Freshman forward Marlee-Michelle Coleman already is drawing a lot of attention for St. Laurence.
Scouting services have Coleman ranked among the state’s best in her class. Colleges also have taken notice, leading to a Division I offer for a player barely four games into her varsity career.
And it didn’t take long for the 6-foot-1 Coleman to gain the attention of her coach, Claire Austin.
“Marlee is something that I haven’t seen yet as a freshman,” Austin said. “She’s really one of a kind. It goes beyond basketball. Off the court, she is one of the silliest kids.
“But when the game starts, she’s a player I don’t have to worry about.”
Coleman also is drawing attention from opposing defenses. De La Salle tried tripling and even quadrupling her inside Tuesday night, and she was content to kick the ball to an open teammate during a 55-21 win in the third round of pool play at the Naperville Central Tip-Off Tournament.
Neither team had a scorer reach double figures, but Coleman finished with seven points, six rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots for St. Laurence (1-3). She didn’t play much in the second half after the Vikings grabbed a commanding 37-15 halftime lead.
Freshman guard Elin Hindman came off the bench and paced St. Laurence in scoring with eight points. Junior guard Nina Villa and freshman guard McKenzie-Alyse Saffold, an all-state pick in flag football, added seven points apiece.
Jakiah Jackson led the way with eight points for De La Salle (1-3), which opened the season on a good note with a 44-41 overtime victory over Oak Forest but then ran into two speeding trains with a 77-18 loss to Benet and a 58-11 setback to Homewood Flossmoor.
St. Laurence, meanwhile, is learning how to grow up quickly, especially the freshmen. Junior point guard Sara Burzycki is out for the season with a knee injury suffered in flag football. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Flores, last season’s team MVP, has a knee injury Austin calls “hit or miss.”
“It could be a few weeks or it could be a lot longer,” Austin said of Flores’ availability.
“It’s definitely tough because she was our main scorer,” Coleman said of Flores. “It’s not good, but in a way, it’s good that other girls can get exposure, too.”
Villa said it’s an interesting dynamic with so many young players cutting their teeth as the Vikings started off with losses to Stagg, Homewood-Flossmoor and Benet.
“It’s really cool to see all of these great freshmen come in and help our team and program grow,” Villa said. “And if our team gets healthy, we can get better and better.”
Austin said playing strong competition early will help the team in the long run.
“To be the best, you need to play the best,” she said. “Even with injuries, it’s teaching all of us something, including myself.”
Coleman said she was always taller than the other players growing up, but when she began playing competitive basketball, she was a point guard and that helped her become versatile.
The Tinley Park resident is on several preseason lists as a top player in the state. Prep Girls Hoops Illinois tabbed her as the No. 1 freshman forward in the state and No. 2 freshman overall.
Before she even took her first high school shot, Coleman received the offer from Chicago State. She confirmed playing with Frankfort-based Example Academy helped get her noticed.
“They are always getting exposure to the girls and talking to college coaches,” Coleman said of her travel team. “It wasn’t a surprise I got an offer, but the time I got the offer was surprising.
“And I’m ready for more to come.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
