. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

Dorial Green-Beckham is unlike anything the Ozarks has ever seen. The Hillcrest High School senior wide receiver is bigger than everyone around, faster than guys shorter than him and quicker than guys bigger than him (if that even exists). It’s a huge reason he was ranked by Rivals.com as the nation’s top college prospect.

But as we wander into this uncharted territory when Hillcrest takes on Seneca on ESPNU Saturday, and all the national attention, many still have questions about his situation. That’s what the DGB FAQ is for.

What you need to know about Dorial Green-Beckham

Where is he going to attend college?

That’s the (multi) million dollar question. The Beckham family is doing a great job of keeping that a secret. He has a scholarship offer from every school that matters in the country. His Rivals.com recruiting profile is ridiculous. He’s not the only legit recruit that’s leaving schools hanging, but with that, he has every school in the country thinking it has a shot.

The names that come up the most are Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Alabama. But at a press conference earlier this week, DGB’s father, John Beckham, who is also the Hornets’ head coach, said that proximity isn’t an issue. Rather, it’s how easy is it to get somewhere. For instance, he said there is a direct flight from Branson to Austin, Texas. That’s easy. A 3-connection flight from SGF isn’t.

What is important to him when choosing a college?

Is Arkansas quarterback a good enough draw for DGB?

He’s not for sure what he wants to do as a profession (outside of football, potentially), but he’s not revealing what type of program he’s looking for. Every one provides something different.

Alabama has shown it can win national championships with a balance offense and still produce a first-round wide receiver without spread-offense type of numbers (Julio Jones, who DGB has met).

Arkansas has a young stud QB in Tyler Wilson, and has proven it can make BCS bowls, as it did last year. Coach Bobby Petrino has visited SGF and featues a dynamic offense.

Missouri has put together an impressive list of NFL draft picks recently, and features a volatile offense. And, if DGB stays in state, he would become an instant legend statewide. And, Mizzou has emerged as a perennial Top 20 school.

Oklahoma has tradition, as well as a spread offense. While Heisman candidate Landry Jones will be gone, Oklahoma is always in the national spotlight and they have moved toward a spread scheme. And, it’s Oklahoma, one of the most tradition-rich schools in the country.

When asked about what was important to him, he stayed generic, citing good facilities, coaches and how the other players made him feel.

The answer to this question is: No one knows.

When will he make his decision?

DGB isn’t in a rush. He spent the summer nursing a hamstring injury, and when mixed with his brother Darnell’s ongoing recovery from leukemia, the family didn’t take as many visits as it normally would. But, he’s in an enviable position. Every school wants him, and will take him, regardless of the time frame.

You’re telling me that if he waits until Feb. 1, and even goes on ESPN or ESPNU and does the hat-choosing ceremony, that a team wouldn’t be ecstatic about it? He’s got nothing but time, and said earlier this week he’s not going to make a decision until well after the football season, because he wants to be able to take a few more visits.

Why is he so good?

Many compare DGB to former Alabama WR Julio Jones

Sure, he’s the nation’s top prospect, but what is it that makes him dominant? It starts with his size and physique. He’s 6-foot-5 1/2, “Almost 6-6. Close enough,” he said this week. But it’s not just his height, but it’s his physique. He already weighs 220 pounds. The aforementioned Julio Jones, the No. 6 pick by the Atlanta Falcons and former Alabama receiver, is 6-3, 220 — at 22 years old. DGB is 18.

And when you combine his athleticism, it’s a lethal combination. A state champion in track and field, he has a recorded 4.43 40-yard dash. As a basketball player, he’s shown good hands and footwork. When you factor in his ability to pulverize a defender, or make him miss, it’s uncanny.

To show you, here are a few highlight tapes.

Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson

Who does he compare to?

Jones is the obvious comparison, in skill, size and athleticism. And when it comes to comparisons, there aren’t many. Most star NFL receivers are closer to 6-foot than 6-5. Randy Moss is 6-4, but doesn”t weigh 200 pounds.

The closes answer is probably Calvin Johnson, a fifth-year receiver for the Detroit Lions. He’s 6-5, 236 right now as a 25-year old, and uses his size and speed as a deep threat and a red zone target. At his NFL Combine, Johnson ran a 4.33 40. Yes, he’s a freak. And yes, that’s who DGB compares to.

Will he make state records his forever?

Yes. As of now, he is the state’s career leader in receiving touchdowns, yards and average yards per game, and has the top two single seasons for receiving yards. In three seasons, has 180 catches for 4,165 yards and 51 TDs. Dominant players are going to have to play 5 seasons just to catch up to him.

Here is the breakdown:

Most career yards

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 4,165
2. Erick Roe, West Platte,2003-07, 4,057

Most career receiving TDs

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 51
2. Erick Roe, West Platte, 2003-07, 49
3. Eric Anderson, Cameron, , 2003-05, 49

Most receiving yards, single season

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2010, 1,714
2. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2009, 1,616
3. Dane Kolkmeyer, Joplin, 2008, 1,574

Receiving Yards Per Game (minimum 25 games)

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 122.5
2. Eric Anderson, Cameron, 2003-05, 99.4

Here are what his career numbers look like through 34 games:

Freshman (2008): 38 catches, 835 yards, 13 TDs
Sophomore (2009): 63 catches, 1,616 yads, 23 TDs
Junior (2010): 79 catches, 1,714 yards, 15 TDs

Total: 180 catches, 4,165 yards, 51 TDs

Dorial Green-Beckham is Rivals.com's top recruit for 2012

Is he overrated? (Other national WRs)

After looking at his results, and the way that he projects as an athlete, it’s impossible. In the 2012 class, there is only one other receiver who is as tall as DGB, and he weighs 20 pounds less. He’s already a grown man, and as long as he keeps his speed as he gains mass, he’ll be an all-time great.

But, we all know that many talented players haven’t lived up to expectations. Why? Because of the intangibles. That’s what we don’t know. Is he tough enough? Will he stay out of trouble? Will he let the hype get to his head once he steps on a college campus? Will he be a good student? Those are all wait-and-see propositions. But still, the potential is there to be a professional football player.

Wait, did you just say he can be a pro?

Uh, yeah. If he’s the top recruit in the country, that means he doesn’t just have a shot to be a pro, but it means he should be a pro. That’s a lot of pressure to handle. That’s a long time from now, but imagine him going in the top 10 of the NFL Draft four years from now. How much pride will you have? I know I’ll feel it.

Is Hillcrest going to be any good?

Does it really matter? You should go to watch Hillcrest as often as you can. If you haven’t seen him play, you should do it at least once. The problem is, it might not be on a Friday and it might not be at Hillcrest. Here’s the Hornets’ schedule.

• Sat., Aug. 27 — vs. Seneca at Missouri Southern State College (on ESPNU)
• Thursday, Sept. 1 — Rogers (Ark.) Heritage at Razorbacks stadium
• Sat., Sept. 10 — At Joplin
• Friday, Sept. 16 — Home vs. Camdenton
• Thurs., Sept. 22 — Home vs. Glendale
• Friday, Sept. 20 — At Waynesville
• Friday, Oct. 7 — Home vs. Rolla
• Friday, Oct. 14 — Home vs. West Plains
• Friday, Oct. 21 — At Marshfield
• Thursday, Oct. 27 — Home vs. Republic

To answer the question about the Hornets, they are expected to make the playoffs again. Last year, the Hornets won their first playoff game in school history. A deep playoff run isn’t likely, but when you have a talent like DGB, not only are there many questions, there are many jawdropping moments.

Don’t miss out on any of them.

BJ Flores poses at the weigh-in before his NABA/NABO title fight against Nick Ianuzzi. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

B.J. Flores is in a good place in his life. It’s not because he dodged a hangover from a night out on the first night in his hometown area in a long time. It’s not because that he’s financially solvent. It’s not because people recognize him on the street. It’s because of boxing.

Flores could be bitter. He probably should be. See, the 32-year-old Willard native, who many regard as the top cruiserweight in the US, was forced to sit out for an entire year because a promotions company hoodwinked him on a contract and kept him from competing. When he could contractually return to the ring, Flores took the toughest fight of his life, losing to Australian Danny Green — the IBO cruiserweight champion — on his turf.

But instead of whining or feeling sorry for himself, Flores says he’s smarter and understands the tricky politics of the boxing game. But the real reason he’s in that good place is because he’s coming back home.

When Flores (24-1) fights Nick Iannuzzi (16-2) on Saturday, July 23 at Drury University’s O’Reilly Family Event Center, Flores can puff out his sculpted chest and abs that he perfectly flexes for the cameras. But it’s not because of his work ethic or commitment to maintaining the physique he asks photographers how the pictures look before calling the photo shoot quits, it’s because he has been burned, and is living to tell about it.

“Man, I’m hungrier than I have ever been,” Flores said. “I know I’m 32 and I want to get to a place where everyone knows who I am as a boxer. I’m going to fight good fighters, nationally-known fighters. And I can do all of that here in Springfield.”

Sitting on a couch in the Clarion Hotel lobby after doing some press and handling other business, Flores looks healthy enough to launch himself into boxing’s stratosphere. He’s always been good with words. He’s turned himself into an amazing self-promoter over the years, even  earning a part-time gig as an ESPN Friday Night Fights analyst. But with that charisma, he makes a convincing case why fighting Iannuzzi is a part of his big plan.

He goes into a story about his beef with Nigerian cruiserweight Lateef Kayode and how it landed him into this fight with Iannuzzi, who lost a decision to Kayode in February. Flores said the importance of the Iannuzzi fight lies within the perception of Iannuzzi’s loss to Kayode. See, Flores said everyone who objectively watched that fight knows Iannuzzi won. But when the judges chose Kayode, it set off a Google-worthy exchange of press releases between Flores and his Nigerian antagonist.

“If I can’t get Kayode, I’ll get the guy who everyone knew beat him,” Flores said. “Ianuzzi is a good fight for me. This is probably the second-toughest fight I’ve ever had.”

Flores says that emphatically because of his profession’s political nature, and jokes about corruption. “I’ve seen that side of it, no doubt,” he says. He knows that by coming back home, he’s opening himself up to criticism of trying to create convenient boxing situations for himself.

But he claims he isn’t doing to bring in patsies. He wants to bring in good fighters — paying them handsomely, too — and create a boxing scene in SGF. He wants to get back into the world rankings and into the world’s perception of the best cruiserweights. As of April, ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael left Flores out of the world’s 10 best cruiserweights, even though before he lost to Green, he was ranked No. 7 by the WBA.

“I can do this here,” Flores said. “I can build a big boxing scene here in Springfield and get back to being known as one of the best cruiserweights in the world.”

It all starts July 23. Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased by going to DruryTickets.com.

What's better than one Colby Rasmus? Two future big league regulars. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

When current St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Colby Rasmus spent the entire summer of 2007 in Springfield, the Ozarks felt different. There was an urgency to get to Hammons Field on a nightly basis. Why? There was a chance to see greatness. There was a chance to see what the fuss was about. There was a glimpse into St. Louis Cardinals’ future.

And it wasn’t just any glimpse. It was a front-row seat to the concert. It was the inside of the inside jokes. It was knowing every step of a secret handshake. Soon, fans had a reason to keep Rasmus’ bobblehead dolls in the boxes because they might be worth serious money in the future. He built a legion of followers during Springfield’s deepest playoff run to the Texas League Championship Series. There are many who still wear those No. 4 Colby Rasmus shirts to not only SGF Cards game, but St. Louis Cardinals games just to boast.

That’s our guy.

Colby Rasmus changed Springfield Cardinals baseball.

Now that St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Shelby Miller is here in Springfield, he’s the pitching version of Rasmus. Every fifth day, and at least once per homestand, SGFers can thrive in the hype and again know every pitching detail about “The next Cardinals ace” before the 2009 first-round pick arrives to St. Louis.

Then there’s Zack Cox. And, well, Cox is just like Rasmus, too. Many projected the third baseman as a top 5 pick, but money and leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore scared teams off. Unafraid of any poker bluff and the rumored $6 million price tag, St. Louis jumped on the Arkansas masher at No. 25. He ending up earning a $3.2 million deal from St. Louis and a spot on the precious 40-man roster before he’d ever taken a pro at-bat. It was slightly more than the $2.875 Miller received out of a Texas high school just the year before.

See, during any other season, SGF would be lucky to have one of these guys. But at the same time? $6 million invested in two future pros? Two Colby Rasmuses?

This is the stuff of legendary summers.

———-

Shelby Miller K'd 6 of the first 9 batters he faced at Hammons Field. Very impressive stuff. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

In the 6 and-a-half summers of Springfield Cardinals baseball, there has never been a better pitching prospect than Shelby Miller. Sure, there have been good pitchers to come through on the way up. That list probably reads in order: Jaime Garcia, Chris Perez, Kyle McClellan, Fernando Salas and Eduardo Sanchez. None were first-round picks. None had the hype. None told College World Series-bound Texas A&M: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Still just 20 years old, Miller won his Texas League debut against Corpus Christi with 6 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 5. But during his second start, and Hammons Field debut, he was wicked. He finished with 9 strikeouts and three runs allowed — just two were earned. The first time through the lineup, Miller showed the stuff of legends. He struck out 6 of the first 9 batters he faced, five of them swinging. He operated in complete control, using a fastball that sits between 93-95 mph that hitters can’t see. That’s not hyperbole. In the batters box it looks like it 99 mph heat.

“I really don’t know what’s so different about it. I won’t know until I get in the box and see what it’s really like during a side session,” SGF Cards pitching coach Bryan Eversgerd said after the game. “But the hitters looked like they didn’t know what was coming.”

Shelby Miller in the dugout between dominant innings during his SGF debut. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

The effortlessness is something we haven’t really seen from SGF Cardinals pitchers. Let’s be honest about something, the starting pitchers who were supposed to be good, um …. weren’t. Remember 2004 first-round pick Chris Lambert? Not good. 6.35 ERA in 2005. 5.34 ERA in 24 2006 starts. He battled reporters over his mediocrity. Remember 2006 first-round pick Adam Ottavino? Oy. Ottavino had a 5.23 ERA in 2008 and battled questions of mental and physical toughness. Neither delivered, so there was reason to be pessimistic about Miller.

But after that sparkling SGF Cardinals debut, he wasn’t there to heap praise on himself. Still just 20 — what were you doing at 20 years old? — he was lamenting the pitches he missed, whether not hitting location or getting away from the game plan. He spoke with humility, head down, shaking at the few mistakes.

But then there’s the Colby Rasmus factor. Like Rasmus, Miller is a young guy with boyish charm. He has hair flowing out the back of his hat. He is personable to the fans. Much has been made of his Twitter feed which was flooded with nearly 2,000 followers in less than a week, once he petitioned fans to come and watch his starts.

Miller could debut in the big leagues as soon as 2013, and once he arrives, he’ll be in the starting rotation immediately. There are implications in that, too. Very few former SGF Cardinals have made it to the big leagues and started immediately. Even Garcia, the SGF Cards poster boy labored in the bullpen before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Miller projects as a bonafide momentum stopper.

Former SGF Cardinal Jaime Garcia is the only former SGF Card to earn a starting rotation spot.

That’s something that’s never happened here. In the 6-plus seasons of SGF Cardinals history, the team has seen 26 go on to make Major League debuts. But not many have made lasting impacts, and most came with very subtle hype. Ask yourself, who are the greatest SGF Cardinals pitchers in the 6-plus seasons? Think about their profiles. Garcia was a 22nd-round pick in the 2005 draft. Even though he was considered to be good, he was more of a steal than a sure thing. McClellan was the same way. He was a 25th-round pick in the 2002 draft out of high school. He had already had Tommy John surgery before he got here and he had to fight to become a quality reliever and now a starter, but only out of need, not winning a job. Boggs is as close to a hype machine as we’ve seen that’s followed through on it. He was a 5th rounder in 2005, but had to cut his teeth as a reliever after flaming out as a starter. And that’s better than 2005 first-rounder Mark McCormick, whose 23 2/3 innings of Double-A ball were the pinnacle of his career.

