Brian Rosener is the keeper of the Semoball Cup which is presented to the school with the most successful season. It is based on a formula that takes into account the combined winning percentage of all sports teams plus bonus points for advancement in postseason play for both teams and individuals. The bonus points are divided by the number of teams a school fields. Rosener has been the sports editor for the Daily American Republic in Poplar Bluff, Mo. since December 2001. He was born and raised in St. Louis, where he attended Lindbergh High School and Webster University. He is married to Jennifer, a Poplar Bluff native, has a son Jack and a dog named Satchel who stands in for his @semoballBrian photo.

Porter, Heil win SEMO awards

Posted Wednesday, March 25, 2009, at 8:32 PM

Michael Porter and Katelyn Heil

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A pair of familiar faces picked up player of the year honors for the SEMO Conference this season.

Michael Porter of Sikeston and Dexter's Katelyn Heil were again honored Wednesday night at the Poplar Bluff Letter Club's 51st annual Basketball Banquet.

The pair led their teams to SEMO Conference titles and were among those selected by the coaches to the 10-player All-Conference teams.

Heil became the first two-time winner of the Gray Award since Jackson's Andrea Koeper won it in 2000 and shared it a year later. Mary Kalich of Poplar Bluff (1991-90) and Darla Pannier of Cape Central (1987-88) also won the award twice given since 1984 to the top female player in the SEMO Conference.

Porter also won the Gibbs Award as a sophomore, sharing it with Justin Clark of Charleston and Notre Dame's Ryan Willen in 2007. Porter is the sixth player to win the award multiple times.

Sikeston and Charleston tied for a share of the boys title while Dexter won the girls championship and finished the regular season unbeaten. The Lady Bearcats were one of five conference teams to win a district title and finished fourth in the state at Class 4 with a 28-2 record.

Lady Bearcats coach Chad Allen and Charleston boys coach Danny Farmer were named conference coaches of the year.

Sikeston and Charleston also won district titles and reached the quarterfinals while both Poplar Bluff teams advanced to the state playoffs.

Porter was one of five players on the all-conference team for a second straight year. He was also named to the first team as a sophomore and a freshman.

Charleston senior Antonio Riggens and Notre Dame senior Austin Greer, along with juniors Jay Raulston of Poplar Bluff and New Madrid County Central's Kony Ealy were on the first team for the second straight year.

Sikeston, Charleston, New Madrid, Notre Dame and Poplar Bluff each had two players named to the first team on the boys side while Dexter, Poplar Bluff, Cape Central, Notre Dame and Jackson each had two girls on the first team.

Heil, Morrill and Cape Central's Wendi Zickfield were also named to the all-conference team for a second straight year.

ALL-SEMO CONFERNCE TEAM

BOYS -- Michael Porter, Sikeston, 6-6, sr.; Kony Ealy, New Madrid County Central, 6-6, jr.; Donald Dixon, Charleston, 6-3, sr.; Josh Minner, New Madrid County Central, 6-5, sr.; Austin Greer, Notre Dame, 6-0, sr.; Riley Raulston, Poplar Bluff, 6-4, sr.; John Unterreiner, Notre Dame, 5-10, sr.; Antonio Riggens, Charleston, 5-10, sr.; Jay Raulston, Poplar Bluff, 6-5, jr.; Jugualin Wiggins, Sikeston, 6-2, jr.;

(Honorable mention) Eli Jackson, Sikeston; Marcus Harris, Jackson; Drew Kelley, Dexter; Cal Lane, Sikeston; Deonte Jones, Charleston; Jacob Tolbert, Notre Dame; Dontre Jenkins, New Madrid; Bobby Clark, Jackson; Rick Russell, Cape Central.

GIRLS -- Katelyn Heil, Dexter, 5-10, sr.; Jane Morrill, Notre Dame, 5-11, jr.; Wendi Zickfield, Cape Central, 6-2, sr.; Ruthie Johnson, Poplar Bluff, 5-2, jr.; Jill Temples, Dexter, 5-5, sr.; Alex Fowler, Notre Dame, 5-8, sr.; Kaylen Knepp, Jackson, 5-7, jr.; Dennisha Rice, Poplar Bluff, 5-2, jr.; Sadie Pitman, Cape Central, 5-3, jr.; Ashten Howard, Jackson, 5-11, sr.;

(Honorable mention) Allyson Bradshaw, Notre Dame; Tori Williams, Poplar Bluff; Chelsea Pannier, Cape Central; Ashley Taylor, Dexter.

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Noticed Michael Porter went "all-out" dressing up for the banquet!

-- Posted by semo7178 on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 10:05 AM
Riley Raulston was listed ahead of Porter on the Mosports top 50. Does anybody else find that a little bit ludicrous? And do they really think there are 20 better players in the state of Missouri than Porter? Somebody has gotten some bad information on that website.

-- Posted by semohoops on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 1:02 PM
Another thing, why are so many chosen for the all-conference team. They used to take just five and I always thought that made it very elite. Now each of the top teams gets two guys and sometimes three. It's way too watered down. The coaches need to cut back and make it five players again.

-- Posted by semohoops on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 1:06 PM
Where do you think he should be ranked?

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 1:40 PM
I'll have to see the rest of the list, but at least ahead of Raulston don't you think? I just have a hard time believing there are 20 in the state better than Porter. They had Porter too low last year too when he was ranked 33rd and Willen was about 30 and they had Kony Ealy about 20. I thought both were vastly underrated and Ealy was far overrated.

