Liberty Christian senior Alli Meyer is looking to lead the Lady Eagles to their third consecutive Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association title.
A four-year starter for Liberty Christian, Meyer was a key member of Liberty Christian’s last two MCSAA Division I championship teams. Meyer also was a key member of the Liberty Christian volleyball team the past four seasons.
Meyer noted the comfort level she had on the hardwood with her teammates last season, having played with most of the key contributors to the back-to-back state championship teams for multiple seasons.
“I had played with those girls since freshman year,” Meyer said. “And so I was really confident in my passing. I knew who could catch what and who could do what.”
This year, the Lady Eagles have introduced multiple new players to the mix. Meyer is joined by Kylee Ball, Anna Meyer and Lauren Moss as contributors from last year’s team.
As the starting point guard the last four years, Meyer has been a leader on the court due to her position. However, she has taken on an increased leadership role after the Lady Eagles lost multiple starters from last year’s team.
“Being the point guard, you kind of lead the court,” Meyer said. “So I’ve always kind of had the leadership. But now, it’s more of the encourager too because we don’t have the older girls. I have to encourage the younger ones. Keep pushing. It’s definitely different than the past years.”
Meyer said her focus as the point guard is to pass the ball and set up teammates for points. She will score when necessary but this is not her primary focus.
The Lady Eagles lost substantial height from last season’s team but have more quickness than in season’s past. With the lack of height in the lineup, Meyer has needed to help more with rebounding for Liberty Christian.
“Last year, we asked her to pass and score,” Liberty Christian head coach Butch Clark said. “We didn’t really count on her to rebound because we had three, four kids that could do that. This year, she’s got to do it. She and Kylee are the only two we’ve had that have consistently been on the boards. So she’s adjusted her game. She hasn’t complained about that a bit. I think she relishes it.”
With Alli Meyer, Anna Meyer and Ball set to graduate after this school year, Alli Meyer thinks the drive is strong for the seniors to make a run at one more MCSAA title.
Meyer is unsure of her future plans after making another title run and finishing her education at Liberty Christian. She is open to going to college and playing basketball at the collegiate level. Meyer said the health of her knees may impact her decision of whether to play at the next level. If she does play at the next level, she is looking for a team that would allow her to play with experienced players.
“I would be looking at who I would be playing with,” Meyer said. “I throw the ball very hard. It’s just how I play. I just wouldn’t want to play with a team that is not experienced as much. Because that’d be totally different.”
Meyer would like to find a school close to home if she elects to play basketball in college. If she does decide to attend college, she anticipates pursuing an education degree with the goal of becoming a physical education teacher.
“I would like to be a P.E. teacher if I do go,” Meyer said. “I’ve always loved kids and sports and I’m really good at coming up with different games. That’s really the only thing that comes out at me if I were to go for education.”
Clark said the colleges he has spoken to think Meyer has the ability to play at the next level. He noted while there are things in her game she will need to work on to play at the next level, athletes often get pushed by the competition level at college.
“She’ll have to work on her game,” Clark said. “But I’ve had other kids that have gone to college. It amazes me some of the things that I didn’t think they did real well in high school. When the colleges get them and they practice four hours a day, it’s amazing how those things get ironed out of their game.”