None have had the hype of Miller, who Baseball America described before the 2011 season. “Miller earned his spurs as a true Texas gunslinger — a legacy he not only relishes, but invokes — by overpowering with his fastball. (Low-A) Quad Cities coaches claim he went at least his first five starts without giving up a hit on his explosive fastball … Some scouts see his heater as major-league ready right now. His brawny frame and simple delivery hint at sustained and perhaps improved velocity for the future.”

When talking to Miller, although just 20, he finds a way to make a lot of sense. “I just want to be the best pitcher I can be. The Cardinals have put a lot of faith in me and I want nothing more than to work as hard as I can.”
————-

Zack Cox is manning third base for the SGF Cardinals. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

Zack Cox can hit. Zack Cox knows he can hit. That’s why he’s already in Double-A, less than a year from when he was drafted with the 25th pick in the 2010 draft. And while the clock is ticking on that Major League-ready deal he signed, placing him on the 40-man roster and that much closer to MLB free agency, Cox has made the most of his advantages.

Springfield has enjoyed a hearty fleet of solid hitters over the years. But none – except for Colby Rasmus — have earned status as regular starters for St. Louis. There is promise within some of them, namely Jon Jay, Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso. But the rest have been bit players. In fact, only 26 positions players have graduated to the big leagues, and six of those didn’t do it with St. Louis. And while it’s exciting for us to see Jay get a spot start, or watch the Cardinals get creative with Allen Craig starting at second base — a position he didn’t play in the minors — we want stars. We want everyday guys. When Cox signed, that was the expectation from Day 1.

“I knew I wanted to start my pro career, and I was excited St. Louis was interested in me,” Cox said. “I’m just trying to do what they want me to do and what I expect out of myself.”

To be honest, the Cardinals haven’t had much luck with first round picks on the hitting and fielding side, either. Brett Wallace, drafted in 2008, was included in the deal to get Matt Holliday, so that worked out, but 2007 first-rounder Pete Kozma hasn’t yet panned out. The Cards’ first-round picks from 2004-06 were all pitchers, and 2003 first-round draft pick Daric Barton was included in the Mark Mulder deal, so we never saw him, either.

In the 2010 draft class, Cox was considered to be a Top 5 talent, with a nearly-MLB ready bat and malleable defensive skills. Some questioned whether he would remain at third base, or whether second was a better fit, but his at-the-plate prowess was never a question. Baseball America called him “the best pure hitter in the draft” and pointed out that he made a change in his swing from freshman to sophomore year, trading power for contact.

Though Cox is slumping at Double-A, if he adjusts as quickly as he did at HIgh-A, watch out. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

While Cox doesn’t have Rasmus’ speed and power, what he does have is machine-like consistency. His average dipped to .278 on May 1, but since that game, he closed on a tear, hitting safely in 17 of his final 18 games, including 9 multi-hit games. He finished at .335/.380 (on-base)/.439 (slugging), with 3 home runs and 20 RBIs. His Springfield tenure hasn’t been as brilliant, laboring through his first 19 games in June at .225/.282/.324 and the main problem has been lefthanded pitching. He has just 5 hits in 26 at-bats against lefties, opposed to a .262 average against righties.

Cox says the gap in performance is temporary. It’s the consistency of the pitchers and that he will be fine. But Cox differs from some of the higher profile guys we’ve had here in SGF. He’s not outgoing, and seems to shy away from the attention. But, that doesn’t mean he’s not a future big-league player. In fact, it’s the opposite. Cox’s hitting approach mimics his personality.

Minimal nonsense. Cut the BS. Let’s hit.

Cox is 22, a native of Kentucky. Coaches rave about his willingness to get better, something that will allow him to move his way up to St. Louis.

“He is a gifted hitter, there’s no doubt about that,” Springfield manager Pop Warner said. “He is more of a gap-to-gap guy, but he can really hit. Defensively, he’s rough around the edges, but he works hard. He will will himself to get better.”

And when you look at third base in St. Louis, the position has been revolving door since Scott Rolen was traded for Troy Glaus. There are plenty of opportunities for Cox, and the road has been paved.

——-

In the background, Miller's SGF teammates were harrassing relentlessly. Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

Is Zack Cox happy in this picture? Maybe, but his teammates were cracking jokes behind him during the shot. Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

It’s a Friday game on Shelby Miller’s first homestand. It drew members of the Cardinals front office, including Mike Matheny. The media followed, too, with a more robust press box than normal. Cox had already heard the roar and support from a Hammons Field crowd, but Miller hadn’t. And, neither was looking forward to the TAG photo shoot.

Cox was gracious to hang out in the 4 p.m. sun, but Miller was late, prepping for his first Hammons Field start. He came to the field, in workout shirt, shorts and tall socks. Cox was in full uniform. The two were posed up just outside of the home bullpen, but in front of the rest of their teammates, who were jogging and stretching.

Baseball is a team sport, and the two were isolated, for a reason. The verbal harrassment for bonus babies is par for the course.

“Hug each other.” “Look at those guys.” They’re big time.” “Smile pretty.”

But everyone knows approximately where they stand within the organization, and draft status sets that standard.

“We’re just guys like everyone else,” Miller said. “We are just baseball players. Some of us earned different bonuses and contracts, but once we’re in, we all have the same goal. We’re trying to get to the big leagues.”

Barring a sudden change, Miller and Cox will get there. Quickly. Just like Colby Rasmus.

———–

Springfield Cardinals MLB Alumni

Pitchers (26): Mitchell Boggs, Brian Broderick (Washington Nationals, now back with Memphis), Carmen Cali, Troy Cate, Maikel Cleto, Dennis Dove, Cory Doyne (Baltimore), Anthony Ferrari (Montreal Expos), Jaime Garcia, Luke Gregerson, Blake Hawksworth, Josh Kinney, Chris Lambert (Detroit Tigers), Lance Lynn, Kyle McClellan, Clayton Mortenson (Oakland and Colorado), Jason Motte, Adam Ottavino, Mike Parisi, Josh Pearce, Luis Perdomo (San Diego), Chris Perez (Indians), Rich Rundles (Cleveland), Fernando Salas, Eduardo Sanchez, Jess Todd, P.J. Walters and Mark Worrell

Batters (26): Rick Ankiel, Bryan Anderson, Andrew Brown, Robinson Cancel (Chicago Cubs), Matt Carpenter, Allen Craig, Tony Cruz, Daniel Descalso, Juan Diaz (Boston Red Sox), Terry Evans (LA Angels), Tyler Greene, Mark Hamilton, Steven Hill, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Jon Jay, Pete Kozma, Joe Mather, Mike McCoy (Toronto Blue Jays), Matt Pagnozzi, Shane Robinson, Colby Rasmus, Brendan Ryan, Nick Stavinoha, Brett Wallace (Houston Astros), Rico Washington, Pete Zoccolillo (Milwaukee Brewers)[/tab]

Parkview's Spencer Johnson mashes. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com

Admit it. Pressure is handed out by the truckloads in sports. Athletes are supposed to do (insert feat). They’re supposed to do (insert expectation). If they don’t (insert criteria), they’re a failure. If they do (insert task), well, they were supposed to. It’s a brutal cycle.

As athletes get younger, and the Internet continues to provide platforms for media outlets, there is more athletic scrutiny than ever. That’s why in a few months, Parkview High School’s Spencer Johnson could be one of the hottest baseball prospects in the country, and open to a public perception frenzy.

Back up for a second. Have you even heard of Johnson? Probably not. If he was a basketball player, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound righthanded junior with a rocket launcher for a bat would be a household name. As popular as baseball is in the Ozarks, high school baseball is clearly in the third slot, behind basketball and football. But not even playing on an average high school baseball team will be able to keep Johnson’s potential superstar status a secret.

Yes, it’s time to ready yourself.

Consider the following. As a sophomore, Johnson nearly slugged his way to a state record. In 80 at-bats, he hit .563, slugged 14 home runs, drove in 46 runs and still found time to walk 20 times. In sabermetrics terms, his batting average/on-base/slugging line was.563/.657/.1.188. That’s an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.845. An MLB career in the 1.000s carries hall of fame status. His sophomore season was like playing the video game, controlling both teams and serving yourself fastballs down the middle.

The single-season record for home runs in a Missouri high school season is 18, a mark shared by former big league third baseman Joe Crede and Dora’s Eli Sledge. Right now, Johnson’s mark ties him with Blake DeWitt, a current Chicago Cub. Only six players in Missouri high school history have hit more home runs than Johnson did — as a sophomore. And thus far, Johnson already has 8 home runs, giving him 25 for his career and just 20 behind Hickman High School slugger Jack Whitesides‘ career record. Johnson is still crushing the ball, probably more impressively despite what he and coaches are calling, a new game plan for attacking him. Translated: Teams are pitching around him, and definitely away from him.

“Man, it’s real tough now. I’m actually hitting a lot of balls to the right side because of the way they’re pitching me. Last year, I was almost always a pull hitter,” Johnson said. When asked if that was by design, Johnson admitted, “Not really.”

See, that’s the truly great part about Johnson. He hasn’t been oversaturated with praise and hype. Coaches admit he’s coachable. Scouts say he is a pure, yet refined hitter. The truth is, Johnson hasn’t even thought of a lot of the questions that are coming his way, as he enters the biggest summer of his 17-year-old life.

Q: Spencer, you’ve never really failed at baseball. What happens when you actually enter a slump?

A: I want to succeed. I’m open to listening; I want to listen. I’ll do whatever it takes, even though it hasn’t really happened, yet.

—-

Q: Spencer, how do you expect to handle more sophisticated pitching?

A: I really don’t know. I suppose I’ll just go up there and see what happens.

—-

Q: Have you thought about your future, and how good you can be? How far baseball can take you?

A: I know it’s a big summer, but honestly, I really haven’t thought about it. But I’m starting too.

But in a pure way, it’s refreshing how Johnson hasn’t really thought about any of these questions, or at least developed stock answers because he’s been asked them repeatedly. He has a scholarship offer from Missouri State, and many Division I schools are nosing around, including Missouri. But the sky’s the limit for Johnson, especially if he has a solid summer.

Once the high school baseball season is over, Johnson will be suiting up for the Midwest Nationals, one of the premier traveling high school-aged baseball programs in the country. The program has produced 29 MLB draft picks, including big league alums like Lucas Harrell, Brett Sinkbeil and Scott Elbert. The hitters use wood bats and the pitchers use high-80, if not 90s, fastballs and sophisticated off-speed pitches.

The future is right in front of Johnson.

“If he can consistently hit good pitching, his stock will go up,” said Randy Merryman, head coach of the Nationals. “Right now, people want to know if he can do more than crush 75 mph pitching.”

If Johnson can do that, the hype will escalate exponentially. It will mean he will likely get picked to play in the Area Codes Games, one of the premier MLB scouting events, regularly producing high pro draft picks. It will mean he’ll go to national hitting exhibitions and get in front of even more scouts.

And it might mean that he’ll have the chance to be the Ozarks’ first elite draft pick as a non-pitcher since, well, back in the 1970s, when Springfieldians like Bobby Dethrage, Kelly Snider and Keith Drumright were being selected.

Sure, he’ll need to become more versatile defensively. Johnson’s been mostly a first and third baseman throughout his life, but has been experimenting in left and right field. He knows to be an elite prospect, he’ll need to do more than just mash pitches and play first base. His bat stereotypes him as a corner infielder or outfielder. Now, he just needs to learn the parts.

But as Johnson sits in Parkview’s athletic training office during an indoor practice, he said he hasn’t thought about the future all that much. He’s trying to figure out how to help his high school team, but the wheels are turning and he knows what’s in front of him.

“I know it’s big, but all I can do is go out and play,” Johnson said.

And if he does it well, everyone will know his name.

Kyle Weems did it again, except he did it in a way he's never done before. (Photo: Alex Stocksdale/TAGsgf.com)

Say what you will about Missouri State’s comeback against Southern Illinois Friday, whether they have the heart of a champion or they got lucky. The bottom line is, they made plays — a lot of them. Actually, the way it all happened gets more ridiculous the more I think about it, and break it down.

So, let’s relive that wild 2 and a half minutes, retro diary style.

(Time left in game, score) — action

2:36, 56-47 SIU — Jermaine Mallett missed 3, rebounded by Mamadou Seck, who is fouled by Nafis Ricks. Things look grim. The Bears have no offensive flow. One reader tells me that he wants to take his $50 bottle of Johnny Walker Green Label and smash it over someone’s head. Not drink it to temporarily feel better, but injure someone. Yeah, I’d say it was grim.

2:33, 56-47 — Seck misses front end of 1-and-1, rebounded by Nathan Scheer. Hope is peeking around the corner, but it’s about to get smashed by a bottle of scotch.

2:23, 56-50 — Deeeeeep 3 from the left wing by Adam Leonard, assisted by Mallett. (About the same distance as his Missouri Valley Conference winning 3) Timeout, Missouri State. Hmmmmmm. Boy, the Bears need a turnover…

A reader said he wanted to smash this fine bottle of liquor because he was so mad about the Bears.

2:05, 56-50 — SIU’s Justin Bocot tries to feed Mamadou Seck inside, but launches it 5 feet over his head out of bounds. (Panic much?)

1:56, 56-53 — Kyle Weems hits an NBA 3 from the same spot as Leonard. In all reality, it’s a horrible shot, but it was pure. Assisted by Scheer.

1:30, 56-53 — SIU’s Mamadou Seck is called for a charge. Adam Leonard draws it. Heady play, the type that good clubs make and bad clubs commit.

1:11, 56-53 — With plenty of time on the clock, Weems flung a 3 from a foot behind the NBA 3 point line. It’s on line, but short. Rebounded by SIU’s Bocot. It was one of those, “Oh no, that’s a terrible shot” feelings, but you’re still waiting for it to go in. It didn’t. Sadness starts to set in again. Need to catch a break.

:54, 56-53 — Again, with time to get a stop, Nafis Ricks fouls Kendal Brown-Surles, the Damon Stoudamire lookalike. He misses the front end of the 1-and-1. Rebounded by Mallett. Really? Is SIU really going to unravel all the way? Are they turning into what Charlie Sheen is going to be/sound like in a month?

:46, 56-56 — Adam Leonard bangs another huge 3, this one from the top of the key with a dude in his face. He goes into a backpeddle, with his hand in the OK sign, middle, ring and pinky extended to taunt on how he just buried a(nother) clutch 3. Tie game. Ali Farokhmanesh things Leonard has guile and swagger.

:16, 56-56 — SIU looks like it’s holding for the last shot. Kendal Brown-Surles tries to shake Leonard off the dribble, but AL sticks with him. KBS forces up an awkward shot, which misses and is tipped out of bounds by SIU. Last shot for MSU. Can’t believe this is happening.

:01.4, 58-56 — With all of his teammates on the baseline, Weems takes Carlton Fay off the dribble. Fay forces Weems right and the Valley Player of the Year lofts up a floater that kisses off the glass and in. If Leonard had “The Shot” against Wichita State, then Weems just completed “The Kiss.” What I liked was that Weems didn’t chest thump, didn’t taunt, didn’t individually celebrate. He simply stopped Southern Illinois’ heart like Black Mamba did at the end of Kill Bill II with the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique. (He later flying chest bumped with his teammates, but it wasn’t a purely look at me moment.

