EB's Stilwell still overcoming size with smarts, heart

Some women’s collegiate basketball program doesn’t know it yet, but it will be getting a major steal in the near future.

East Burke senior guard Braelyn Stilwell recently surpassed 2,000 career points, just the fourth player in Burke County history to do so. Stilwell now ranks second in EBHS history behind Clay Byrd’s 2,200-plus points and second all-time in Burke County girls hoops history behind Ali Ford’s 2,500-plus.

Stilwell already holds the EBHS girls records for career points, assists, and steals.

She was named the county, conference, and district player of the year last year as a junior as she was also named all-state, leading her Lady Cavaliers to a program-record 31 wins and first-ever state title game appearance.

Yet somehow, the 5-foot-5 point guard has no NCAA Division I scholarship offers to date. Her only collegiate offers thus far have come from NAIA program Montreat College and NCAA D-II Lees-McRae College.

Seems a bit mind-blowing.

“For me, of course it is,” EB head coach Crystal Bartlett said. “I’ve seen what she can do. I may have doubted her maybe one time or twice, and she figures out a way.

“And that’s what these college coaches are not seeing. It’s not her size, it’s how big her heart is. I’ve seen 6-foot players go to college that couldn’t touch her because of her heart and determination. ... Her size doesn’t define her as a player.”

Stilwell, who broke the EBHS single-game scoring record (42 points) earlier this year in a comeback win at rival Freedom, currently averages 22.7 points per game (through Tuesday), her third straight season leading the county.

She is also putting up 5.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 4.5 steals on average while shooting 56 percent from the field, 43% from beyond the 3-point line, and 83% at the free-throw line.

Clearly, Stilwell has found how to overcome her height and flourish. Bartlett mentioned a few ways that she feels Stilwell has done so.

“I think it’s her knowledge of the game. She will outsmart any opponent that she plays,” Bartlett said. “She knows how to gain an advantage on whoever she’s playing, she can find a weakness and exploit it. She thinks the game. ... And her skill set too.”

That skill set was already pretty polished when Stilwell arrived on campus as a freshman, though she has added ways to beat opponents as well.

“She was already fast, very good driver, could see the court well, but I think her biggest growth has been her shot,” Bartlett said. “She’s put a lot of time into that. She was over 50 percent from the 3-point line (last year). Her first two years, she didn’t shoot a lot of 3s. Maybe 35 a year. Now she’s close to the all-time (career EBHS) record.

“The thing about Braelyn is any weakness she has, if you tell her, she’s going to work on that. Her work ethic separates her from everybody else.”

And all Stilwell knows and cares about is winning. She was part of two conference titles as a seventh and eighth grader at East Burke Middle, and each of the last two falls, Stilwell has been conference singles champion and player of the year in tennis, even reaching the state semifinals in the sport this past season.

“She goes so hard, and she never gives up on anything,” Bartlett said. “If she turns (the ball) over, I know she’s going to get it back somehow. She anticipates better than any player I’ve ever had. She’s always around the ball somehow. It never fails. It’s uncanny. She reads everything very well, she knows the game very well.

“Her teammates believe in her too. And they look for her to lead them on the court every day. Sometimes she has to do a lot, but if we need a big play, she always comes up with it. She’s just the best at all of the things that matter for winning.”