SIMPLY THE BEST: SEMO Conference's top prep hoopsters honored at Letter Club banquet

The standout athletes of the SEMO Conference were honored by their peers and family members Wednesday night at the 63rd Poplar Bluff Letter Club Basketball Banquet at the Black River Coliseum.

New Madrid Central’s Jadis Jones went back-to-back as the most outstanding boys basketball player in the SEMO Conference.

“I feel really good because I wanted to win it again,” Jones said after receiving the John Gibbs Award. “Receiving this award is a big accomplishment because playing in the SEMO Conference with so many other great players is not easy, so I’m just blessed to be able to get it for my second time.”

For his junior season, Jones averaged 23.4 points per game, pulled down 11 rebounds per contest, snatched away three steals a night and shot 64% from the field. Jones also helped the Eagles bring home the Class 3 state title to cap off the season.

Jones said it meant a lot that he was chosen for the John Gibbs Award. It shows that his hard work has paid off, but understands that there’s more work to be done if he intends to win this award again.

“My goal is to keep doing the same thing that got me here,” Jones said. “I will continue to get better and work on my game. Hopefully, I’ll get another state championship and be right back to receive this again.”

Senior Katie Waller of Jackson High also received top honors as she was awarded the Bob Gray Award as the top girls player in the SEMO Conference.

“It was kind of surreal when I heard my name,” Waller said. “I didn’t expect it because there are so many other good players in our conference, but I’m super honored. It’s such a cool feeling, and right now, I can kind of just sit back and kind of soak it all in because I’m done. But I get to look back and see all the things that I accomplish.”

Waller is a two-time All-SEMO conference and All-State player. This season she averaged 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals pe game, shot 40% from beyond the arc and was an 84% free-throw shooter.

She ends her career fifth all-time in scoring with 1,154 points for a program that has eight previous Boy Gray Award winners. Waller helped Jackson win a district championship and to make the state quarterfinals, leaving on a high with a 21-8 record and 58 wins over the last three seasons.

Waller plans to attend college for nursing as she potentially says goodbye to basketball.

“I’m really going to miss this game because I love it with my entire heart,” Waller said. “I’m going to miss my teammates, they made my last season so much fun. But that feeling of watching the ball go into the net, that’s the best feeling in the world, and I’m going to miss it all.”

Longtime Daily American Republic sports editor Brian Rosener received an unexpected surprise as he was named the Tom Hoover Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Rosener spent the past 21 years at the Dailly American Republic — and the members of the Poplar Bluff Letter Club thought it was time to recognize the man behind the stories.

“It still hasn’t even hit me yet,” Rosener said after receiving the Tom Hoover Award. “I feel like I don’t really deserve this award because I just did my job. I always tried to do it like Mr. Bob Gray and those before him, so it’s just an honor to be following in their footsteps now.

“Mr. Hoover meant a lot to me. He always came into the newsroom and called it ‘the daily miracle’ putting the paper together. He always let me know when I got something wrong because he wanted to make me better. Mr. Hoover made my job easier, like a lot of people in this community, and was a special person.”

Ronsner said all he ever wanted to do when he was a kid was to become a sports writer, and luckily he found a great community that values their kids and their sports. He said there was never a dull moment on the job, and the coaches and players were always great to him.

Notre Dame’s Kirk Boller and Cape Central Drew Church were named coaches of the year.

Sikeston brings home another individual scoring champion with sophomore Landri Hammontree, who averaged 26.7 points per game while Waller won the free-throw award by shooting 84%.

Notre Dame’s Greg Dennis won the free-throw award by shooting 74% while Jones won as the top scorer by averaging 23.1 points per game.

ALL-SEMO CONFERENCE

Boys

Cameron Williams (Sr.) — Cape Central, Jay Reynolds (Jr.) — Cape Central, Blayne Harris (Jr.) — Jackson, Jadis Jones (Jr.) — New Madrid, B.J. Williamson (Jr.) — New Madrid, Dontrez Williams (Jr.) — Sikeston, P.J. Farmer (So.) — Charleston, Rico Coleman (Sr.) — Charleston, Cole Nichols (Sr.) — Dexter, Clayton Ernst (Sr.) — Jackson.

Girls

Katie Waller (Sr.) — Jackson, Tori Rubel (Sr.) — Notre Dame, Katie Nichols (So.) — Dexter, Madelyn Eads (Sr.) — Poplar Bluff, Camryn Asldorf (So.) — Jackson, Nevaeh Lucious (Fr.) — Notre Dame, Evie Caruso (Jr.) — Saxony Lutheran, Lani Heeb (Sr.) — Kennett, Landri Hammontree (So.) — Sikeston, Emani Summers (So.) — New Madrid.