Stella Sakalas didn’t have a typical childhood, either on or off the basketball court.
The Nazareth star was born in the United States but lived in Australia till she was 12.
That’s where she learned the game, and it was a pretty thorough education.
“Starting basketball in Australia was so good,” Sakalas said. “They are so fundamentally taught. For the first half an hour (of practice) we didn’t touch a basketball. It was all defensive slides. We focused so much on defense and the fundamentals of basketball. We weren’t even allowed to play zone.”
When she moved back to the U.S., Sakalas started working with Nazareth coach Ed Stritzel. It didn’t take him long to see the obvious.
“We all knew she was going to be an exceptional player,” Stritzel said.
That became even more apparent this past season.
Sakalas averaged a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds to go along with two blocks, four steals and three assists per game. The Roadrunners went 31-3 and gave Class 4A champ Kenwood its toughest playoff test by far, falling 72-71 to the Broncos in the sectional semifinals.
That’s why the 6-foot-2 guard/forward is the Southwest Regional Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
The Roadrunners were a defensive-minded team with a battle-tested senior class in 2023-24 when they finished second in Class 4A to Loyola.
This year, Stritzel went to a different approach and it helped Sakalas take her game to another level.
“Now that it’s played out — I hate to use (the term) ‘her her back’ — (but) she just fits better in the system we played this year,” he said.
Sakalas, who holds numerous high Division I offers, appreciated the opportunity to show off more of her game this season.
“My post presence wasn’t as big (last season) as it was this year,” she said. “Being able to play on the perimeter and play in the post really benefited me.”
Sakalas was a matchup headache in every phase of the game.
“She went from an exceptional player (as a sophomore) to a top-five player as a junior,” Stritzel said. “She was a one-man fast break. She grabbed the rebound and was the first one down the floor.”
Sakalas led in other ways, too.
“I think her mindset changed,” Stritzel said. “She knew it was her team.”
It’s no surprise that Sakalas has elite athleticism because she comes from a sports family. Her dad Mike played football at Iowa and her mom Cindy was a swimmer at Iowa State.
But it wasn’t just genetics that made Sakalas the player she is. Hard work also was a major part of the equation.
“I’m so lucky to have such good teammates,” she said. “Playing in the summer together helped us.”
Senior Allia von Schlegell averaged 15 points per game and will continue her career at Valparaiso. Sophomore Sophie Towne, who scored 14 ppg, is another high-major prospect.
Then there was a typically challenging regular-season schedule with games against St. Ignatius and Benet, among others.
“We had a couple losses and we got better from those,” Sakalas said. “You could tell from the first day to the last day how much we improved. We learned how to play together.”
And Sakalas was leading the way.
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