Kennett senior has the name (and the game) to stand out on the court

Kennett senior Lani Heeb handles the ball against Dexter during the championship quarterfinal of the Lady Royals Christmas Classic at Twin Rivers High School in Broseley.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

One would think, just based on her name, that Lani Heeb would possess some ability on the basketball court, and that is definitely the case for the Kennett High School senior point guard.

“She plays hard,” Indian coach Aaron New said of Heeb recently. “She is kind of our team captain.”

Yes, the name of Heeb carries some history throughout the game in Southeast Missouri. Lani’s father, David Heeb, is the highly successful girl’s coach at Delta High School and has had successful stints elsewhere, while her uncle, Toby Heeb, is currently the boy’s basketball coach at Delta. However, the “Lani” part of her name, also carries some lore with it.

“She was named after Laney High School in North Carolina,” David explained. “That is where Michael Jordan played in high school.”

Lani is more of a floor general than an offensive savant, as Jordan was, but that doesn’t mean she can’t produce offensively.

In a narrow overtime win (49-45) over Piggott (Ark.) High School in the recent Lady Royals Christmas Classic at Twin Rivers, Lani scored a team-high 17 points to lift Kennett to a fifth-place finish.

“She knows where to get everybody,” New said, “and how to get us into our offense, (but) she can score at times.”

Kennett senior guard Lani Heeb takes off on a fast break against Dexter during the championship quarterfinal of the Lady Royals Christmas Classic at Twin Rivers High School in Broseley. (Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com)

What Lani showed in abundance throughout the Twin Rivers tournament was the ability to get the outlet pass and go.

In an earlier game against Dexter, Lani had the arduous task of handling the ball – quickly – before the meddlesome Bearcat press could be set up.

“She is one of our better players,” New continued, “and one of our most consistent players.”

And one of the more intelligent players.

Lani, whose mother is Cheryl Heeb, admits to having a passion for basketball, she even enjoys watching game film but has no current plans to play following this final season.

“I hope to be a psychiatrist someday,” Lani said. “I like the intellectual side of life.”

Lani takes a mental approach to handling the responsibility of running the Kennett offense and dealing with Coach New, who has high expectations of her.

“Lani is very coachable,” New said, “and a pleasure to be around.”

Kennett only won six games a year ago but has split its 10 games this season.

The Indians will visit Kelly (7-3) today at 7:30 p.m. and Lani knows what will be expected of her.

“I think I take care of the ball pretty well,” Lani said in a self-evaluation moment. “I think that energy is important. Being a leader and bringing energy to your team is important, so I try to help with that.”