But, here is what is so crazy about Weems’ game-winner. It’s not that he made it, because he’s hit clutch shots before. It’s how he did it.

Whenever Weems is in the flow of the offense, he is rarely breaking defenders down off the dribble. And even then, he is usually absorbing contact, or launching step-back jumpers. Think about it, how many times have you seen the Bears call Weems’ number on a clear out, get-the-hell-out-of-his/my-way-type? When I asked him how many times in his career he had that type of a 1-4 play drawn up for him, his answer was just what I suspected.

“I’ve just been working this year on attacking the basket,” Weems said. “That’s something that Coach Martin and the rest of the coaching staff helped me with in the offseason and each and every day in practice.”

(BUT HERE IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD.)

“And, I’ve never gotten to go flat. Maybe one or two times, maybe in high school or junior varsity. But, if I had the ball and we didn’t get that play against Creighton at home, I probably would have had an opportunity there, because everybody was telling me the ball was coming my way.”

That is truly history. Martin trusted Weems to do something that he’d never really done before, in a huge situation. That Bears fans, is special.

Sure, were most Bears fans gripping down the stretch, agonizing over being the first Valley No. 1 seed to lose in the quarterfinals. All the history, the firsts accomplished and the expectations, it all seemed like it was going to explode at the hands of Southern Illinois. But because of some iron will, a few breaks and a play design that has never happened before, the Bears survive another day.

Don’t forget to follow our Live Blog today. I will be courtside for the 1:30 p.m. tip against No. 5 seed Creighton.

Oh, and want to see the video? Here is KSPR’s feed.

Kids who don't play football for two years are supposed to be rusty. Not Glendale's Cameron Johnson

When you’re 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds, possess huge hands and have a vertical leap in the top 1 percentile of your peer group, you’re supposed to play football. It seems like destiny. But caught up playing basketball full time, Glendale High School junior Cameron Johnson left football behind in middle school.

And don’t Johnson wrong, he’s a future all-Ozark Conference first-team basketball player, averaging 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore. But he hasn’t just dipped his toe into football as a junior — he’s a full-fledged cannonball.

After talking to his father, who enjoyed football, but chose basketball in college, Johnson decided it was time to change the plans. His arrival to the Glendale football team has been season-saving. Johnson’s blend of size and speed is a matchup nightmare. He’s as fast, if not faster than players in the defensive backfield, yet generally towers over them. No wonder he has 34 receptions for 745 yards and 7 TDs, while knocking off the rust.

Tonight, Johnson and his Glendale teammates find themselves in a winner-takes-all district finale tonight against Parkview. Yes, that Parkview, the one that snapped the 58-game losing streak a few seasons ago. Now, they’re knocking on the door to the playoffs, and it’s Johnson and the Falcons standing in the way.

Johnson took some time with TAGsgf.com to discuss his football learning curve, his future in the sport and what it is that makes him so good.

More High School Football Spotlights

• Parkview’s Bryan Nelson
• Hillcrest’s Jeremy Coleman
• Kickapoo’s Brett Diers
• Glendale’s Adam Noble
• Catholic’s Scott Chesbro
• Central’s Fernando Minnis
• Parkview’s Darin Francis

Jeremy Coleman entered his senior season at Hillcrest High School and all eyes were on the other side of the field – including the defensive coaches. In the opener against Seneca High School, the Indians littered the field with six defensive backs, two corners near the line on junior Dorial Green-Beckham and three safeties, leaning his direction at the snap. It left Coleman alone against a single cornerback. Big mistake. Coleman nabbed five catches for 166 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown haul and an acrobatic third-down catch on the sideline. Two weeks later Coleman put two scores on the board, including a “go up and get it” catch on a fade route in overtime against Joplin. On the first play from scrimmage at Glendale, Coleman drew a corner with a safety over top. The extra defender didn’t matter. Hitch and go route, both defenders bit and Coleman burned for a 69-yard score. The next time he touched the ball was an electric 91-yard kickoff return. Scoreboard.

The numbers back up his status as a play maker. When he touches the ball, it’s rarely with small effect. Coleman averages more than 24 yards per catch (24.3) and has racked up 754 yards (107.7 per game) on 31 catches. The one-two punch of Coleman and Green-Beckham has combined for 1,997 yards. Coleman has noticed, but it’s safe to say he doesn’t mind the extra guys around Green-Beckham. “I’ve been working extremely hard and taking advantage of the double coverage on Dorial,” he said. “It leaves me (one on one) and I have the ability to get up and make some plays for the team.”

The Class 4 Hornets (4-4) host Marshfield (5-3) on Friday (Oct. 22). Last week, Hillcrest stomped district opponent West Plains, 45-0, after completing the almost strictly Class 5 schedule in conference play. Coleman talks about the tough early schedule, the bond of the Hornets receiving corp, how he gets in a zone on game day, and more in the interview below.

Hillcrest’s Jeremy Coleman

More High School Football Spotlights

• Kickapoo’s Brett Diers
• Glendale’s Adam Noble
• Catholic’s Scott Chesbro
• Central’s Fernando Minnis
• Parkview’s Darin Francis

Missouri State senior Antoine Wilkinson

Missouri State‘s Antoine Wilkinson might be soft spoken, but the senior linebacker is aggressive in the middle of that Bears defense. Wilkinson leads the team with 37 tackles and 3.0 sacks through the first five games of the year, and there are whispers of his NFL ability. A scout from the Tennessee Titans wouldn’t mention names, but said he was watching a linebacker and an offensive lineman during the season opener – though the scout didn’t get to see a snap.

TAGsgf.com Sports Editor Allen Vaughan caught up with Wilkinson after the Bears gave up 72 points in a loss (72-59) at Murray State last weekend. Wilkinson talked about how the team would respond, as well as his NFL potential.

Interview with Missouri State’s Antoine Wilkinson

Rogersville's Seth Conner makes a defensive play.

It was the 40th ball Seth Conner hit that established his new baseball profile.

The sun was setting at Rogersville High School’s baseball field and Conner’s spring tryout for Toronto Blue Jays scout Brandon Mozley was finishing just as colorfully. With a batting practice ball headed his way, Conner unloaded that finetuned, compact righthanded swing and crushed it. But it wasn’t a normal crush and not even a swing that elicits thousand-year baseball cliches.

He disintegrated the baseball — with a wood bat.

Not only did it clear the fence, it ended up in the softball field that backs up to the baseball field, some 500 feet from where he launched it.

“I just smiled, he hit it so far,” Conner’s father, Terry said. “It was the culmination of so many things for him. It was a perfect night.”

The kicker about Conner’s current situation isn’t that he hit 20 of those 40 BP balls for home runs, or the fact he helped his Rogersville team advance to state for the first time in school history last weekend. It’s the fact that people like Mozley, Missouri State baseball coach Keith Guttin or the other dozen Major League Baseball scouts aren’t just talking to him, they all want a piece of him.

How fast have things changed for Conner, the recent Rogersville graduate? Let’s just say it’s the new 20-plus pounds of muscle, the fact “a recent slump” depressed his batting average below .500 and heading into the state tournament, he had as many home runs (11) as he did singles (11) and doubles (11). It’s that his above-average defense is smoother than it was when he was optimized as a late-inning replacement 10 months ago by the Midwest Nationals. It’s also his underdog mentality, the fact he wears T-shirts of nutritional supplement brands, how his mother, Corinne, had to buy him a whole new wardrobe because his clothes didn’t fit any more and how more than one person has referred to him as “Tim Tebow-like” when referencing his personality.

Like his father said, everything came together at the same time. It’s almost too good to be true. Almost.

Before the after

Conner makes a great catch.

Conner was always a good baseball player, but even he admits he was never the best.

When he was young, he was the kid they stuck out in right field.

“To pick daisies,” he says.

In elementary school, he was the kid who was good, but never the best on his team. Up until this year at Rogersville, you could say the same thing. Sure, he was the Central Ozark Conference Small School Division Player of the Year, but if you put him in the COC Big School Division, would he have stood out? Instead, he was steady. Steady with the glove. A pretty good hitter. A nice kid. A hard worker.

Still, steady doesn’t get you Division I scholarships or MLB Draft buzz. Steady gets you these types of offensive numbers:

• Freshman: .305 batting average, 1 home run
• Sophomore: .365, 1 HR
• Junior: .444, 2 HR

And they were good enough to land him on the Midwest Nationals teams throughout the years. He played as the everyday shortstop on the 16-year-old team at age 16, but at 17 — last summer — he found his way onto the 18-and-under team. He had a marketable skill, but it wasn’t one to get him in the everyday lineup. It was his defense.

The lack of playing time didn’t bother Conner. He’d never been the guy, so he didn’t feel slighted. But naturally, he wanted more. He played his role as the late-inning defensive replacement, who got occasional starting nods. It made sense for a player who had signed to play at Jefferson College, a well-respected junior college in Hillsboro. But during a tournament last summer at Mizzou, Conner was scuffling. MSU’s Guttin was there. Naturally Mizzou was there, and seeing as how his father Terry was a Tiger alum, that was always Conner’s dream school. Handfuls of other D-I schools were also on hand. He started to press while playing third base, feeling like he was never going to get another base hit.

He called his family and had second thoughts about his baseball future.

“I called my dad and said, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this any more,’” Seth Conner said. “I was struggling at the plate and it made me question if I wanted to play baseball, for the first time in my life. (I told him) ‘I’m a decent player, a good high school player’ but I doubted myself. … Do I want to put the time in when I might not even be playing, or get a chance?”

But at the end of that Nationals season, he caught a break. Because of some players had other summer commitments, Conner found himself as the starting third baseman for the final Nationals series. After starting 0-for-8 at the plate, he finished the series 8-for-17. It gave him some hope and a new inspiration.

The next big-picture conversation with his family sounded totally different.

“We had always told Seth that baseball is a grind,” said Corinne Conner, Seth’s mother. “If every few days are a grind, that’s OK, but if every day is not enjoyable, then you need to re-evaluate what you want to do. Then he told us that not everyone gets to do this and how he gets to play on these great teams and these great fields. It was a privilege to do this. That’s when everything changed.”

Seth Conner had made up his mind: “I wanted to be a Division-I baseball player and I was going to do whatever it took to get there.”

The transformation

Conner was a solid three-sport athlete at Rogersville. Already steeped in basketball tradition, Conner was a part of Rogersville’s football resurgence, too. But he decided if he was going to be that D-I baseball player, something was going to have to change.

After Nationals season, he weighed 183 pounds, and while he was slick defensively, he wasn’t projected to play shortstop at the next level, like he does at Rogersville. He was headed for third base and corner infielders need to hit for more power than four career high school home runs. After consulting Midwest Nationals coach Randy Merryman, Conner was going to have to improve everything: Swing, strength, flexibility, nutrition and more. He was Bruce Banner. He needed to channel the Incredible Hulk.

While he enjoyed playing football and basketball, baseball was the ultimate goal. He became a one-sport athlete to give himself more time. There are fewer high school athletes that spent their time better.

For the swing, it was four to five days a week in the cage with Merryman, working on the swing path that would generate more power. For strength it was working out four times a week at St. John’s HealthTracks, where Strength and Conditioning Specialist Brandon Ezzell helped him discover there is more than just the ordinary bench press, military press, etc. To enhance his speed and cardiovascular capacity, he worked with Missouri State women’s track and field coach Ron Boyce on his running style twice a week. He sought the nutrition advice of a family friend who was a personal trainer. He cut out the soda and the sugary stuff, inserting water, chicken and raw vegetables, instead. Even Gatorade was too toxic for mass consumption, he discovered. He stopped short of doing yoga to improve his mind, body and soul, although he thought about it. He was that committed.

Once Nationals season ended in August, all of the work instantly took to his body like he was touched with some type of hard-work magic wand. By October, he had put on more than 20 pounds. At his heaviest, he bulked up to 206 pounds, 23 pounds heavier than at the end of Nationals season.

The transformation was under way. Conner no longer felt like he was a good player or a defensive replacement. He was feeling like a Division I specimen. Now he had to make it work with baseball.

“I learned how to produce and recycle energy,” Conner said. “I couldn’t stop there. I had to get better.”

Baseball

Seth Conner

Merryman saw how much Conner was changing. That’s why he pushed his new protege.

“You put in the work, no go do it.” Merryman told Conner.

After about the 200th hitting lesson between the two, Merryman said he saw it all coming together.

“He was becoming a man,” Merryman said. “He was getting man strength and maintaining speed. After 200 lessons with me, the swing finally clicked.”

Using some of his contacts, Merryman got Conner into the World Wood Bat Championship Tournament, an MLB-caliber amateur event in Jupiter, Fla., the Spring Training campus of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins. Armed with this new baseball arsenal, Conner was still nervous. It was the first set of live at-bats since Nationals season. He went 3-for-10, showing off his new bat speed to the droves of MLB scouts on golf carts.

Conner was modest. Merryman was forceful.

“He dominated,” Merryman said.

However it was perceived, it was the official launch of all Seth Conner buzz. Then came the showcases. Owasso, Okla. Balls and Strikes in Springfield. Mizzou. People were starting to figure out that all of a sudden, Seth Conner was a four, maybe even five-tool player, who already had the slick glove and good arm, but now had power that allowed the domino effect of batting to take place — Outs became base hits, singles became doubles and warning-track shots left the yard, etc.

During the Mizzou showcase, Terry Conner said he heard someone talking about his son that remembered him from the Nationals tournament, months earlier.

Didn’t we see this kid earlier?

Yes, but you haven’t seen this kid.

When high school season rolled around, Conner had gone from a somewhat normal guy to local baseball superhero. He turned Bruce Banner into the Incredible Hulk. He put fear in opposing high school coaches. While he and his teammates finished fourth at state, it was still the farthest a Rogersville baseball team had advanced. And after a handful of kids had helped Rogersville’s resurgence — including former Missouri State and current Kansas City Royals farmhand Buddy Baumann — Conner would be the one forever identified as state qualifier.

Now when put with his career high school stats, you can see what all the senior season fuss is about.

• Freshman: .305 batting average, 1 home run
• Sophomore: .365, 1 HR
• Junior: .444, 2 HR
• Senior: .473, 11 HR, 40 RBIs

Patience and aggression

Conner will go pro if taken in the right spot.

Conner came on so late in the college recruiting game, and since position players rarely get lucrative college scholarships, few schools had money to entice him with scholarship offers right before his senior season. That’s part of the reason he signed with Missouri State. But by the time he signed with Guttin, the buzz was hot that MLB draft talk was surpassing college.

That’s another way that Conner is different than most local MLB draft picks. Not since the Chicago White Sox drafted Lucas Harrell in the fourth round of the 2004 draft has a hyper-local high schooler forsaken college to head to the pro game. Conner could be the next.

Yes, he has a spot on MSU’s team, but Conner wants to take his shot professionally. Some families give the political answer, talking about how they’ll mull the decision of the draft and weigh the opportunities between starting a pro career and heading to college. Not the Conners. Terry, Corinne and Seth confirmed if he’s drafted between rounds 10 and 20 and the money is close to the number recommended by Major League Baseball, he’ll go pro. For a high school kid that has some upside and would be willing to take the money, that number could be between $150,000-200,000, according to Baseball America.

Why take the chance? Conner doesn’t see it as a chance at all. He said he felt if he gets into a system in the right situation, he’ll have a chance to progress normally, instead as a college player who might not get an extended look.

“It’s all about development (in the minor leagues),” Conner said. “It’s all about becoming a better baseball player and that’s what I want to do.”

