Hackbarth, at 5-feet-4, makes giant contributions

With this being Thanksgiving week - one of the so-called best shopping periods of the year - I can now truly say that good things do come in small packages.

Chances are slim that you'll find me pulling any 4 a.m. holiday shopping binges Black Friday, but there's a pretty good possibility I'll be at a local high school gym covering Thanksgiving basketball tournaments this weekend.

If you run into Kiley Hackbarth at an area mall, odds are you'll have little idea that she plays high school basketball.

At 5-feet-4 (don't believe some programs that list her at anywhere from 5-5 to 5-7), Hackbarth isn't just any basketball player - she's one of the area's top girls basketball players as a senior point guard at St. Charles North.

"I get that all the time," Hackbarth said of her diminutive stature. "I'm so used to it."

Off the court, Hackbarth doesn't look like your typical basketball player.

On the court, Hackbarth doesn't play like a typical basketball player.

That's why earlier this month the two-time Daily Herald Tri-Cities All-Area girls basketball team member verbally committed to attend the University of Rhode Island, where she'll fulfill a lifetime dream while playing women's college basketball for the Rams.

"Playing Division I college basketball has always been a goal of mine," said Hackbarth, who also considered Fairfield, Drake and a few other Missouri Valley Conference schools before choosing Rhode Island after a recent two-day visit to the East Coast.

Hackbarth, who is beginning her fourth year as a North Stars varsity starter, admittedly had some doubts as to whether she would pursue playing college basketball.

"At times, I went through stages of whether to play or not play," she said. "But once I was offered the opportunity, I had to take it."

Hackbarth, who has played AAU ball with the Illinois Hustle for the past six years (some of her teammates have included former Hinsdale Central standout Toni Kokenis - now at Stanford - and Fenwick senior Tricia Liston), has grown accustomed to the big-game stage.

As a freshman in 2006-07, Hackbarth had a chance to play for a Class AA regional championship as the North Stars lost a 34-30 homecourt decision to Maine West.

During her sophomore campaign, Hackbarth averaged 3.5 points per game while helping lift St. Charles North to new heights as a first-time regional and sectional champion. The North Stars' bid for a Class 4A state trophy ended with a 50-39 supersectional loss to Buffalo Grove.

A year ago, Hackbarth improved her personal numbers, averaging 9.9 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game while canning 40 3-pointers and leading the North Stars to another 20-win season and regional title-game appearance.

"I've gone through some big changes since freshman year," said Hackbarth. "My game has grown from freshman to senior year."

Ironically, she credits a large part of her growth to trainer Jeff Pagliocca, who works out of Buffalo Grove-based Evolution Athletics where Hackbarth has attended for the past year and a half.

"When I got into the gym, one of the first players I saw was 5-8 guard Melissa Dixon of Johnsburg," recalled Hackbarth. "I saw her game improve and wanted to get better myself."

Pagliocca still remembers one of the first times he saw Hackbarth on the court.

"It was two years ago at an AAU tournament," he said. "I remember asking someone, 'who is that?' Here was this 5-foot-4 girl getting up in another player's face so close that she turned her back on Kiley.

"And the other girl was probably 5-foot-9, 5-10."

Pagliocca quickly learned he had a special player on his hands in Hackbarth..

"Her athleticism and skill sets were already super high," said Pagliocca. "But one of the first things that stood out about Kiley was her toughness. She's so much tougher than most players."

While moving the release point of her jump shot a bit higher, Pagliocca has also helped improve Hackbarth's ballhandling skills, footwork and other player development attributes.

One thing he hasn't had to alter is her determination.

"Her motor doesn't stop," said Pagliocca. "She's very good at outworking other players. She's a pistol and the type of player who will wear you down very early in games."

St. Charles East coach Lori Drumtra knows that first-hand.

"The No. 1 thing that stands out about Kiley is the way she plays defense," said the Saints coach. "She plays with a high level of energy and enthusiasm.

"Her sophomore year, she wasn't as much of a shooting threat from the outside, but she elevated that part of her game last year as well. Now you don't want to leave her alone."

While most players love to have 25-point offensive outbursts, Hackbarth prefers keeping her opponents from scoring.

"I love to play defense," she said.

And that is every coach's dream - big or small.

(csb4k@hotmail.com)