CHRIS STALLINGS INTERVIEW
Today I catch up with the 2020 Kentucky Girls High School Coach of the Year Chris Stallings and the magical run his Bullitt East Lady Chargers girls basketball team went on in the 2019-20 season.
Our interview covers the players, the moments, the past, the future and Chris's health. It is a chat you definitely don't want to miss.
My thanks to my ol' buddy Chris for his insight and willingness to do this. He (and I) look forward to the day when the student-athletes can gather together as a group again and practice and play. I know you, the reader, look forward to these days as well.
We hope you enjoy the interview. Click the link below to hear it.
INTO THE PORTAL ONCE MORE
We got news yesterday that a second UofL women's basketball player has entered the transfer portal.
Seygan Robins, a sophomore guard from Mercer County High School (Harrodsburg, KY) is testing the waters to see if she can find a place where she can get more playing time. The 5'10" guard played in 26 games as a freshman for the Cards in the 2018-19 season, averaging 1.6 points and 0.8 assists. In the 2019-20 season, she appeared in two contests before a foot injury necessitated a redshirt for her.
Robins was the Kentucky Girls Basketball Player of the Year with Mercer County in the 2018 season. she finished her high school career with over 2500 points, 800 assists and 500 steals.
Jeff Walz says of Seygan:
"She wanted the opportunity to play more. Same thing as Lindsey Duvall. She'll still have a scholarship here if she doesn't find the fit."
We will miss her style and smile and wish her the things she seeks as she moves on to the next stage of her collegiate student-athlete journey.
NEW VERBAL
Sydni Schetnan, a 6'5" post from Sioux Falls, SD is the latest 2021 verbal commit to the University of Louisville women's basketball and volleyball squads. The duo sports star attended Washington High School in Sioux Falls. It seems the Cards have had their eye on her for quite some time. Beginning with Volleyball. Sydni Schetnan has long been a target for the Louisville volleyball program, having played for Cardinal associate head coach Dan Meske, formerly of Augustana University, when she was 13.
This summer, however, the Washington High standout also began drawing interest for her basketball prowess, having caught the attention of multiple college coaches (including the Cardinals) during an AAU tournament. Not only did that event springboard her basketball recruitment, it also ignited her interest in the sport.
"I started to really like basketball a lot (over the summer)," Schetnan said. "By the end of this basketball season, it was super hard to choose if I wanted to do one or the other."
At Louisville, she'll be able to do both.
paulie
Great interview with Stallings Paulie! Love those stories of success and triumph. Sad for Seygan going but, wow, Sydni sounds super!
ReplyDeleteCurtis "Keep on, keeping on" Franklin
I am now a Chris Stallings fan. What a humble guy. A great story of overcoming hardships and illness.
ReplyDeleteThe portal gives and the portal takes away. Let's face it. Players want to play. Let's hope Seygan and Lindsey find playing time. Let's face it, they weren't going to see a lot of time this year, in all probability.
Welcome to the Ville Sydni!
Nick O
I would love to see Coach Samantha Williams at EKU offer scholarships to both Lindsey and Seygan. I have no doubt there will be a multiplicity of schools inquiring about their services and interest in their schools.
ReplyDeleteI am excited about Sydni! She looks to be the real deal. It is very hard for a student-athlete to be able to compete in two sports at the University level. It'll be interesting to see how long this noble experiment lasts. I think Gwen Rucker was the last to try it at UofL and she eventually settled on Volleyball.
Coach Stallings sounds like a great mentor to his players. I've never been to a Bullitt East game but I'll make a point of going when high school hoops returns. Anyone who can knock off the Louisville high school powerhouse teams is OK by me.
Blue Lou
Dana Evans
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Balogun
Liz Dixon
Mykasa Robinson
Lianna Smith
Ahlana Smith
Nyah Green
Ramani Parker
Hailey Van Lith
Norika Konno
Olivia Cochran
Molly Lockhart
It is pretty easy to see why Seygan and Lindsey decided to enter the portal.
Why is the UofL women's basketball transfer rate so high?
ReplyDeletePlaying time.
DeleteGreat recruiting.
To add to what kstarksr says, let's make it clear that Coach Walz and the staff make it very clear what is expected out of a recruit and how things are run. Players tend tto develop different viewpoints as time goes on. The main one is playing time, and some players want to try their chances elsewhere to see if that will increase.
DeleteSome players see that, after extensive practices with their teammates, that their skills don't quite match up with the others and start to look for a situation where they can be more competitive. Sometimes, it is just a desire to be closer to their home. Sometimes, they see who has been recruited and realize that the players coming in will probably have better skill sets than them and that playing time for the individual is going to decrease.
The days of a player coming in and being willing to be a "practice players", not see much time in games (like a Jess Laemmle) are rapidly decreasing.
It is a coach's job to continually try and bring in prospects that he and staff think will give them a chance to win games. After all , it is winning games that keeps a coach and staff in their jobs.
Paulie
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I didnt see the name of Merrissah Russell in the a over list. Is she still a commit?
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