Several basketball players from the St. Louis metro area have been making a big impact at the collegiate level this season. Here is a look at some of those former area standouts.
Napheesa Collier. Former Incarnate Word Academy All-American girls player Napheesa Collier was selected to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team after a very productive first season at national powerhouse Connecticut.
The 6’1″ Collier is averaging 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from the field and 92 percent from the free throw line while averaging 18 minutes a game. She is also among the team leaders with 52 steals.
UConn continued its undefeated season by winning the AAC Tournament championship on Monday night.
Austin Peay. Former St. Mary’s High star Josh Robinson was a big standout for Austin Peay in its charge to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Robinson averaged 18 points as the Governors won four games in four days to win the OVC title. He scored 25 points in a 98-97 victory over No. 1 seed Belmont in the semifinals and 17 points in the championship game victory over Tennessee-Martin.
Austin Peay’s team also had St. Louis natives Stephen Harris (Webster Groves) and Zach Glotta (Fort Zumwalt North).
Rashad Lindsey. Former McCluer North standout Rashad Lindsey led Moberly Area Community College to the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 16 championship and a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchison, KS. Lindsey scored 24 points in Moberly’s victory over State Fair in the Region 16 championship game. He added 19 points in the Greyhounds’ victory over Sauk Valley (ILL) to clinch Moberly’s spot in the national tournament.
Trae Anderson. Former Hazelwood Central standout Trae Anderson was named to the All Ohio Valley Conference First Team. The 6’4″ Anderson averaged a team-high 15 points a game in his senior season at Eastern Illinois. Anderson was an All-OVC Second Team pick as a junior and was also a member of the All-Newcomer Team as well.
Rayshawn Simmons. Former Webster Groves standout Rayshawn Simmons is having an excellent senior season at Central Michigan. The 6’4″ Simmons is averaging 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists as the Chippewas head into the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
STL at Columbia CollegeÂ
Columbia College (MO) won the American Midwest Conference championship for the fourth time in five years. The Cougars defeated William Woods 77-74 in the championship game last weekend in Columbia to qualify for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national tournament. There has always been a strong St. Louis flavor at Columbia and this season is no different.
Senior guard Chantiel “To Pep” Stanciel (McCluer) had 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the championship game. A four-year starter, Stanciel is now the winningest player in the history of the Columbia program, having played in 121 victories in his career. Former McCluer High forward Malik Ray had 12 points and seven rebounds in the finals. Forward Nathan Biggs (Parkway Central) had eight points while guard Preston Whitfield (Fort Zumwalt South) had six points. Columbia will enter the NAIA National Tournament with a 28-5 record.