It’s also not that Conner isn’t a smart kid and is trying to avoid a college education. He says he wants one, even if it comes after he “retires.” That could mean he never made it, or it could be when he’s 40 after a lucrative pro career. He said he aims to negotiate the price of college education into his deal, if the cards fall right.

With his retooled physique and skill set, it brings up a comparison. Current Kansas City Royals farmhand and Double-A Northwest Arkansas Natural Mike Moustakas was a 5-foot-11, 195-pound high school senior shorstop. Now, he’s a 6-foot, 230-pound uber-prospect hitting near .400 over two months at Double-A at age 21. Of course, he was the No. 2 pick overall and Conner is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 17 prospect in Missouri, but as much muscle and bulk as Conner has put on his frame, there is room for more.

Merryman thinks he’s a can’t miss prospect.

“I don’t think he’ll end up on campus,” Merryman said. “He’ll probably get drafted in the mid teens and they’ll pay him over slot. … He’s a no risk. He’s the Tim Tebow with the unbelievable work ethic. He’s easy as a draft pick. You’re never going to have to work about him. He shakes hands firm and all of that goes a long way with scouts.”

Not bad for a defensive replacement, right?

Words from a scouts

From Toronto Blue Jays scout Brandon Mozley:

He has power in the bat and showed power to the opposite field. He has above average arm strength. Defensively I see him as a third baseman, but he has arm strength to move around the diamond a little.

Republic's Tyler King

As Tyler King sat in the Republic High School athletic director’s office, just hours before a trigonometry test, he shook his head a good half-dozen times in a span of five seconds. Wearing a Navy blue American Eagle polo shirt with his hair groomed perfectly, King has always had the uncanny ability to ooze confidence without coming across as the cocky jock. In street clothes, he doesn’t look like someone who could embarrass you with a baseball.

But he is.

See, for the last few years — especially this entire school year — something has been hovering above him, seemingly attached to his shoulders. Once he stopped shaking his head, he opened his mouth and with one answer, calmly beamed a sun ray through the odd, hazy cloud hanging above him.

• No, he’s not going to be the next Scott Elbert.
• No, he doesn’t know if he’s going to grow taller.
• No, he he won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t get drafted.
• No, he won’t be disappointed if he has to go to college.
• No, he’s not disappointed in any of his young baseball career.

The fact he has to even answer the last is absurd, but that’s the perception that King has endured. The left-handed pitcher who might have been the best in the Ozarks — not just this season, but for the past few — set the bar so unrealistically high, he has had to fight against a reputation he had no chance of attaining.

“I knew that wasn’t going to happen,” King said in response to the comparisons to Scott Elbert, a Seneca grad who was a first-round MLB draft pick in 2004. “I don’t really worry about it. I just go out and play my game. Getting drafted would be great, but I have [a scholarship to go to the University of] Nebraska. I try not to put too much thought into it, really. It’s something I can’t control.”

But just because he doesn’t put much thought into it doesn’t mean the perception that he’s been a disappointment of sorts doesn’t exist. At the end of last week, TAGsgf.com received a tweet from a Twitter follower saying they’d heard King was overrated, yet had never seen him play. And just like he would react when he would come into a game as a youth player out of the bullpen, or setting the saves record for the Midwest Nationals, the top-flight youth-development team in the Ozarks, he has treated the perception like just another tough spot to get out of. It’s just another cloud he has to navigate with sunshine.

A whole different Area Code

Tyler King set the Midwest Nationals saves record in 2008 with 7.

On the way to the Midwest Nationals tryout following his sophomore year, King’s father, Marty, reassured his then 5-foot-10, 175-pound son. The duo had always set their sights high, but he wasn’t sure which team he make. In the father’s mind, it was worth the shot, even though there was a likely chance he wouldn’t be good enough and would play with the kids his age.

“He’s always been playing up (in age), so that was what he needed to do,” Marty King said. “I wasn’t sure he would make it, but he needed to try. I wanted him to have something to shoot for in the future.”

Not only did King make the Ozarks’ top elite summer team, he was assigned to the Nationals’ Senior Level squad as an April-birthday 16-year-old. Many of his new peers were 18. He wasn’t grizzled enough to make the starting rotation, but he carved out a niche as the team’s closer with a baseball-pleasing formula:

Guts + lefthanded = Potential.

By the end of the season, King owned the Nationals saves record with 7 and developed a reputation for a young kid who had the guile to navigate the big moment and the tools to execute the pitches. It validated the hunch his father had for him and looked like the same kid who used to do those same things to grade-school batters. Impressed with his combination of mound presence, natural tools and young age, Nationals founder and coach Randy Merryman decided King was ready for an tryout for the Area Codes Games, an MLB-sponsored national all-star event that propels kids onto nationwide radars.

Just like that Nationals tryout, King made the Chicago White Sox team, which represents an assortment of Midwestern states. Just getting his name on the roster ignited his national reputation like a lighter fluid-doused charcoal pit and when he didn’t embarrass himself out there, he instantly latched on the forefront of scouts’ brains, pens and fingertips.

A 2008 scouting report read:

Tyler King is a 2010 LHP with a 5’10”, 175 lb. frame from Republic, MO. … (Fastball is 86 mph) … Athletic frame, lean, room for continued development. 3/4 release on mound, well balanced delivery, high leg kick, very good changing speeds, good extension out front, pitchability, dirty (changeup) with good arm action, also 2-8 (o’clock) big breaking (curveball), lots of defensive swings against, shows good feel for (curveball) and (changeup), athletic fielding position.

Seneca alum Scott Elbert

But more importantly, scouts and the media instantly had a regional comparison for King — Scott Elbert. Why? A Seneca grad, Elbert was the only previous local high school baseball player that made the Area Codes as a sophomore and junior. Many thought his 6-1, 215-pound frame was attainable, and, of course, both were lefthanded pitchers. Elbert ended up being the 17th selection in the 2004 MLB draft’s first round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Once King came along, the comparisons stuck to him, no matter how unfair, and the context was set in stone.

At the time, King’s fastball was clocked in the low 80s and he possessed a makings of a dangerous curveball and changeup. But he didn’t have the 90s heater that Elbert developed, nor did he have Elbert’s slightly larger frame. But what King did have was potential. There was time to get bigger, get better and throw harder. It’s that potential that both helped and hurt him.

“He had a lot to live up to, that’s for sure,” Midwest Nationals coach Randy Merryman said.

Spitting image, sort of

If you’ve met Marty King, you’ll remember him for the rest of your life.

He’s big. He’s loud. He’s charismatic. He speaks his mind. During games, he never sits down and he’s rarely close to the stands. He seemingly has conversations with everyone, and has a joke for all of them. Likeable doesn’t seem like a generous enough term for TK’s dad.

Like many sports-loving fathers, Marty wanted a lefthanded-pitching son. While most of those fathers are halfway joking, and willing to take a chance with nature, Marty was 100 percent serious. By 16 months old, Tyler King was taking grounders with a glove on his right hand. To this day, Tyler does everything with his right hand — eat, write, bat — except pitch.

“It’s just natural. I do everything else right, but I pitch lefthanded,” Tyler King said. “I fool around every once in a while, but there’s no way I could pitch righthanded.”

King pitched at the Mariner's Cup, a prestigious national showcase, in Seattle this past summer.

It turned out Tyler had an aptitude for pitching. He was the star on every team he was on, and normally he was so good he played up in age. When he was 10, teams with 12-year-olds wanted him. When the King family moved from Pleasant Hill to Republic at the beginning of sixth grade he plugged right in, and Marty was right there with them. A coach of his son’s teams, Marty was instrumental in pushing Tyler, not giving him empty pats on the back, but providing him praise when it was deserved and criticism that showed him the value of serious competition.

“The biggest problem with a lot of kids is they get a false sense of security,” Marty King said. “They need to play against the best competition possible. I’ve always told him, if he works at it 100 percent, I will do everything in my power to help him achieve what he wants. And he’s always done that.”

While Tyler acquired most of Marty’s charismatic personality and adapted it to high school life, the one thing that Marty hasn’t given his son is his size. Marty looks like a 6-foot-6 linebacker. Tyler looks like a stocky defensive back. If you saw him on the street, you wouldn’t know he was a lefthanded pitcher with a wicked assortment of breaking pitches.

Tyler swears his lack of size, and most of all, lack of respect from MLB scouts hasn’t discouraged him. After all, Johan Santana is 6-foot, 210-pounds. Billy Wagner is 5-10, 200 pounds. Both are multiple-time all-star lefthanded pitchers, but for every one of them there are a dozen guys who just weren’t big enough.

“The thing about being small, a lot of pro scouts aren’t thrilled about you. They like tall and lanky. I’m neither of those,” Tyler King joked. “I think the reasoning is, being bigger, they suppose you’re more durable. Will he wear down? It’s all about projectability. They see a guy and feel like they can add velocity to him. For me, they assume I can’t do those things.”

Big Red

Tyler King poses for a picture with New York Yankee and former Nebraska pitcher Joba Chamberlain.

Fresh off his new found infamy and helium-inflated expectations, King dominated as a high school junior. In high school ball, he improved on his sophomore numbers of 92 strikeouts in 67 innings by pitching 64 2/3 innings with 109 Ks. He still maintained his sub 1.30 ERA, but his fastball crept to the mid 80s and his breaking pitches became slightly more refined. To local hitters, he was still Sandy Koufax. His real progress would be shown again with the Midwest Nationals.

King graduated to the Nationals starting rotation and looked the part. He won 8 games and allowed only 4.1 hits per game. But his fastball was still only in the mid 80s, and he was still just shy of six feet tall. The results were there, but the flashy stuff — the radar gun readings, his frame — was underwhelming. The scope of recruiting was still impressive for anyone from the Ozarks, but it wasn’t the nationwide, superstar celebrity status that many expected.

Instead of improving leaps and bounds, the scouting report looked very similar to the previous year’s:

Tyler King is a 2010 LHP with a 6’0”, 185 lb. frame from Republic HS. … Medium athletic build, some strength. Nice repeatable delivery, uses lower half well, high 3/4′s release. FB was 82-84 mph with arm side run in the Metrodome. Curveball and change up are both good pitches, hard spin on (curveball) with downer break, change fades well with good arm speed at release. Shows pitchability, mixes up pitches, locations, needs to fine tune fastball command. We have seen him at higher velocity. Excellent student.

In the end, Tyler received scholarship offers from Missouri, Missouri State and Nebraska. Born and raised a Mizzou fan, and being a first-hand witness to what Missouri State and pitching coach Paul Evans has been able to do with hurlers, many figured he would stay within the Show-Me State borders. But, he said he felt compelled to attend Nebraska.

“I just felt like they would do the best to prepare me for professional baseball,” Tyler King said. “When Joba Chamberlain showed up, he was throwing mid 80s. When he was done, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. That’s where I want to be.”

He claims that leaving the state wasn’t a reflection of any pressure he faced here locally, instead a result of how impressed he was with Nebraska football games, Chamberlain and facilities.

Staying away

Even though he is suited up in Chicago White Sox gear, it's likely King won't get drafted next month.

While his results on the mound couldn’t be questioned, many scouts felt they had Tyler King pegged. They knew exactly what he was and it wasn’t what they’d hoped. He didn’t grow up to be as tall as his father. He hadn’t yet regularly increased the velocity into the 90s. In other words, not only did Major League Baseball teams  — especially the 15 that have maintained contact with him since the Area Codes experience — think he wasn’t worth a top-round draft pick, they weren’t for sure that he was worth the money to try to talk him out of his Nebraska scholarship.

That’s a recipe for MLB draft disaster. The money for an MLB draft pick is detemined by a sliding scale called slot money. Each year, MLB releases an expected dollar amount that a team should recommend as a signing bonus. Generally, for players who are taken later than the 15th round, the money isn’t worth turning down whatever their college scholarships pay. In King’s case, Nebraska is worth significantly more than what something below rounds 15 and beyond could pay him. Local fans have seen it happen with local pitchers like Tyler Clark (Catholic, Mizzou) and J.C. Casey (Missouri State). Both had, at least, Round 20 or 30 talent, but each were taken in the late 40s. They both attended school.

When this past season came around, soreness in his arm forced him to miss a few starts. When he did make his debut on April 9 in a Red and Blue Classic game at Glendale, a Toronto Blue Jays scout clocked him at 91 mph. It was the hardest he’d thrown in his life. He struck out 13 batters over 6 innings while beating Blue Springs. But just a few starts later he was back to pitching in the low 80s. He got hit around a few times. Scouts stopped coming to his games. The word was out.

That Area Codes lefty from a few seasons ago hasn’t grown and isn’t throwing any harder.

During a loss at home to Nixa on May 4, he lasted only four innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits. The only scout in attendance was Merryman, his Nationals coach who also does scouting for the Texas Rangers. It was the final sign that King’s status as an elite pitching prospect was over. As shrewd a kid as they come, King already saw the writing on the wall. Merryman summed up the situation.

“He’s just kind of plateaued,” said Merryman, who also coached Elbert with the Nationals. “He has to come to the realization that he didn’t become that 90s-plus (mph) guy. Now he’s got to really learn how to pitch. On the bright side, there are a lot of lefthanded pitchers that throw 86-88 just like he does that are in the big leagues.

“He’ll be a very good college player and will probably be a pro baseball player,” Merryman said. “But, for right now, he’s going to go to college. It’s not what everyone thought was going to happen a few years ago.”

Most scouts agree King won’t get drafted. Baseball America writer Jim Callis, who reports on draft prospects for most of the Midwest is hearing the same information.

“He might not even get drafted,” Callis said.

Faith

King at a Perfect Game showcase tryout.

Alan Mahaffey believes in Tyler King.

A former Kickapoo southpaw who had Division I aspirations, Mahaffey left the Chiefs as a self-described 6-2 dumpy kid who threw 78-79 mph. But, when he left Three Rivers Community College, he was an in-shape 6-2 and was throwing 88-89 mph. Mahaffey ended up at Arkansas, becoming one of the team’s best pitchers. He was a 16th round draft pick in the 1995 draft and spent six years in the Minnesota Twins system, advancing to Triple-A. He was even a Rule V pick by the Chicago Cubs in 1998, meaning he wasn’t protected by the Twins’ 40-man roster and the Cubs thought he could make the big league club. Just like the Twins camps he attended, he never made it to the big leagues.

And while he never had King’s marketability, as a local pitching instructor, Mahaffey’s been a handy resource for the kid who has battled against lofty expectations. He has helped him understand mechanics, mound presence and strategy. He also understands that lefthanders sometimes develop later in baseball years than righties. He’s been realistic yet supportive of Tyler at times when others were frustrated, or just didn’t understand. He’s been a voice of reason.

“He’s definitely got a chance to be a good college pitcher and he can be a pro prospect,” Mahaffey said. “He’s a lefty that throws three pitches for strikes. Once he’s around baseball 24/7, his stuff will continue to get better. He can still put on muscle and he can continue to fine tune his mechanics and his repeatability.”

When Tyler has a pitching problem he consults Mahaffey. He helps refine his leg kick and helps keep his windup closed. He correctly positions his shoulders. All of it makes the fastball zip, the curveball bite and the changeup deceive. He knows how badly King wants to win, and to not only prove people wrong, but prove him right.

“He’s a down-to-earth kid,” Mahaffey said. “He’s a bulldog. I don’t think it’s fazed him. I think he just wants to be as good as he can be.”

Finale

TK's trademark three-quarter delivery.

Through his senior season, King admitted the combined weight of the upcoming MLB draft, the public’s perception of him and his high school baseball team and his own expectations were like a cape of paperweights. After the Nixa start, he went back to Mahaffey to once again fine-tune his mechanics.

