H&R Staff Writer
OLNEY - Sara Stevenson never remembers dictating defenses with her ball handling the way her sister Taylor does.
Eight years removed from being H&R's Area Player of the Year and four years since playing at Illinois State, Sara sees that Taylor's taken her game beyond what she ever did in high school.
It's the "total package," according to Sara, who admitted she was more of a shooter.
Taylor's all-around game that features the area's best point guard abilities helped another Stevenson win Herald & Review Area Player of the Year honors this season.
"She is very unselfish and can pass the ball, and her ball handling skills are great," said Sara, who watched Taylor and Olney East Richland play against Bloomington Central Catholic in the super-sectional. "You can tell she has developed her ball handling skills, and that's what you need to be a great point guard."
As a junior, Taylor is the cornerstone of one of the area's best programs.
Olney coach Brent McKinney points to Stevenson as the common denominator between back-to-back super-sectional runs for the Tigers. In 2009, they reached the state tournament with her in the starting lineup as a sophomore, averaging 11.5 points and the second-most assists behind a senior. In 2010, Olney's state tournament run was cut short by No. 1 Bloomington Central Catholic, the eventual Class 2A state champ. The season did include 25 wins, including one against state-ranked Teutopolis to win a sectional.
But Stevenson's role on the team grew as she averaged a team-high 15 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.7 assists a game. All of that came while running the show and committing only 1.5 turnovers a contest.
"It makes the coaches look that much better when you have a girl who can handle the ball," McKinney said about the value of Stevenson on the floor. "Maybe some teams like to press, and now they have to change their game plan because of what she can do in the open court with the ball.
"She's a special kid, and I love having her in the program."
When McKinney took over three years ago, he saw Stevenson had the potential to be something special.
That's because Stevenson hit the court as a freshman who grew up in gyms. She first played competitively in fourth grade and hit the AAU circuit as an eighth-grader. She was busy looking up to her two older sisters, who both got Division I scholarship offers.
"I always wanted to practice and be as good as them," said Stevenson, who talks like a seasoned basketball veteran. "I always followed basketball and I knew it took a lot of hard work, and I enjoyed that."
Often times, high school players plateau after a season or two at the varsity level, but that hasn't happened with Stevenson. McKinney has seen her put in enough work to reach her potential and redefine what her capabilities are.
"It's been nice to see her progress, and to her credit, she's done a great job to get in this situation," McKinney said. "She lived in the gym and was going to put the time in it."
With both her sisters being D-I athletes, Stevenson knows her career won't end after her senior season. That's why she'll be found in the gym working on her mid-range jumper during the summer and showcasing her talent in AAU.
So far, she's gotten interest from Lipscomb (Division I), Penn (D-I), University of Maryland-Baltimore (D-I), Indiana University-South Bend (NAIA) and Missouri Western State (D-II)
"I do think she can play D-I," Sara said. "It's huge for her this summer to get exposure while playing AAU."
Stevenson is the third player from Olney in the past nine years to win area honors. Sara won it in 2002, and Brittany Johnson, now playing at Ohio State, was a four-time winner from 2004-07.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970
Published in the Herald & Review in March 2010.
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