SLN GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
By Tim Wester
Sports Correspondent
You don’t get better by simply doing the same thing.
That’s been Union Grove senior Janelle Shiffler’s philosophy the past four seasons as a varsity basketball player.
Her unsurpassed dedication to improving helped her go from scoring 53 points her freshman season to scoring a school single-season record of 447 points this season, and eclipsing the career 1,000-point threshold.
Shiffler also earned first-team all-state, Racine County Player of the Year, and Southern Lakes Conference player of the year. In the classroom, Shiffler boasts a 4.0 grade point average.
For all of these impressive feats, Shiffler is the ideal selection for 2017 Southern Lakes Newspapers Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
“It is an honor to be Southern Lakes Newspapers Player of the Year,” Shiffler said. “None of the awards I received were expected. It’s been a long journey from my freshman year when I only scored 53 points to now.”
The journey has also been fun for Shiffler, who played on three straight Southern Lakes Conference championship teams, including an outright title this season. Last year, Shiffler and the Broncos came within one basket of earning the team’s first-ever trip to the state tournament in Madison.
“Janelle has grown as a person and is one of hardest working players that I’ve ever coached,” Union Grove girls basketball coach Rob Domagalski said. “When she was asked to do things on her own during open gym or whatever, she did it with no supervision need. She is self-driven.”
Self-driven may be an understatement.
Without receiving major attention from college scouts, Shiffler began pursuing colleges for a basketball scholarship. After noticing coaches from Augustana (South Dakota) had viewed her highlight tape through the NCSA online recruiting service, Shiffler promptly contacted the coaches after her junior season.
Shiffler remained in contact with coaches and players, which eventually led to a scholarship offer and a commitment to play basketball for the NCAA Division 2 program.
“South Dakota wasn’t the first place that came to mind for college,” said Shiffler, who wants to pursue a major in sports medicine. “I visited the campus last April and fell in love with it because it has everything I can ask for. Academics stood out, and the school has a great reputation and connections to medical facilities.”
Shiffler’s constant pursuit of excellence also made her the easy choice for Broncos’ team captain.
Shiffler became the vocal leader for the Broncos this season, after early chemistry issues led to a couple disappointing losses. Shiffler and the Broncos eventually figured things out, winning their final 12 regular season games and a No. 1 seed in the WIAA Division 2 playoffs.
“I guess my leadership before the last two years was more silent and set an example by my work ethic,” Shiffler said. “The last two years as a team captain, I became more verbal and gave more encouragement to teammates. When you are chosen by your coach, you feel it’s your responsibility to be a leader.”
Shiffler certainly didn’t let her coaches down.
“I can’t recall a single practice where Janelle did not bring it this year,” Domagalski said. “It’s a positive trait for her that is going to help her be successful in basketball and in her career. I just hope other girls see what she did, which is why I always bring up Janelle’s name so it sinks in and hopefully we can get another player like her or maybe even two players like her.”
Having just one Shiffler certainly did Domagalski and the Broncos wonders.
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