He came back for a regular-season tuneup game against Mount Vernon and dominated for four shutout innings, striking out seven. It set up a showdown with rival Willard in a first round district game in Carthage. What happened was the epitome of King’s career and Republic’s senior season.

He carved up Willard’s lineup, going the distance while striking out 11 batters. But the Tiger offense was quiet and the lone ball that left the Republic infield ended up being an error, costing Tyler and the Tigers a 1-0 loss. That sick feeling of defeat hurt, there’s no doubt. He knew what people would say. They’d talk about how that Area Codes kid couldn’t make it out of the first round of districts.

If he’s so good, how could that happen?

He’s been down that road before. But he swears he has never felt better than when he took the mound that day. Remember that velocity during his first start? It was back. While there was no radar gun to validate it, he felt like it was the hardest he has ever thrown, maybe even breaking 91 mph. His breaking stuff broke harder. For the first time all season he felt dominant. With the loss in the rearview mirror, he could see the big picture, something many others have had a hard time making out.

“I was extremely happy for myself. With my mechanics as off as they were, I began to worry about how the summer was going to go. How Nebraska was going to go. But once I got it straightened out (with Mahaffey), I’d never felt that good before,” Tyler said. “Now I know I can deal with all of it and go out there and be effective.”

Tyler begins Midwest Nationals season this weekend at the College of the Ozarks. While some will see it as a last hurrah for MLB scouts to get the clearest picture of him, King’s not concerned. He’s got Nebraska. He’s got that last high school start. Does he have millions of dollars, which were hastily forecasted a few years ago? No, but he’s got his confidence back and he knows what he is — a kid that has a chance to be a big league pitcher, just like he would write about when he was an elementary student. He’ll just have to go to college to do it. He could still be an all-star like Johan Santana or Billy Wagner. He could be Scott Elbert and be stuck in Triple-A six years after he was a first-round pick. He could be Alan Mahaffey and be the late bloomer who never quite makes the big leagues.

But most importantly, he will be Tyler King. He still has the guts, and he’s not a disappointment. Instead, he’s been able to grasp perspective that few 18-year-old baseball players can. It’s rare for a kid who was a multiple-time all-state player with a career record of 22-8 with a 1.64 ERA over 186 innings, striking out 278 batters (1.5 Ks per inning) to have anything but an inflated ego. But with his success and the unrealistic expectations it brought, he’s still a kid who was wooed by MLB scouts and Division I players and will one day have a chance to improve on his MLB draft status. He understands expectations and came out the other side with his pride and his dignity.

He’s exactly where he needs to be.

Tyler King has one home start left in his illustrious high school baseball career. He’s hoping it goes better than the last one.

The Republic High School senior and lefthanded pitcher, who has signed with the University of Nebraska, got roughed up by a very good Nixa team last week, surrendering six runs and eight hits in just four innings.

Tyler King

While he has scuffled in his last two starts, King is still the best HS pitcher in the Ozarks.

Hovering close to 6-feet tall, King is a lefthanded pitcher with a four-pitch arsenal, featuring a fastball, changeup, slider and curveball. His velocity is generally in the mid-80s.

He’ll pitch on Tuesday, busy day for King and his fellow Republic seniors. Not only is it senior night for Republic, but the seniors graduate at Hammons Student Center later that night. Aside from the good competition, it should be an emotionally charged night all around.

We’ve been following King all season and here is a snapshot of his season thus far. We will check in on him weekly, all the way up until districts, which start Saturday in Carthage. Fifth-seeded Republic will face fourth-seeded Willard at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

• April 9 against Blue Springs: 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 13 Ks (Win)
• April 13 against Ozark: 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks (Win)
• April 19 against Bolivar: IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K (Save)
• April 20 against Carthage: 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 7 Ks (Win)
• April 27 against Neosho: 6 IP, 9H 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (Loss)
• May 4 against Nixa: 4 IP, 6R, 8H, BB, HBP, 4Ks (Loss)
• Season: 3-2, 3.53 ERA, 28 IP, 23 H, 6 BB, 42 Ks, 1.07 WHIP

King’s next start: Tuesday at home against Class 3-ranked Cassville.

In case you have never heard of Republic High School senior Tyler King, get ready to be impressed.

The lefthanded pitcher has established himself as the best pitcher in the Ozarks, with a pedigree that has earned him a scholarship to the University of Nebraska — if Major League Baseball teams don’t grab him first.

Tyler King

When he was a sophomore, King was selected to represent the Chicago White Sox in the Area Codes Games, a national all-star game that has produced dozens of MLB players. He has parlayed that into the Big 12 scholarship and probably a phone call during the MLB draft. Now, it’s just a matter of whether or not he will take the money, or become a Husker. King said he has already had contact with more than a dozen scouts, and it seems there are always a few that pop up during his pitching performances.

Hovering close to 6-feet tall, King is a lefthanded pitcher with a four-pitch arsenal, featuring a fastball, changeup, slider and curveball. His velocity is in the mid-80s, and as King told me the other day, his arm feels healthy after experiencing some soreness in early April.

We’ve been following King all season and here is a snapshot of his season thus far. We will check in on him weekly, all the way up until districts.

• April 9 against Blue Springs: 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 13 Ks (Win)
• April 13 against Ozark: 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks  (Win)
• April 19 against Bolivar: IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K (Save)
• April 20 against Carthage: 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 7 Ks  (Win)
• April 27 against Neosho: 6 IP, 9H 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (Loss)
• Season: 3-1, 1.88 ERA, 24 IP, 15 H, 5 BB, 38 Ks, 0.83 WHIP

King’s next start: Tuesday against Nixa.

Eduardo Sanchez

Eduardo Sanchez may be relatively new to the closer role in Springfield–he took over the job during last season–but he’s pitching in the ninth this season like it’s old hat. Though the season has only just begun, he’s pitched two scoreless innings and already notched up his first save of 2010. For Sanchez, closing a game is old hat–he says he’s been doing it at every level he has played, and it’s a job he absolutely relishes. There is much more to learn about the Venezuelan-born right-hander, including his daily workout routine and where he expects to be at season’s end. (Hint: It’s not in Springfield.) He was a little more comfortable telling us all about it in his native Spanish, so we let him do so and went back in and translated it all for you. It’s time to play Get To Know Your Closer; with a little luck, you’ll be seeing a lot more of him this season:

This future Missouri State Lady Bear is now Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

Now that it’s officially over, take some extra time to examine the stats below.

Miller High School senior and future Missouri State Lady Bear Hannah Wilkerson’s dramatic and historic run at the high school scoring record books ended this weekend with the Cardinals’ third-place finish in Class 2 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Needing 100 points to set a new single-season scoring record, Wilkerson finished with a remarkable 83.

To recap, Wilkerson not only leapfrogged former Morrisville and Marshfield player Melissa Grider to become the state’s record holder for most points in a career, she scored 512 more than Grider, finishing with 3,724 points. Not only is it the girls’ record, she has scored more points than any boy or girl. Wellsville-Middletown’s Fred Johnson holds the boys’ record with 3,552 points, scored between 1983-86.

Capped with a trip to the final four, Wilkerson has enjoyed one of the best careers in Missouri history. I’m just going to get out of the way and let you look at her 2009-10 season. If you missed my profile piece from earlier in the season, here is the link.

Congratulations go out to Hannah and her Miller teammates.

So far this season (through Sunday, March 21):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Billings, 38 points
• Ash Grove, 38 points
• Verona, 54 points
• Purdy, 47 points
• Liberal, 35 points
• Morrisville, 32 points
• Lockwood, 32 points
• College Heights, 27 points
• Greenfield, 35 points
• Billings, 32 points
• Pierce City, 35 points
• Jasper, 35 points
• Sarcoxie, 31 points
• Sarcoxie, 35 points
• College Heights, 30 points
• Purdy, 43 points
• Sparta, 29 points
• Osceola, 43 points
• Harrisburg, 43 points
• Canton, 40 points

• Total: 1,215 points (36.8 per game through 33 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 3,724
2. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
3. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
4. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
5. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Games it took to catch Grider: 19

————————————–

Aside from the career scoring mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-90, 1,231
2. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2009-10, 1,215
3. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Hannah Wilkerson, 2009-10, 952
6. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Sierra Michaelis, Mercer, 2009-10, 773
2. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
3. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
4. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
5. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
6. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 1,215

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This future Missouri State Lady Bear is now Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

Hannah Wilkerson and her Miller High School teammates may have well just taken away all of their detractors’ ammunition.

No longer can you say Wilkerson, the Miller senior and future Missouri State Lady Bear, is simply a scorer who can’t win basketball games. After knocking off defending Class 2 champ Sparta 58-54 in the sectional and perennial Class 2 power Osceola 87-76 in the quarterfinal, the Cardinals (27-4) have advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in school history. Miller will face Harrisburg (29-0) at 8:20 p.m. Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

And in the meantime, Wilkerson continued her normal scoreboard assault. Over the past two weeks, the state’s all-time leading career scorer put up 180 points in five games (36.0 per game), including 43 against Purdy in the district championship game and 43 against Osceola in the final four clincher.

At 3,641, she is 420 points in front of former record holder Melissa Grider, who scored 3,211 for Marshfield and Morrisville between 1989 and 1991. Still, Grider has one more record over Wilkerson, one that might never come down. With 1,132 points so far this season, Wilkerson now has only the second 1,000-plus point season in state history, yet still trails Grider’s 1,231 set in the 1989-90 season. Yes, your math is correct — Wilkerson needs 100 points in two games to break the mark.

Will she break Grider’s total? It’s unlikely, but I’ll just leave you with this: If Miller can’t get past Harrisburg and plays for third place on Friday, you don’t think her teammates will try to get her every shot possible? Could she score 60? 70? Who knows what’s possible, but it would make for great theater.

And it cements Wilkerson’s legacy as one of the state’s all-time greats — and as a winner.

So far this season (through Sunday, March 14):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Billings, 38 points
• Ash Grove, 38 points
• Verona, 54 points
• Purdy, 47 points
• Liberal, 35 points
• Morrisville, 32 points
• Lockwood, 32 points
• College Heights, 27 points
• Greenfield, 35 points
• Billings, 32 points
• Pierce City, 35 points
• Jasper, 35 points
• Sarcoxie, 31 points
• Sarcoxie, 35 points
• College Heights, 30 points
• Purdy, 43 points
• Sparta, 29 points
• Osceola, 43 points

• Total: 1,132 points (36.5 per game through 31 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 3,641
2. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
3. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
4. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
5. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Games it took to catch Grider: 19

————————————–

Aside from the career scoring mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-90, 1,231
2. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2009-10, 1,132
3. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Hannah Wilkerson, 2009-10, 952
6. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 1,132

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

Branson native Tate Unruh is a redshirt guard at the University of Northern Colorado.

Remember Tate Unruh, the former Branson Pirate that won hearts over during the last two Blue and Gold Tournaments, as well as help take the Pirates one game away fro the Class 5 final four? Well, he’s a redshirt freshman at Northern Colorado and has agreed to share a few of his thoughts thoughts with us throughout the season and let us know what it’s like in Greeley, Col. And what it’s like to be a Division I basketball player.

Home Game Routine, with a little extra

Hey folks, I know most of you are all hyped up on the end of the basketball season, so I figured I would let you know how that part of the year goes out here in Colorado. I’ll walk you through a typical home game routine and then add some in about how everyone is feeling going into post-season play.

The majority of our home games this season were on school days, but the routine differs a little bit for the Saturday/Sunday games we had throughout the year. Typically we will go through the regular school day, class, lunch, study hall, etc. It’s followed by a shootaround in mid-afternoon, which is usually some shooting drills to work up a sweat, which moves into some dummy offense to refresh, and go over some of our opponents’ sets and plays. A typical shootaround won’t last longer than one hour. Straight from there we all go to a pre-game meal; some of the norms for grub are Texas Roadhouse, Carino’s and a local pasta place. After the pregame most of the guys will get back to campus and get off their feet for a while before the game. This is where my routine differs from the rest of the team. After the meal, it’s time for me and my roomie (who is also redshirting) to get a workout in. We will head to the gym around 4ish (for a 7:00pm game) and do some shooting drills, work on some breakdown moves, or play one-on-one, whatever the workout calls for that day.

The rest of the guys will arrive around 5:00 or 5:30pm to get some treatment and get their pre-game workout in, which is very light; a glorified warm-up to be honest. Then its game time. The lights are on and everyone gets to have some fun; afterwards in the locker room it is usually pretty up-beat (only 1 home loss this year) so guys are laughing about who got dunked on and enjoying their post game meal.

As for the mood of the team/community, everyone is really excited! Northern Colorado has only been D-I for 3 years prior to this year and  at 24-6, we have tied the school record for wins in one season and the attendance has been higher than ever. Going into the Big Sky Conference tournament with a bye, everyone seems to be really positive and are definitely planning on getting a chance to dance with the big boys. Thanks for reading….

In Him

Tate

The smirk

The scream

If you’ve seen Trey Starks play basketball, you’ve seen the faces.

There’s the angry face, the one with the scowl. Sometimes it’s replaced by the shocked face, the one with his eyes wide open and his mouth starting to pry apart. On occasion, he flashes a puzzled face, one where his head and neck slightly tilt forward and his eyebrows raise.

But that’s not his entire arsenal. There’s also the sunshiny smile. The smirk. The ooh-I-didn’t-mean-to-do-that squint. The hearty, primal scream that seems to resonate from his core when he bears his teeth.

All of them have meaning. It’s not by his design, but they’re like a peek directly into 17-year-old Hillcrest High School senior’s basketball soul, competitive spirit and heart-on-his-sleeve personality all at the same time. But, with any type of flamboyance that comes without a microphone, the audience gets a chance to make their decision on him, judging him in their own minds.

And when word got out that he nearly flunked out of Glendale and was academically ineligible for the first 19 games of his senior season, it gave everyone reason to believe that the faces were simply the product of whatever negativity they wanted to believe. Were the stories true?

Is he really a “menace to society?”

How hasn’t Trey Starks had to report to juvie every weekend?

Trey Starks is out of control.

Completely misunderstood, Starks world was changing and his story was starting to leak out.

“Basketball is Trey’s bloodline,” said family friend Preston Ingram. “But, once he realized that basketball wasn’t everything, it was the best thing for him.”

It was time to develop a new face.

————————-

Born to a 16-year-old mother just outside of Baton Rouge, La. and a father that has been out of the picture for a long time, Starks moved to Springfield when he was in third grade. Paul Clark still remembers seeing him for the first time, especially their basketball encounter.

There was Clark — Stark’s uncle — in his early 30s and in his basketball prime. Starks, a kid who had never seen snow, was wearing shorts and boots in the cold. Clark had heard Starks liked to play basketball, so they went to the courts of Grant Beach Park to play one-on-one. Starks had the ball first.

Paul Clark, Trey Starks' uncle, seen here at Blu Styles Barber Shop on Commercial Street.

Clark never saw the crossover coming.

“All of a sudden, he crossed me over and left me behind. I ended up beating him to seven, but I’ll never forget that crossover,” said Clark, Hillcrest graduate and a barber at Blu Styles, which is located at 221 E. Commercial St. in Springfield. “He did it in cowboys boots!”

See, for Starks, basketball has never been a problem.  It’s been the one consistent thing in his life. It’s been the rest of life that’s been a whirlwind.

As a third-grader, he moved to Springfield to live with his grandparents, Dwight and Becky Pratt. LaToya Starks, Trey’s mother, was still maturing in her own right and the 8-year-old was a rebellious, overly-headstrong youngster in Louisiana. The Pratts thought it would be best to surround Trey with some strong male figures, so he moved with them to Springfield, enrolling at Weaver Elementary.

