Champaign News-Gazette names QND’s Schreacke as All-State Player of the Year

QUINCY — Each time Abbey Schreacke sees someone wearing an Illinois, Mizzou or Indiana t-shirt or sweatshirt, it catches her eye.

“I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m talking to them,’” she said. “That makes it kind of cool.”

There are a myriad of college coaches chatting up the Quincy Notre Dame junior all-state basketball player on the recruiting trail these days, and there might be a few more joining the mix following the latest in a string of postseason accolades.

Schreacke became the first player from QND’s tradition-rich program and the first from West-Central Illinois to be named the Champaign News-Gazette’s All-State Player of the Year, which was released in Thursday’s edition.

Presented by the newspaper in conjunction with its all-state team since 1987, the Player of the Year list is a who’s who of prep basketball stars.

Among the previous players to be honored are Naperville Central’s Candace Parker, a two-time WNBA MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist; Lincolnshire Stevenson’s Tamika Catchings, a 10-time WNBA all-star and four-time Olympic gold medalist; Chicago Marshall’s Cappie Pondexter, a seven-time WNBA all-star and WNBA MVP; and Rock Island’s Brea Beal, who recently won an NCAA national championship with South Carolina.

“It tells you how amazing that list is with the talent that has been recognized throughout our state,” QND coach Eric Orne said. “It says a lot about Abbey’s skill level and what she accomplished this season. It amazes me.”

Schreacke admits it is humbling to be on that list.

“That’s pretty awesome,” Schreacke said. “I never thought I’d be part of that. So it’s pretty cool.”

A 6-foot guard who can play any position on the floor, Schreacke led the Raiders to the Class 2A state championship as she averaged 26.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists. She was a first-team all-state selection by both the Associated Press and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and was the leading vote-getter on the AP all-state team.

“These are great things that complement what a great season she had in helping her team to a state championship,” Orne said. “The accolades are because the state is seeing what a nice player she is and what a great talent she is.”

With the accolades comes more attention, and the interest from colleges is building.

Schreacke has received scholarship offers from several schools — Illinois, Missouri, DePaul, Illinois State, Drake, Bradley and Saint Louis — with Indiana now in the mix. Coaches from Iowa, Iowa State and Wisconsin are among those expected to watch her this weekend during an AAU tournament.

All of them stay in steady contact with her.

“I try to stay organized,” Schreacke said. “I try to be nice to everybody. I try to keep all of my opportunities open, so when I know what I really want to do, I’ll be ready.”

With that comes a mix of pressure and fun.

“I want to be able to just decide and have it all finished, but it’s really not going to be that easy of a decision,” Schreacke said. “That’s when it starts to get a little bit stressful. I handle it all really well. It’s still nice to be able to talk to all of the coaches.”

They all know when a major award comes her way.

“Some of the schools like to talk about it and like to hear what my experience has been,” Schreacke said.

The experiences she is compiling are almost as plentiful as the accolades and much easier to store.

“Right now, I have a pile of my state stuff on the floor because I have nowhere else to put it,” Schreacke said with a laugh.