It’s been eight months since we last saw the University of South Dakota defeat South Dakota State 63-58 in the 2019-20 Summit League Championship. There’s some uncertainty that surrounds the 2020-21 season but teams have been able to get back into the gym. With another Summit League women’s basketball season on the horizon, let’s build the best lineup for the (fingers crossed) upcoming season.
Guard: Keni Jo Lippe (5’9, Sr.), Oral Roberts
It was a career year for senior Keni Jo Lippe one year ago. The 5-foot-9 guard finished first in the league with 599 total points, first in free throws made (203), fourth in rebounds per game (8.0), ninth in assists (2.4), eighth in steals (52) and ninth in minutes per game (31.7). Lippe also finished with a Summit League record 46 points against North Dakota State in early February. The Adair, Okla., native is a scoring machine and needs seven points to become the 21st member of ORU’s 1,000-point club. What makes Lippe special is she takes pride in doing the little things on the court. Her ability to score and make her teammates better doesn’t hurt either.
Guard: Chloe Lamb (5’10, Sr.), South Dakota
Chloe Lamb can flat out shoot. The Onida, S.D., native is one of the best shooters in the country and had 57 made 3-pointers in 2019-20 while shooting a league-high 47.1 clip. In her junior season, Lamb averaged 11.2 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 steals. She earned Summit League second-team honors and made the league’s all-tournament team. Lamb has started every game for the Coyotes in the last two seasons and with USD losing four seniors, she’ll be asked to do even more than she did a year ago.
Forward: Paiton Burckhard (6’0, Jr.), South Dakota State
Paiton Burckhard was the most efficient player in the Summit League last season. The Aberdeen, S.D., native shot 53.4 percent from the floor and averaged 14.2 points per game along with 5.7 rebounds. Burckhard was also efficient at the free-throw line where she connected on 85 of 106 (80.2 percent) from the charity stripe. The junior forward logged seven 20-plus point games last season and made 10.7 field goals per game. Burckhard is the complete player but is an underrated passer at her position. Her freshman season she finished with 27 total assists in 35 games but improved that stat by 30 assists last season in three fewer games. Look for Burckhard to dish the basketball, even more, this season.
Forward: Evan Zars (6’2, Jr.), Western Illinois
Evan Zars had a solid freshman season two seasons ago, however, she wasn’t in a Western Illinois uniform. After starting 19 games in 2018-19 for Saint Louis, Zars transferred to WIU. The Shawnee, Kan., native earned Summit League Newcomer of the Year last season and is an important piece to the Leathernecks success in 2020-21. In her first season with WIU, Zars started all 30 games and finished with a team-high eight double-doubles. Zars ranked third in the league in rebounds per game (9.2), fifth in blocked shots per game (1.5), and averaged just shy of a double-double (9.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game) in her sophomore season. Zars is a problem for opposing players when they enter the lane with her shot-blocking ability and defensive rebounding skills.
Center: Hannah Sjerven (6’3, Sr.), South Dakota
Hannah Sjerven finished Top 10 in the Summit League in points per game (12.2), rebounds per game (7.3), blocked shots per game (2.0), and steals per game (1.4). The South Dakota senior center racked up a handful of awards last season from Summit League Defensive Player of the Year to Summit League Tournament Most Valuable Player. Sjerven finished with five double-doubles and recorded a career-high 28 points against Creighton. The Rogers, Minn., native transferred to USD in 2018-19 after starting her college career at New Mexico. Sjerven is the full package with her offensive and defensive playmaking.