Pratt and a family friend knew Trey had a gift to play basketball, but after time there was only so much they could teach him, especially when he was playing up in age, battling fifth and sixth graders as a third and fourth grader. Eventually the family met former Parkview players Preston Ingram and Anthony Moore and they were responsible for his early basketball education. Pratt saw two more strong males to align Trey with.

“We focused on putting positive role models in his life,” Dwight Pratt said, noting Ingram is still a strong presence in his life. “We knew he needed that.”

Trey went to Pipkin Middle School, and then to Carver after the Pratts moved to the southside. But, in eighth grade, Trey’s mother moved to Springfield. She took custody of him and he attended Central. After finding some slight trouble, and fearful he might start running with the wrong crowd, the family rented a house in the Glendale district.

Things were fine for Trey until the end of his sophomore year. As Pratt put it, “Trey got full of Trey. He thought he was grown. That’s when the problems came up. I guess he thought, ‘I don’t have to do whatever anyone says and the rule don’t apply to me.’”

And, his new scenario enhanced the situation. His mother moved back to Louisiana, but the Pratts transferred to Lee’s Summit for a new job. If Trey thought he was grown, he was going to see what making grown decisions were. He was left in charge to find places to stay, squatting with friends and other family. If he was grown, he was going to have to prove it.

“We believe in tough love,” Dwight Pratt said. “That doesn’t mean that we don’t love and that we don’t forgive. We instilled in him what the streets would do you him if he wasn’t smart. We let him deal with it how he wanted.”

Trey didn’t handle it well. He blew off school work, thinking basketball was the only reason he needed Glendale. He was getting rides to school from friends, coaches and others, but it was sporadic. He was staying anywhere from two to three places a week, to two to three places a month. That type of inconsistency turned into a downward spiral that would eventually keep Starks away from the thing he loved most — basketball.

Eventually, he stopped worrying so much about homework, getting to school or doing the right thing. Others tried to help him, but he didn’t always accept, he wasn’t helping himself.

Evangel assistant coach Preston Ingram

And he continued to make the faces. That’s what people remembered. See, Starks lives inside of many moments, generally giving a signal to what he is thinking. And when he wasn’t showing up to class, or not turning in his homework, it was assumed he was a problem child, or someone who didn’t care. Maybe it was true, but, Ingram stresses, “Trey has never been in trouble with the law.”

But, after blowing off school near the end of his junior year, Trey found out he was going to be ruled academically ineligible for the beginning of his senior year.

All of a sudden, he felt helpless. Was he making the right choices? Had he been too headstrong and was it possible he was wrong?

“It was tough, you know,” Starks said. “I didn’t want to do much, but I knew I wanted to play basketball.”

And that was Starks’ biggest problem. He didn’t enjoy school. He only wanted to do one thing — ball. But, he couldn’t until he got his school work figured out. It led to a series of events that changed his life and showed him right from wrong.

“He called me, upset and crying. He told me it was time to make a change. We had to get his mind back focused,” said Ingram, who is currently an assistant coach at Evangel. “We knew he had it in him, but we needed to see him take control of it.”

——————

Starks shoots a free throw during Saturday's Class 5 District 12 championship game.

There Starks was, with no home, no basketball and no grades. There were questions whether he would even graduate on time. After shutting himself down from people like Ingram and Clark, both of whom helped him with basketball and life, Starks reached out.

Clark, who has a wife and four kids, told Starks he could live with him, on four conditions.

“All I want you to do is go to school, do your homework and play basketball,” Clark said he told Starks. “That’s the only way you’re going to further your education. If you do the schoolwork, basketball is going to get you your future.

“And, you’re going to have to transfer to Hillcrest.”

The light bulb didn’t go off immediately, but it started to warm up. Starks had never put his future in those terms before. It’s hard to think years into the future, when you’re not sure — or don’t care — what’s going to happen to you tomorrow.

The Hillcrest move wasn’t as hard as some expected. That troublesome reputation was growing at Glendale and he didn’t do enough to change it. He would have been the only senior on the team. Teachers didn’t take him seriously. He didn’t take it seriously. It was time to get a new start, whether basketball was involved or not.

“The change of scenery has been good for Trey that he needed a change to get re-focused on school and basketball and his life off the court,” Glendale coach Sean Williamson said.

After resigning himself to a life of school and no organized basketball, Ingram and Clark tried to find ways to regain Starks’ eligibility. Normally transfer students are required to sit out a year, per state rules — something put in place to keep top talent from sizing up the surrounding schools and forming all-star teams. However, appeal processes are in place, if students can prove a “hardship” or special situation was necessary. The eligibility board at MSHSAA ruled Starks could play as a senior if he passed his first semester classes and finished credit recovery for his slip-ups at Glendale.

Trey Starks dribbling the basketball during last week's district championship game.

It wasn’t easy. But, with Clark and Ingram watching over him outside of school and Hillcrest coach John Schaefer and the Hornet coaching staff staying on him inside the school’s walls, Starks got it done. He said it was many long nights — midnight and after — of picking up the pieces and investing in math, science and social studies, rather than basketball.

Schaefer tells the story of how the credit recovery process turned into a way that Starks could quantify his basketball future.

“With credit recovery, they give you all of your assignments on the first day and, that’s it,” said Schaefer, who is in his third year at Hillcrest. “He had this big stack of stuff and it gave him a finish line. If he would have had to go to class and have work assigned to him every day, would it have worked? Maybe, but this way, he understood.”

With all of that school work, mixed in with preseason training, as well as weeks of basketball practice as an ineligible player, there was little time for Starks to stray from the path. Mix that with an insatiable work ethic for all things basketball, Starks was soaring.

He was getting up and working out with Clark at 6 a.m. before class. Running. Jumpers. Dumbbells. Cord workouts. Bear claws. Lunges. He would work out again after practice, mixing it with his studies.

Even trying to reach to him in a way that would stroke the basketball-heavy part of his persona, Ingram and Clark warned him about his potential legacy.

“I didn’t want him to be just another guy that can play basketball and didn’t do anything with it,” Clark said.

It worked, in more ways than one. All involved learned shortly after the first semester ended that not only did Starks pass his classes at Hillcrest, he finished the credit recovery. He would be eligible to play.

“We knew something great was about to happen,” Clark said.

———————————————

How's this for a promotional item?

Without Starks, Hillcrest was a good team. The Hornets were entered in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions and featured future college football phenom Dorial Green and Springfield Tip-Off Club MVP Taylor Sade. But, something was missing. Hillcrest was on a slide when Starks showed up, flashing a 12-7 record.

Since Starks showed up to the lineup, the Hornets haven’t lost. And it hasn’t really been close. There is no coincidence. Starks is a unique blend of a running back body on the court, thick and mobile, but he can also shoot from the outside and handle point guard duties, if need be. He buys in on the defensive end too, helped by his tree-trunk physique.

Some questioned whether he’d be able to enter the lineup without waves. Schaefer said, not only has he been a good teammate, but the kids understand how he can — and has — made their team better.

But what about the faces? The preconceived notions? The rumors and assumptions?

“If he wasn’t so good, would there have been a problem? Possibly,” Schaefer said. “But he’s a great player and they know that he can help them get places they couldn’t get on their own. And, he’s been with us since Day 1 this season, so they know he’s in it for the right reasons.

“Is he crazy? Yeah, we all are, but he loves basketball.”

Teammate Taylor Sade played with Starks at a young age, playing on that team with Moore and Ingram in elementary school.

“I knew what it was like to play with him, but others had to get used to it,” Sade said. “Once they realized he wanted to win, they understood.”

Hillcrest (22-7) is 10-0 with Starks in the lineup as the Hornets take on Holt in Saturday’s Class 5 quarterfinal at Southwest Baptist University. The closest margin of victory has been seven points, duplicated in Wednesday’s sectional win over No. 2 ranked Nixa.

His impact can be quantified, with his 22.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game and his 41.5 percent 3-point shooting  (17-of-41). But, the intangibles might be more important. A rubber-sole tough presence on defense has led to the proliferation of Starks’ new reputation — the 6-foot guy with the dreadlocks who dunks.

Starks gained notoriety with this dunk in that win over Joplin, gaining more than 5,000 views on YouTube since it was posted on Feb. 11. In the next game against Lebanon, he and Green combined for 10 dunks, five apiece. And most of it is created off of his defense.

“I’ve always told him, ‘Dunks aren’t easy. You have to go get yours,’” Clark said. “I think he’s finally listening.”

Hillcrest celebrates a district title.

It’s that kind of athleticism that had Division I schools interested in his talents. Ingram, who coaches with the Mo-Kan AAU organization, said schools like Kansas State, Missouri and Wichita State were interested, until Starks’ grades became an issue. After the past few games, Ingram said Kansas State has inquired, but with no ACT and a sketchy academic background, it looks like junior college is going to be the next step.

Is Trey Starks a hero? No. Is he a 17-year-old, who has realized that life isn’t just about basketball, but it’s about school and relationships? Absolutely. In the least, he’s been given the road map.

While Ingram, Clark and Schaefer are quick to defend Stark for his heart-on-the-sleeve mentality, they also know he hasn’t made the best choices. Ingram said he blames Starks for 50 percent of his mistakes. Clark said Starks has made his fair share of problems for himself. Schaefer said it’s just a matter of maturity.

As for those faces, right now, they look good. He dunks. He scores. He wins. Young children in the Hillcrest community come up to him and wish him well before games. He and his family maintain that the faces are a part of Trey’s personality, but are never meant to be taken negatively.

Do they ruffle referees, opposing fans and opposing players? There’s no doubt, but they are rarely meant to offend. They’re a way for him to express himself on the court.

He’s starting to understand that, just as he’s starting to understand that there was more to life than basketball and more to life than making a decision for himself.

“I think he always knew right from wrong, but it was always easier for him to go down the wrong path,” Ingram said. “Now, I hope he understands that he can control where he goes from here.”

And that’s a new face.

Allen Vaughan is a national award-winning reporter and writer who lives in Springfield. After leaving the Springfield News-Leader in September of 2009, he has taken his affinity for sports in the Ozarks and tried to raise the bar in terms of innovative journalism. Want to get in touch with Allen? E-mail him at Allen@TAGsgf.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

(Here is a highlight package from KSPR 33′s Mike Scott)

This future Missouri State Lady Bear is now Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

We’re getting close to the end, yet there is more history ahead.

Miller High School senior and future Lady Bear Hannah Wilkerson finished the regular season only the way she knows how, by scoring more than 30 points in each game, putting herself in reach of the state’s second-highest single-season point total.

At 952 points, Wilkerson is 24 points from breaking last year’s number, which came after winning a district title. You’d think she has at least three games left, including a crash course with top-seeded Purdy in the district title game. She is only 43 points from claiming the No. 2 spot, currently held by Southern Boone County’s Joyce Arnsmeyer, a number that has stood since the 1965-66 season.

In here career, Wilkerson is up to 3,461, 250 points above the former state record. Now the question is, how many more games is she going to get? That’s the fun part.

Last week was also been a big week for Wilkerson, seeing as how she was mentioned on ESPNRise.com, in Sports Illustrated, and KSPR 33 reported she was on ESPNNEWS on Thursday. If anyone has that footage, please let me know.

So far this season (through Sunday, Feb. 28):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Billings, 38 points
• Ash Grove, 38 points
• Verona, 54 points
• Purdy, 47 points
• Liberal, 35 points
• Morrisville, 32 points
• Lockwood, 32 points
• College Heights, 27 points
• Greenfield, 35 points
• Billings, 32 points
• Pierce City, 35 points
• Jasper, 35 points
• Sarcoxie, 31 points

• Total: 952 points (36.6 per game through 26 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 3,461
2. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
3. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
4. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
5. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Games it took to catch Grider: 19

————————————–

Aside from the career scoring mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-90, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Hannah Wilkerson, 2009-10, 952
6. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 952

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This future Missouri State Lady Bear is now Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

Hannah Wilkerson is still scoring points in bunches. Go figure.

The Miller High School senior and future Lady Bear Hannah Wilkerson continues to distance herself from Melissa Grider, the former Morrisville and Marshfield player, Wilkerson continues to put points on the board in superstar fashion.

Wilkerson is up to 3,395 with two games before her district action begins. Sure, her scoring average has dropped from 38.2 to 36.8, but that’s still a metric ton of points and 174 more than any other player in Missouri high school basketball history.

Now the question is, how many more games is she going to get? That’s the fun part.

So far this season (through Sunday, Feb. 21):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Billings, 38 points
• Ash Grove, 38 points
• Verona, 54 points
• Purdy, 47 points
• Liberal, 35 points
• Morrisville, 32 points
• Lockwood, 32 points
• College Heights, 27 points
• Greenfield, 35 points
• Billings, 32 points
• Pierce City, 35 points

• Total: 886 points (36.9 per game through 24 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 3,395
2. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
3. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
4. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
5. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Games it took to catch Grider: 19

Games left in Miller’s regular season: 2

Projected career total – through regular season: 3,469

————————————–

Aside from the career scoring mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-90, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 886

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This future Missouri State Lady Bear is now Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

What do you do after your break the state’s most hallowed record? Try to put it out of reach.

After Miller High School senior and future Lady Bear Hannah Wilkerson broke the Missouri career scoring record two weeks ago, passing Melissa Grider, the former Morrisville and Marshfield player, Wilkerson continues to put points on the board.

Trying to leave Grider’s 3,211 points in the rear view mirror, Wilkerson is up to 3,360 with a week and a half before district begin. Sure, her scoring average has dropped from 38.2 to 37.0, but now we’re nitpicking. Don’t get it wrong, she is still dominating and is now focused on districts.

How high can she take the record? We’ll have to wait and see.

So far this season (through Monday, Feb. 1):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Billings, 38 points
• Ash Grove, 38 points
• Verona, 54 points
• Purdy, 47 points
• Liberal, 35 points
• Morrisville, 32 points
• Lockwood, 32 points
• College Heights, 27 points
• Greenfield, 35 points
• Billings, 32 points

• Total: 851 points (37.0 per game through 23 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 3,360
2. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
3. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
4. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
5. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Games it took to catch Grider: 19

Games left in Miller’s regular season: 3

Projected career total – through regular season: 3,471

————————————–

Aside from the career scoring mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-90, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 851

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

More than 2,000 people showed up for the Stephanie Phillips fundraiser basketball game at Kickapoo High School Tuesday night.

When Scot Phillips was texting friends and family about Tuesday’s fundraiser basketball game that raised more than $23,000 for his ill wife Stephanie and their family, he couldn’t help but throw in a hoops reference.

“There were a lot of people. And they got after it,” said Phillips, a Republic High School assistant football coach, referring to the intensity and quality of the faculty vs. alumni game Tuesday night.

Stephanie Phillips wouldn’t have had it any other way.

What started as an idea to help a friend fight cancer, flourished into an event that showed the drawing power of sports, as well as the generosity and kindness of the community. Whether it was the hundreds of Lady Chiefs T-shirts that were sold, the silent auction items that liquidated without problem or the strangers who have never met Stephanie, yet stopped by because they heard about the game on a Web site, over the radio or on television, thousands suited up for Stephanie Phillips’ team.

Kickapoo girls' basketball coach Stephanie Phillips was not in attendance during Tuesday's fundraiser. She was in Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic.

See, all Stephanie has ever done is win. She’s in her ninth years as the Kickapoo girls’ basketball coach and has a 201-37 record with two state championships (2003 and 2005), a compilation that made her a coaching icon throughout the state. Under her watch, the Lady Chiefs went from a good local program to a nationally-ranked monster, going 31-0 during the 2003 Class 5 title run.

