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REPUBLIC — While the season at Republic hasn’t gone quite as expected, 6’0 2018 wing Brylee Manes has put together a big senior season and has emerged as one of the area’s bright small forward prospects.
An active player at both ends of the court, Manes is a versatile player who can do a little bit of everything, including handling the ball, making smart passes, and at the defensive end of the court, Manes can defend multiple positions thanks to her length and athleticism.
Here, SWMOBasketball recently caught up with Manes and asked her about her senior season.
SWMO — How would you describe your game to people who haven’t seen you play.
Brylee — I would say my game is aggressive both offense and defense. I can shoot outside as well as inside. because of my height i get several rebounds, and with my long wing span i am able to get a lot of steals. i love the game so i put all of my hard work and effort into it.
SWMO — Who did you play your summer basketball with, and how did that experience impact your game?
Brylee — I played with Willpower this summer. Will Fontleroy told me he has been patiently waiting his turn for years to coach me. Will pushed me to do things outside my comfort zone and just play my game which helped me become a leader. He was stunned when I dropped 38 points in one game in the Windy City Tournament.
SWMO — Who has been the biggest influence on your basketball career to date?
Brylee — I would have to say the biggest influence in my career has been my former coach Chris Coskey. He asked me to join his team at 7 years old and coached me until I started high school. He taught me the game and always pushed me to never give up. When he yelled at me I knew he cared about my success and that made me push harder. Coach Coskey has always given me the tools to get where I am today, and believed in my ability. He’s a great mentor and friend.
SWMO — Who are some players that you enjoy watching and is there anything in their game that you’ve tried to implement into your own game?
Brylee — I can’t say I enjoy just watching any one player or team. I’ve never been one to watch sports on television, so for me, watching local college teams and teams we compete against in high school would be who I enjoy watching most. I try to take a little something from each team and implement that into making my own game better.
SWMO — How would you describe the season at Republic so far?
Brylee — Our season has been tough. We have had a lot of good competition thus far and we’ve lost several games by 2 or 3 points which basically we should’ve and could’ve won, it just came down to last minute decisions and shots. I feel like we have overcome that and are capable of finishing the season strong hopefully with a conference title and another district title.
SWMO — What are some of the things the Lady Tigers are working on in practice as you get ready for district play?
Brylee — We’ve all had to become a little more disciplined both as a team and individually. Working on communicating better and not rushing our shots has been key. Making sure we are getting the extra looks and handling the ball and just overall team chemistry is our main focus. If we’re not working together as a team, we’re not going to win games.