The basketball playing career of Illinois State senior guard Steph Reichle is over. A nagging ankle injury which has kept her sidelined for all but two games this season has not made enough progress for her to be able to play.
Reichle wishes she could have continued, but understands the medical problems preventing that.
Im disappointed I wont be able to go into the conference season playing with this team, said Reichle. Im looking forward to this team showing what it can do. But you can only control what you can control. The only way I can play is the way I play and my ankle just isnt strong enough for me to play the way I want to play.
The way Reichle played throughout an injury-riddled college career made plenty of people take notice. In her freshman season, she played just eight Missouri Valley Conference games and 16 total before undergoing major knee surgery. Still, the coaches, media and media relations personnel in the conference elected her to the Valleys All-Freshman squad in 2000. She was leading the conference and among the Top 10 in the nation in steals before her injury that year.
As a sophomore and junior, the former Lincoln High School star piled up enough steals (139) to rank No. 3 among active Missouri Valley Conference players and enough rebounds (389) to rank No. 5 among active Valley players when her career ended.
The loss of Reichle on the court hurts Redbird coach Jenny Yopp, who has a healthy respect for her competitiveness and leadership.
My heart is very sad for Steph and the fate of her basketball playing career, said Yopp. We will support Steph in gaining some peace about closing this chapter of her life by keeping her close to our team. Steph is a unique, loyal and strong leader. Her teammates will count on her to continue in an active leadership role. Our staff will cherish memories of Steph's passion and competitiveness on the court and appreciate all that she has given to our rebuilding program.
Not having Reichle and sophomore guard Chris Kutschinski--out indefinitely with a lower back injury--available will push others to play more minutes on the perimeter for Illinois State. Yopp is glad she has several choices for the added duty.
The loss of Steph and Chris significantly impacts our depth in the guard position, said Yopp, whose team plays its next game Dec. 20 at Portland State. However, I am encouraged that we have several versatile players who will develop and get the job done.
Although only 5-foot-9, Reichles rebounding gives her two of the top seven single-game totals in Redbird Arena history. She had 17 in the Redbirds overtime upset of Creighton last season and 15 in a Jan., 2000, win over Southern Illinois. Only Caryn Brune--a 6-foot-4 post player from the early 1990s--exceeded Reichles two best Redbird Arena single-game rebounding marks. Reichle also led the team in scoring as a freshman, a feat only former All-American and USA Olympian Cathy Boswell had accomplished previously in a Redbird uniform.
Reichle stars in the classroom as well. She was one of only two players in the Valley to earn Scholar-Athlete Team honors in the league in 2001 and 2002. A public relations major, she has been on the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll at Illinois State in all six of her semesters. This year, she became the second Redbird basketball student-athlete to be recognized with the Jill Hutchison Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship--named for the legendary Redbird coach who recruited Reichle to Illinois State--is based on academic and athletic prowess.
