When questioned on the quality of girls basketball players in southern Illinois, Immaculate Heart of Mary coach Dave Power answered succinctly:
”Just because you don`t see them,” said Power, ”doesn`t mean they`re not there.”
Indeed, three of the first five first-team selections on the 1990 baiduhai Girls All-State Basketball Team play for Class A schools in southern Illinois. One is from Chicago, the other from a top suburban program.
At guard are E.C. Hill of Whitney Young and Bridgeport Red Hill`s Mandy Cunningham, who led the state in scoring two of the last three years.
The forwards are Courtney Porter of Hume-Shiloh and West Aurora`s Melinda Spearman, whose team finished second to Marshall in the Class AA state tournament.
At center is Vicki Klingler of Class A state champion Teutopolis.
”There are good players everywhere in the state,” said Power.
”Sometimes people think there`s a geographic lock. Not so. They (good players) can be found in a lot of different areas. And the difference between Class A and AA isn`t as great as people think.
”As far as the players are concerned, I don`t think we`ve overlooked any from Downstate. It`s just so hard when you don`t get to see some of these players.”
Luther North coach Frank Mattucci has seen the five Tribune first-team picks. And the man whose Class A powerhouse will probably be the one to beat in the Chicago area next year speaks highly of the players Chicago fans don`t get to see regularly.
”With Downstate players, the competition level and who they`re playing could inflate statistics,” said Mattucci. ”But not with these three. Vicki Klingler is a definite first-team all-stater anywhere, Porter is a great offensive threat and Cunningham can fill it up from anywhere on the floor.”
One college coach, who requested anonymity since none of the first-teamers will attend the coach`s school, spoke highly of the three players. The coach hadn`t seen Klingler or Cunningham.
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”Porter is one of the best No. 2 guards I`ve seen in Illinois in a long time and she can play anywhere on the floor,” said the coach. ”She`ll make an immediate impact in college (Illinois State). She`s one of my personal favorites.
”Spearman has been one-dimensional as a scorer because of her role with her team. But when she gets to college, wherever that may be, she`ll develop into a solid player.
”Hill will hurt you in every way. She`s a total player. Her real strength is her creativity. And she`s very quick.”
Which leaves Klingler and Cunningham, two players who can dominate any game, anywhere.
”Mandy is as good a No. 2 guard as you`ll find in the country,” said Teutopolis coach Dennis Koester, whose team won its third straight Class A title. ”When we first played her, she was a pure shooter. But she`s really developed her entire game. People don`t see that she plays 32 minutes on both ends of the floor because she led the state in scoring. She may be as good a defensive guard as there is around.
”Vicki was like having a coach on the floor. She knows what has to be done to win a basketball game. She sacrificed her average somewhat (18 points a game) because she was a team player. If in college (Illinois) they play her in the No. 3 spot, where she can get out and use her jumping ability and speed, they`ll have a good basketball player. If they stick her inside, they`ll screw up a basketball player.”
Koester likes Porter and Hill, too.
”I`ve seen Porter more and she`s probably the most creative player in southern Illinois,” said Koester. ”She`s like E.C. Hill. She could go one-on-one with Hill and Hill would have trouble with her. It would be nice to see them play one-on-one. It`d be a tossup.”
Again, a Chicago vs. southern Illinois comparison. Is there something to this?
”We`ve got some pretty good ballplayers and teams here,” said Koester.
It`s time the rest of the state realized it.