But, just two weeks ago Phillips announced she was taking a leave of absence to focus on fighting stage 4 colon cancer, something that was thought to be neutralized, yet now has spread to her abdomen. The cancer isn’t new, though. She went public with the news in August of 2007, yet has kept coaching, teaching and fighting.

Not the schmoozing, politicking type, Stephanie is never one to truly let the public see all the way inside. Polite? Absolutely. Attention hungry? Never. If you didn’t know she had cancer, you wouldn’t know. But now, she’s facing something she can’t beat with Xs and Os, motivational speeches or subtle leadership strategies. She needs help, something that Leslie Hanchey realized once her coach, friend and now boss, told her the news.

“Coach Phillips means so much to so many people,” said Hanchey, who is currently a Kickapoo assistant coach and played on both of Phillips’ championship teams. “I’ve known her since I was 10 years old. She taught me and (Greta Wiersch) how to play basketball. … She deserves nothing but the best, because that’s what she gives the girls every single day”

That’s when Hanchey went into CEO mode. She brainstormed idea. She called former teammates. She directed traffic. And in the end, she helped kickstart an event that raised more than $23,000 to help the Phillips family swallow the medical bills that are going to pile up — or that have already piled up — during the fights.

And everyone played their part. Point guard Amanda Landolt touted a video camera to build a documentary. Forwards Casey Carroll and Makenzie Smith handled PA duties. Junior Jordan Graham ran various errands. Wiersch, a former assistant coach and player, handled the PR duties, as well as suiting up for the game. Dozens of businesses donated items for silent auctions.

Current Kickapoo assistant coach and former Kickapoo player Leslie Hanchey borrows the video camera to get some documentary footage.

As for the game, it was entertaining and actually competitive. Alum Beth Garrison hit a 3-pointer to start the game. Hannah Carter took a charge that would have made Phillips proud. Billy Buckley, the wrestling coach who goes about 5-foot-6, scored seven straight points by himself. Ultimately, the Kickapoo faculty team won 53-50 and the event drew well over 2,000 people — likely 3,000 if you counted the people who came to donate money and then left.

Families bought donated vacations, one which will send people to Belize. A student paid $700 to win an auction and a chance to throw a pie at Kickapoo principal Dave Schmitz. Players walked around with buckets which caught spare change, as well as dollar bills.

But to me, it was the crowd’s grace that made the event so spectacular, and ultimately showed respect for Stephanie. Through all of the silent auctions, the concessions and other items for sale, the crowd largely stayed in tact. Maybe they were watching the game, reveling in winning memories of Molly and Hannah Carter, Garrison and Hanchey. Maybe they were laughing at Buckley’s antics, chanting “Buckley is good!” or science teacher Eric Wilbur and his pink afro wig and tall, black socks. Maybe people were waiting for more surprises, like when they played a recorded prayer from former Kickapoo player and current Golden State Warrior Anthony Tolliver before the game started.

Hanchey attempts to take Kickapoo Cross Country coach Jeremy Goddard to the hoop.

Whatever the reason, the crowd stayed. The student section was full, still giving it their best, “Heeeeeeeyyyyyyy” after a questionable call by the volunteer referees, just like they would at a normal boys’ or girls’ game. The parents and adults still watched the game as if it had meaning, falling right into that bicycle of cheering for Lady Chiefs basketball. But the best sign of the night? There was no sign of a pity party, no hint of a solemn event that would signify the end of Stephanie’s fight.

Stephanie Phillips wouldn’t have that any other way, either.

It’s as if all of them has talked to Stephanie about her condition, one where she actually puts you at ease about her battle.

“What is so amazing is if you’re scared for her, just go talk to her about it,” said Landolt, a senior. “She has this way of making people understand and feeling better about it, so no one has to be scared to talk about it.”

The back.

The front of the StephsGonnaWin T-shirt.

One co-worker said Stephanie is incredibly tough.  Because the Springfield Public School district doesn’t have a sick-day pool, a system where teachers donate leftover sick days and can pull from during an emergency, Philips regularly shows up to work. No complaints. No favors. Just battling.

“She’s amazing. I always tell her if she needs something, or for me to cover for her, I’ll do it,” the co-worker said. “She always shakes me off and tells me that she can’t do that. She doesn’t shortchange anything or anyone. There’s no way she should be at school. She should be at home with her kids and getting better. But, she needs the money.”

As for those text messages Scot was sending, one of them was to Stephanie. Never one to ask for anything, she was in Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic, trying to develop a game plan for her next competition. While she can’t X and O the specifics, she’s still putting herself in a position to win. That’s what the fundraiser was about, trying to give the ultimate winner the chance to win.

“That woman is never going to give up. I told her from Day 1 that she’s like Superman,” Hanchey said. “She went to the doctors and told them what she wanted. And if they weren’t willing to do it, then she was going to find someone who will. She takes everything with such grace and is such appreciative of all the support.”

Stephanie Phillips wouldn’t have that any other way, either.

You can find out more about the Stephanie Phillips foundation at StephsGonnaWin.com. Also, click the player below to hear Anthony Tolliver’s prayer that was played before Tuesday’s charity game

Allen Vaughan is a national award-winning reporter and writer who lives in Springfield. After leaving the Springfield News-Leader in September of 2009, he has taken his affinity for sports in the Ozarks and tried to raise the bar in terms of innovative journalism. Want to get in touch with Allen? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This was Tate then...

And this is Tate now.

Remember Tate Unruh, the former Branson Pirate that won hearts over during the last two Blue and Gold Tournaments, as well as help take the Pirates one game away fro the Class 5 final four? Well, he’s a redshirt freshman at Northern Colorado and has agreed to share a few of his thoughts thoughts with us throughout the season and let us know what it’s like in Greeley, Col. And what it’s like to be a Division I basketball player.

Hey everybody! Hope you all are doing well, I’m still loving the way things are going out here in Colorado. It couldn’t be better! Today I was thinking of some different topics I could write about and one the topic that crossed my mind was the typical schedule for a D-1 redshirt when the team goes on the road. So here it is….

Most of our road trips are Thursday to Sunday, since we play our conference games during those days. Anyway, it will usually start out with the team leaving early Thursday morning for Portland or Ft. Worth or wherever they are going and they arrive that night. So, for me and my fellow redshirt, it’s a workout day. That consists of a lifting workout at 11 a.m. and a basketball workout with some conditioning mixed in later on in the day.

Friday (or the second day of the road trip) goes pretty much the same as the first, lifting and getting in the gym.

Saturday (the third day) is a little different. The basketball part is the same, but instead of going into the weight room and getting a heavy lift in, this day is just an agility/foot speed day. So, it’s just a lot of work on the foot ladder, doing some plyos, and different things like that. Then after that it’s the same story, get in the gym, shoot, handle, play some one-on-one (which will get heated every now and then) and things like that.

The team will get back mid-day Sunday, and this is usually a day for them to rest their bodies and get ready for a week of practice. That’s sort of what I do. I mean, I am getting ready for a week of practice, just not the same way they do. Sunday usually calls for a late night trip to the gym to get some shots up and mainly do some conditioning work to be in tip top shape for the next couple days.

One more thing that was on my mind, I got to come home for awhile during the holidays and was able to watch the Blue and Gold. So, of course, I have to throw a shout out in to my Branson boys, great tourney! I got to watch the finals with some old teamates (Mike Wiebe, Taylor Frederich, Alex Westcott) and it was a blast! OK I’m done. Thanks!

In Him

Tate

This future Missouri State Lady Bear has a chance to become Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

It’s going to take one of Hannah Wilkerson’s worst days to not become Missouri’s all-time leading scorer.

After speaking to Darren Wilkerson, Hannah’s father, the future Lady Bear poured in 35 points in the Cardinals’ 59-56 victory over Liberal, leaving her nine points from tying record-holder Melissa Grider, who played at both Morrisville and Marshfield.

So, we all look forward to Thursday game at — how ironic — Morrisville.  Word has it that Grider will be there. Overall, it should make for good theatre, and now we can dream about how high she’s going to take that record.

We’ve been following her progress all season long, so here is what the breakdown looks like:

So far this season (through Monday, Feb. 1):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Billings, 38 points
• Ash Grove, 38 points
• Verona, 54 points
• Purdy, 47 points
• Liberal, 35 points

• Total: 693 points (38.5 per game through 18 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
2. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 3,202
3. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
4. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
5. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Points behind Grider: 9

Games to catch Grider at current 38.7 ppg average: 0.23

Games left in Miller’s regular season: 8

This week’s schedule: Thursday at Morrisville.

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While she hunts down Grider’s mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-90, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 693

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

Miller senior Hannah Wilkerson is about to become Missouri's career scoring leader.

Ballhog.

That word was driving Hannah Wilkerson crazy. And why wouldn’t it? The negative connotations, the behind-the-back insults, the social stigma that was attached to her name, it was sickening.

Every whisper or chant from the crowd seemed to blare over the public address system. The laser-like stares beamed toward her family. It was like every shot — whether it went in or not, whether it was a jump shot or an insult — was cementing her basketball reputation.

Despite putting up numbers that had her primed for a run at Missouri’s career high school scoring record over her first two years of high school, including the single-season record for points by a freshman (749) Wilkerson decided she needed to change her game.

More passing. Have to get those teammates involved. They’re the key, not me. We can still win.

“I decided that scoring that much wasn’t helping us win,” said Wilkerson, a Miller High School senior and future Missouri State Lady Bear. “So my goal was to get eight assists a game. I wanted to get them involved. … That’s when I ended up scoring more than I did the last year.”

While her teammates became more involved, she kept scoring. And scoring. When she was done, she compiled the third-highest number of points scored in a single season — 975. Heading into today’s game at Liberal, the 5-foot-8 Wilkerson is just 45 points away from breaking the scoring record held by Morrisville and Marshfield player Melissa Grider, a number that has stood since 1991.

Could she break it tonight? There’s no doubt. She’s scored more than that in three of her last five games, including setting new school records with games of 50 and 54 in the past two weeks.

How about when she tweaked her game to score all of those points and get her teammates involved last season, Miller won its first girls’ high school basketball district title — ever?

Ballhog, you still say?

“I hate that word,” she replies.

Despite harboring an appetite for winning games, which was larger than the one for hearing her own name after each basket, she realized she was never going to truly be able to convince everyone of her true intentions. That’s when she channeled the energy.

“She’s not a mean girl, but the madder you make her, the more she’ll make you pay,” said Wilkerson’s mother, April.

—————————

As any daddy’s girl, Hannah idolized her father, Darren, a basketball junkie. Her priorities quickly solidified.

“Her first word was Dad, her second word was ball,” April Wilkerson said. “Third was mom.”

At just 18 months old, Hannah could dribble a basketball 40 times without a hiccup.

While she couldn’t really speak, her uncanny basketball skills put words in her mouth. By 18 months, she could dribble her favorite Pizza Hut basketball more than 40 consecutive times in the kitchen without a hiccup. No basketball shorts, just diapers.

By the time she was in first grade, people wanted her to play up two grades. That trend continued until fifth grade. And she could score at will, even back then despite the fact she was so much smaller than everyone else — sometimes as much as six inches and more than 20-30 pounds.

“She’s always had a knack for it,” Darren Wilkerson said.

The Wilkerson family traveled the country nearly every summer, whisking Hannah away for summer basketball: Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, etc.

She was a star, making double digit scoring games the norm. But as she started to build that traveling reputation, again, the whispers came out.

Ballhog.

Makenzie Smith, a Kickapoo senior and long-time teammate, said that it’s easy to think Wilkerson is a ballhog, because of how easy it she makes scoring look.

“I wouldn’t call her selfish,” Smith said. “Everybody takes bad shots, that’s going to happen, but if you were to weigh out everything she does on the court, she does a lot more good than bad.
“Hannah’s going to win. That’s her deal.”

That drive to compete started at the young age. It started to solidify, taking its form on the basketball court.

During one AAU Tournament in Tulsa when Wilkerson was in seventh grade, an opponent’s elbow knocked out four teeth and bent a few more back, early in a game. After a trip to the emergency room, her family brought her back so she could sit on the bench to finish the game. The coaches saw her and asked if she could play. After obliging, she tried to check in.

“Hannah, you can’t play,” her mother, April said.

“Mom, I have to score on her,” Hannah replied, referencing the girl who displaced her teeth.

What did she do? Wilkerson scored on the girl, driving past her and taking it to the basket. She promptly checked out of the game.

“I don’t know why that stuff gets me fired up, but that stuff happens,” Hannah said. “I need to win.”

————————

Once Wilkerson realized she could score in bunches, she knew she had an opportunity. This wasn’t just about basketball. This wasn’t just about impressing the hometown folk. This was about something more.

“Once I realized what I could do with (basketball) and where it could take me, I got more serious,” Hannah said. “It became more important to me. Not just playing, but I could do something with it if I stayed at it.”

Hannah Wilkerson takes a breather during last year's district championship game against Purdy.

That’s when she expanded her game. It wasn’t just shooting jumpers anymore. It was slashing. It was getting to the free throw line. It was rebound positioning, passing drills and defensive stances. It was understanding double teams, Box-and-1s, Triangle-and-2s and odd-looking Amoeba defenses that were disguises for 5-on-1 gameplans.

After having such success, she was certain she could score at the varsity level. So what happened when she played her first summer game with her future varsity teammates?

Zero points.

“I was shocked,” Hannah said. “It made me realize how much harder I had to work.”

The work paid off. By the end of her freshman season, Hannah scored a state-record 746 points, 60 more than Madison’s Lauren Dubbert did during the 2001-02 season.

As a sophomore, she increased that number to 785. She was hitting free throws, 3-pointers and layups, emerging on the public’s radar.

Who is this Wilkerson girl? Miller, isn’t that a tiny school? She must not play against any competition. Her team doesn’t win.

That is, until her junior season, when she changed things up.

Heading into the year, Miller coach Brandon Weiss talked to her about Kobe Bryant and how he had to learn to get his teammates more involved before he could win an NBA championship in the post-Shaquille O’Neal era.

Ballhog? Whatever.

“Her teammates are more involved on the offensive side of the ball and it’s not allowing other teams to go to the defenses we were seeing a lot the last few years,” Weiss said. “They are having to guard her teammates more. It’s getting her the ball in a better position to score.

“She is not a ballhog. She does the things we teach in practice. We teach all of our players to take advantage of the weaknesses of the other team.”

That’s how she scored 975 points as a junior and helped Miller win the school’s first girls’ basketball district title. Only a 75-69 loss to eventual state champion Sparta could derail Wilkerson. Even in a losing effort, she had 35 points.

As of tonight’s game at Liberal, she is sitting on 658 points for this season, just 44 behind former Morrisville and Marshfield guard Melissa Grider.

Hannah still can’t believe that she’s in this position.

“It’s going to mean a lot,” Hannah said, when asked to think about breaking the record. “I look at what I’ve done and I’ve worked hard for it. It will be a good moment and a relief for everyone. 3,200-something (points)? That’s crazy.”

As for that record, Grider, who lives in Springfield and is going back to college to become a teacher and a basketball coach, said she is proud that her record has stood for so long.

As a young girl, Hannah Wilkerson was a huge Lady Bears fan. Here, she's grinning after getting an autograph of former Lady Bears coach Cheryl Burnett.

“The way she loooks up the floor is amazing. She sees the floor well, takes the ball to the hole well. sees when she needs to pull it up. everyone has something different,” said Grider, who scored a state-record 1,231 points in the 1989-90 season. “It’s not a sad thing. It’s taken someone 19 years to break it. It’s exciting that someone is going to get the record.”