-- Posted by semohoops on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 2:02 PM
I think part of the ranking (possibly a very significant part) is based on college potential. If it were based on stats and past high school performance, then I think you would see Porter would be higher than Raulston. As it is, I think that Porter is a much better high school player, but that Raulston could have a better upside in college just because of the way he can shoot (when he gets hot) and because he is very athletic. Kony is the same way as far as potential...he's got good size and is nothing but muscle. He has great POTENTIAL, although we've been saying that for the past couple years and his game hasn't made the huge progression I think it could have (I doubt he goes to college for basketball anyway, think football). With that being said, I have no idea where Riley might be going for college. Haven't heard a thing.

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 2:09 PM
Then those two must be going somewhere big time. Michael is being courted by all the Missouri Valley schools. How much better can they be than Michael? Are we talking Conference USA or SEC? I see what you are saying but I just don't agree with those rankings. I think Michael will be a very good college player. Those other two better get a whole lot better because right now, today, they aren't in Michael's league. I guess in 5 years, they may be better, but I know who I'd take right now.

-- Posted by semohoops on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 2:15 PM
I've heard Missouri St., but not ALL the MoValley schools. I've heard lots of OVC schools, but only 1 MVC. I think he could do well at an OVC type school, but I just haven't seen the range or ballhandling to be a guard, and he's a small player to be playing inside in a bigger conference.

These are informed people making this list. Believe me, there's no way they haven't heard about Michael, Sikeston folks have made sure of that.

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 2:28 PM
Out of curiosity, have any other SEMO area players been on the list yet, besides Drew, Michael, and Riley?

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 2:34 PM
There seems to be a metro area bias on that list. I don't think it's a conspiracy but as I mentioned before, Porter and Willen were both in the 30 range last year which I completely disagreed with. Maybe I'm puttig too much stock in high school dominance. The potential word scares me. I think it is overrated unless you are 6'10" or better. If you are a player then you're a player.

Unless I've forgotten somebody Otto Porter Jr. is the only other SEMO area guy that I can think of that is on the list. I haven't seen Bobby Hatchett or Kony Ealy listed yet.

-- Posted by semohoops on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 2:58 PM
I don't think it's so much of a bias as it is the metro areas having better players, if for no other reason than they have more kids to choose from.

Where was Otto ranked? I'm sure Bobby will be on the list somewhere. I need to subscribe for a month (if you can even do that) so I can read the list.

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 3:14 PM
Otto is in the 30 range I think. I know metro areas have more players but they also tend to get the better rankings. I don't know the whole list this year but as I mentioned, there are not 30 better players than Porter and Willen last year. And if the list is based on college potential, no disrespect to Drew, but he is a 6'0" shooting guard. There aren't a whole lot of those in Division I basketball. Maybe they should change the name to the 50 best college prospects if they are going to go on potential. Still yet, I don't agree with the rankings. We'll see how it all plays out over the next several years if any or all of these guys go to college.

-- Posted by semohoops on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 3:25 PM
As much as I enjoyed watching Ryan and Michael play, I'm not so sure that there weren't 30 better players. I don't remember the list either, but you have to consider there were some pretty good seniors last year, plus the kids who are seniors this year (and maybe even kids who are still just juniors that are ranked above Michael, maybe Brennen Hughes?). If you look all across the state at 2 or 3 different grades, I don't think you would have to stretch it too much to find 25 or so better players. As you mentioned earlier, it's difficult to say where our local guys should be right now, because we don't know the rest of the list yet.

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Thu, Mar 26, 2009, at 3:36 PM
If Riley is that much better than Porter, where is Riley's name on the All-State list for this year?

-- Posted by sportsfanatic on Fri, Mar 27, 2009, at 9:08 AM
Just based on the brief description they give (since I'm not a member), it looks like Kony Ealy is #18 on the MoSports 50.

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Mon, Mar 30, 2009, at 6:11 PM
Ealy is 18th on the list. It's obvious that the people that made that list didn't watch a single game Ealy or Porter played this year. To me it wasn't even close who the better player is. So then we're back to the potential prospect part of it, yet they have a 6'2" kid from Kickapoo who has signed with Drury ranked 17th. And if you address it and question the list on Mosports itself, they remove the thread. It just bothers me that Michael has not gotten his due respect.

-- Posted by semohoops on Tue, Mar 31, 2009, at 2:30 PM
I doubt the people who made the list have seen every player on it. I doubt you have either, and I know I haven't. Maybe if Michael were above some of the kids who will end up in the top 15, they'd say the exact same thing you did. Maybe they'll think they aren't getting respected enough...maybe the kids ranked in the 30's think they should've been ranked higher than Michael. I've said it before though, I don't think they're just basing this list on whatever they feel like.

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Tue, Mar 31, 2009, at 5:20 PM
From MoSports:

The MOsports.com staff with the help of top basketball talent evaluators from around the Show Me State have put together a list of the Top 50 players in Missouri. This was a difficult process to find the top players in the state, regardless of class.

Players were evaluated on current level of skill, and potential at the next level.

-- Posted by FarmBoy06 on Tue, Mar 31, 2009, at 7:06 PM
No I haven't seen a lot of the other players, but I have seen Ealy and Raulston and they are not in Porter's league. That's just my opinion. Raulston can get hot. Ealy goes hard sometimes. Porter is a dominant force each time on the floor no matter how much defensive attention he gets. And if the criteria is their potential at the next level and the evaluators ranked these three accordingly, then that's fine. But then they rank a kid that has signed with Drury. Nothing wrong with Drury, but it's not Division I like many of the schools that have offered Porter.

-- Posted by semohoops on Tue, Mar 31, 2009, at 7:28 PM
Then again, maybe this kid from Springfield was offered by several Division I schools but Drury was where he wanted to go. I really have no idea. I'm just saying though. They dropped the ball on ranking Porter so low.

-- Posted by semohoops on Tue, Mar 31, 2009, at 8:07 PM

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