Then, there’s that word. Ballhog.

Grider understands that pain. It’s one that paved the way for her to move from Morrisville to Marshfield, leaving town more for her and her family’s sanity, than to be reunited with coach Gary Murphy, who won a state title with Grider at Morrisville before continuing the Marshfield dynasty.

She said she feels for Wilkerson, who she has not met.

“For me, the pressure of being the scoring leader, you don’t make very good friends,” said Grider, 37. “There were so many people that were so jealous. I was in the paper all the time. I got sick of all the hoopla and sick of people thinking I was a ballhog. I went to Marshfield and played with great players. Could I have scored more points? Yes, but it wasn’t worth it to me.”

So as Hannah drew closer to Grider’s record, she had her eyes set on something else that she valued more — Missouri State University.

———————————–

Hannah grew up watching the Lady Bears with her father, just like thousands of little girls across the Ozarks.

When the family wasn’t practicing defensive slides for fun in the living room, it was Lady Bears games on KY3.That turned into years of destination seating for games at Hammons Student Center, before last year’s debut of JQH Arena, as well as summers of Lady Bear camps, interviews from Cheryl Burnett and pictures with former players, like Kari Koch, who ironically she would pass on the Missouri scoring charts one day.

Kickapoo's Makenzie Smith (left) and Hannah Wilkerson (right) pose for a picture with former Lady Bear Kari Koch during a summer junior high camp.

There’s no doubt, Hannah wanted to be a Lady Bear. But, as the points started to pile up, there was little interest from Nyla Milleson’s regime.

Despite legendary AAU coach Allen Wilson’s opinion that she was a Division I player, Hannah prepared herself for Iowa State, who thought she was the next Heather Ezell, and thought of schools like Tennessee-Martin, which promised to build the program around her. She even envisioned herself in Southwest Baptist purple, just in case she wanted stay close to home.

But none of it worked. It’s hard to get excited about playing somewhere else when your dream is right outside your back yard.

“That’s where I always wanted to be,” Hannah said. “I went to all those camps. I always watched them and wanted to be like them. I wanted it so bad.”

But it wasn’t going to be that easy. There were concerns about her height, wondering if 5-8 was going to be big enough to play the guard spots. There were worries about her foot speed and if it was quick and fast enough to let her skill set shine through.

While she and her family were in contact with the Lady Bears coaching staff, she was guaranteed a phone call on Aug. 1, the first day college coaches could contact players. She just wasn’t for sure what type of phone call it was going to be: Make-up or break-up.

She still remembers the phone call, riding in the car with her mother in Florida during an AAU Tournament. Her cell phone showed a number she didn’t recognize. Like it was a call from a long, lost relative, she answered.

They offered. She said yes. Milleson said Wilkerson agreed so quickly, the coaching staff could barely form the sentence.

Ultiimately, Milleson said she and her staff decided Wilkerson was a D-I talent.

“There’s a lot to be said about wanting to be somewhere,” Milleson said. “We feel like we have enough talent here that she can come into a low pressure situation and ease her way into it. We think she’s going to be a great Lady Bear.”

As for the wrap that she can’t handle the step from Class 2 girls’ basketball to Division I, back off for a second.

While she’s played at Miller during the school year, she played on many high-level AAU teams over the summers, playing with the Magic, the same franchise that produced current Lady Bears Casey Garrison and Whitney Edie.

While her role changes during AAU ball, where she’s a player who is expected to play a consistent, complete game, she still finds ways to score more than 15 points per game, she said.

Still, her AAU teammates don’t think she’ll have a problem in Division I.

“A lot of people say, well, she plays against nobody all year long in school,” said Makenzie Smith, a Kickapoo senior who will play at Columbia College next season. “Yeah, that’s true and she’s probably not going to have 40 points per game at MSU, but she’s a coachable player and she will be better than a lot of people think.

“She’s a beast. She’s so strong. She’s a beast. I think that’s the best way to describe her.”

——————————–

Hannah has willed herself to the brink of history, to winning basketball and to a legacy she can be proud of.

As for that ballhog wrap, Hannah isn’t concerned any more.

While her family jokes if they had a dollar for every time they heard someone call her that dirty word, they’d be rich, they’re more apt to tell a story about how she wore out the carpet in her room from shooting baskets on her mini-WNBA hoop in her bedroom.

Maybe they’ll talk about how she begged her family to set up lights so her and her cousin Justin Jack could find a way to shoot baskets during the last big ice storm.

And while it may have taken some locals many years to realize Hannah wasn’t the ballhog they thought she was, most of them seem to get it.

“I’ve had people and players come up to me and tell me I’m much better than they thought I was,” Wilkerson said. “They’d say that I wasn’t a ballhog.”

The truth is, not only does she have the ability to score against inferior defenders and talents, it’s the best way for her Miller teams to win or to play at a high level. While she still considers scoring fun, it’s also part-chore. She knows if she doesn’t take advantage of the matchups, her team might not have a chance. But, she’s never felt like she needs to take every shot.

“It’s never been just about me,” Hannah said. “I have good players around me and they’re capable.”

How do you know she’s truly not a ballhog? When she puts up a big scoring number and her team loses, she said she feels embarrassed.

“I’ll come to school and the guys will ask how many points I had,” Hannah said. “I’ll say, ‘Well, I had 54, but we lost. They’ll say, ‘What’s wrong with that?’ I’m like, “We lost, it doesn’t matter if we lose.’ That makes it look like I can score, but we can’t win and I don’t like that. I like winning more.”

So, when she gets that point that clinches her spot atop Missouri High School girls’ basketball history, just remember that not only does she not believe you when you call her a ballhog, she’s planning on spreading that message to the younger generation.

Her post-college career plans? Elementary PE teacher in a small town.

“You could get a kid started with a basketball and he or she could love it,” Hannah said. “Teaching a kid how to use that drive, that’s what I want to do.”

That way, she wins. Through all the broken teeth, the name-calling, the behind-the-back whispering, she’s established a new reputation.

“I hate it when people say, ‘She scores because she’s from Miller. She good at Miller, but nowhere else’” Hannah said.

Instead, now she’s the girl from Miller who has persevered and deserves everything she gets.

Ballhog? Now, it’s a badge of honor.

Allen Vaughan is a national award-winning reporter and writer who lives in Springfield. After leaving the Springfield News-Leader in September of 2009, he has taken his affinity for sports in the Ozarks and tried to raise the bar in terms of innovative journalism. Want to get in touch with Allen? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This future Missouri State Lady Bear has a chance to become Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

Today could be the day that Hannah Wilkerson makes history.

All season long, we’ve been counting down the days until Miller High School senior and future Missouri State Lady Bear Hannah Wilkerson  broke Missouri’s career scoring mark.

Thanks to a 47-pound outburst in a loss to Purdy last Thursday, Wilkerson more than cut the margin between her and record-holder Melissa Grider in half, leaving the Miller senior just 44 points behind. Is scoring 45 a problem? It shouldn’t be, seeing as how she’s scored more than that in three of her last five games.

Keep it locked here to see if Wilkerson can break the record tonight, and possibly set the record to where few will have a chance to touch it in the future.

Here is what the season breakdown looks like:

So far this season (through Monday, Feb. 1):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Billings, 38 points
• Ash Grove, 38 points
• Verona, 54 points
• Purdy, 47 points

• Total: 658 points (38.7 per game through 17 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
2. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 3,167
3. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
4. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
5. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Points behind Grider: 44

Games to catch Grider at current 38.7 ppg average: 1.1

Games left in Miller’s regular season: 9

This week’s schedule: Today at Liberal; Thursday at Morrisville.

————————————–

While she hunts down Grider’s mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-90, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 658

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This future Missouri State Lady Bear has a chance to become Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

Hannah Wilkerson just accelerated the timetable.

All season long, we’ve been looking forward to February 9 as the potential date for the Miller High School senior and future Missouri State Lady Bear guard to break Missouri’s career scoring mark.

So, what did she do? She scored 130 points in three games during last week’s Marionville Tournament, including 54 in a championship-game loss to Verona. It raised her season average from 37.0 to 38.2 and moved her to within 100 points of breaking the scoring record held by Marshfield’s Melissa Grider. She needs only 92 more points to call the record her own, moving into sole possession of second place, passing former Lady Bear and Elsberry graduate Kari Koch.

Now, that date has been moved up to Thursday, Feb. 4 in a game at Morrisville. Oh, and that 54 she scored, broke the school scoring mark that she set the week before. Yes, that record is in serious jeopardy.

Maybe she’ll accelerate the timetable even more.

Here is what the season breakdown looks like:

So far this season (through Monday, Jan. 25):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Billings, 38 points
• Ash Grove, 38 points
• Verona, 54 points

• Total: 611 points (38.2 per game through 16 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
2. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 3,120
3. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
4. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
5. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Points behind Grider: 91

Games to catch Grider at current 38.2 ppg average: 2.4

Games left in Miller’s regular season: 10

Remaining schedule: Thursday, Purdy at Miller; Tuesday, Feb. 2 at Liberal; Thursday, Feb. 4 at Morrisville.

————————————–

While she hunts down Grider’s mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1998-2001, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 611

We are trying to piece together what other records she has either broken, or is closing in on, so be sure to check back for weekly updates.

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This future Missouri State Lady Bear has a chance to become Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

This record stuff is starting to look inevitable.

Miller senior Hannah Wilkerson continues her assault on Missouri’s high school career scoring record, this time pounding Diamond for 50 points last week. The outburst brought the 5-foot-9 Miller senior to within 221 points of breaking Missouri’s career high school scoring record, held by Marshfield’s Melissa Grider. Wilkerson also vaults to the No. 5 mark at 2,990 career points.

Yes, that’s 50. Fitty. Five Zero. Half a 100. And, it’s a school record.

That raises Wilkerson’s season scoring average to 37.0 per game, and at that rate, she only needs 6.0 games to catch Grider with approximately 13 games left in Miller’s regular season. Yes, she’s poised to smash the record, especially since the Cardinals are No. 13 in our RecSpecs 15 rankings. With the Cardinals in the Marionville Tournament this week, she could break that record next week.

Here is what the season breakdown looks like:

So far this season (through Monday, Jan. 18):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Diamond, 50 points
• Total: 481 points (37.0 per game through 13 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
2. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
3. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
4. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
5. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 2,990
6. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
7. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Points behind Grider: 221

Games to catch Grider at current 37.0 ppg average: 6.0

Games left in Miller’s regular season: 13

Potential sixth game on schedule: At Lockwood on Feb. 9

————————————–

While she hunts down Grider’s mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1998-2001, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 481

We are trying to piece together what other records she has either broken, or is closing in on, so be sure to check back for weekly updates.

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This future Missouri State Lady Bear has a chance to become Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

When is Hannah Wilkerson scoring 37 points a letdown? When it’s comes from a rematch where she scored 45 points.

OK, so we’re kidding, but after getting a game with Purdy canceled because of weather, Wilkerson scorched Ash Grove for 37 points in Monday’s victory over the Pirates. The outburst brought the 5-foot-9 Miller senior to within 271 points of breaking Missouri’s career high school scoring record, held by Marshfield’s Melissa Grider.

That raises Wilkerson’s season scoring average to 35.9 per game, and at that rate, she only needs 7.5 games to catch Grider with approximately 14 games left in Miller’s regular season. Yes, she’s poised to smash the record, especially since the Cardinals are No. 13 in our RecSpecs 15 rankings.

Here is what the season breakdown looks like:

So far this season (through Monday, Jan. 18):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Ash Grove, 37 points
• Total: 431 points (35.9 per game through 12 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
2. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
3. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
4. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
5. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
6. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
7. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 2,940
8. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Points behind Grider: 271

Games to catch Grider at current 35.9 ppg average: 7.5

Games left in Miller’s regular season: 14

Potential eight game on schedule: At Lockwood on Feb. 9

————————————–

While she hunts down Grider’s mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1998-2001, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 431

We are trying to piece together what other records she has either broken, or is closing in on, so be sure to check back for weekly updates.

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This future Missouri State Lady Bear has a chance to become Missouri's all-time leading scorer.

Coming into the season, many wondered if Miller High School’s girls’ basketball team was going to be able to win many games. Sure, Hannah Wilkerson was going to be able to average more than 30 points per game, but was the team going to be any good?

After winning the Walnut Grove Tournament — the premier small-school girls’ basketball tournament in the area — the answer is a resounding yes.

On the way to the title, the 5-foot-9 Wilkerson scored a season-high 45 points in the 74-44 championship game victory over Ash Grove on Dec. 30.

Weather permitting, Wilkerson and Co. are expected to tangle with Purdy Thursday and get a rematch with Ash Grove Monday. And, oh yeah, Wilkerson continues her pace to obliterate Missouri’s career scoring record. If you missed the initial installment, click here to get her back story.

But for now, all you need to know is she is well on her way to becoming the top scorer in Missouri history.

- There are a few scoring notes to digest. Miller coach Brandon Weiss updated her 2008-09 numbers, noticing he had forgotten Miller’s final game, so you’ll notice a 35 point bump in her scoring, giving her the third-highest single-season scoring mark in state history. Also, be sure to check out her ridiculous scoring average and just how long it will take her to break the state’s scoring mark.

So far this season (through Monday, Jan. 11):

• Fair Grove, 38 points
• Harrison (Ark.), 40 points
• Marshfield, 44 points
• Webb City, 34 points
• Golden City, 34 points
• Greenfield, 37 points
• Strafford, 28 points
• Clever, 35 points
• Walnut Grove, 30 points
• Fordland, 29 points
• Ash Grove, 45 points
• Total: 394 points (35.8 per game through 11 games)

The state’s top career scorers:

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1989-91, 3,211
2. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 1999-2002, 3,077
3. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2002-05, 3,038
4. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1963-66, 3,036
5. Lisa Ellis, Elsberry, 1981-84, 2,980
6. Renee Garrison, Climax Springs, 1998-2001, 2,944
7. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1987-90, 2,926
8. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2007-2010, 2,903
9. Michelle Holman, Dadeville, 1994-97, 2,820
10. Bethany Creed, Ash Grove, 1999-2002, 2,760
11. Casey Garrison, Bolivar, 2004-08, 2,744
12. Michele Harkrader, Rich Hill, 1985-88, 2,735
13. Jessica Keller, Belle, 2002-05, 2,735
14. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2002-05, 2,703

Points behind Grider: 308

Games to catch Grider at current 35.8 ppg average: 8.6

Games left in Miller’s regular season: 15

Ninth game on schedule: At Lockwood on Feb. 9

————————————–

While she hunts down Grider’s mark, she has already dented the record books in the following categories:

Most points in a season

1. Melissa Grider, Morrisville-Marshfield, 1998-2001, 1,231
2. Joyce Arnsmeyer, So. Boone County, 1965-66, 994
3. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2008-09, 975
4. Kari Koch, Elsberry, 2001-02, 956
5. Shyla Tucker, Fredericktown, 1988-89, 952

Most points scored by a freshman in a season

1. Hannah Wilkerson, Miller, 2006-07, 746
2. Lauren Dubbert, Madison, 2001-02, 686
3. Sonya Daugherty, Hancock, 2001-02, 642
4. Tasheena Mmoris, Blue Eye, 2001-02, 634
5. Kami Scrivner, Mt. Vernon, 1997-98, 616

Wilkerson’s scoring by year

• Freshman, 749 points (a state record)
• Sophomore, 785
• Junior, 975
• Senior, 394

We are trying to piece together what other records she has either broken, or is closing in on, so be sure to check back for weekly updates.

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

Want to know how Allen Vaughan can dunk on a 12-foot goal? Keep reading.