Number: 45
Height: 6’5
Class: Freshman
Position: Forward
Hometown: Sioux Falls, S.D
Ratings as Recruit:
- 4* Forward
- 69th Ranked player in 2021 (Collegiate Girls Basketball Report)
- 10th Best Post Player (ESPNW Hoopgurlz)
- Top 100 Player (Prospects Nation)
- 11th Best Post Player (Prospects Nation)
High School Accolades:
- 1st Team Class AA All-State in 2020
- Class AA Player Of The Year 2021
- South Dakota Female Basketball Player Of The Year 2021
- 1st Class AA All-State First Team 2021
Sydni averaged 16.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 4.5 bpg during her senior year, while helping Washington High School to a 20-2 record and Class AA State Championship. Schetnan also set a school record with 81 blocks in a season and 186 in her career.
Coach Walz: “Syd brings us some size at 6-5 that we need, she can block shots, she rebounds, and we’ll continue to work on our offensive game. But she has the ability to step out and shoot the ball.”
Breakdown: Sydni Schetnan is a phenomenal two-sport athlete. Schetnan is a very good rebounder, both in and around her area. A lot of players are good at rebounding their area, very few are good at both. Sydni uses her 6’5 frame to not only rebound, but to patrol the paint and block and alter shots. Schetnan is a very mobile frontcourt player and will be a real problem for opposing teams in transition. Offensively, she has the ability to finish through contact in the paint and has displayed a soft touch with her face up game. Sydni has the ability to shoot the ball, so there is always an opportunity for her to be on the floor.
My Take: Sydni has loads of potential. I honestly think she’ll redshirt this year. After all, the Cards already have a loaded frontcourt (Parker, Engstler, Dixon, and Cochran). I suspect that Schetnan will take a similar path as former two-sport athlete and fan favorite, Gwen Rucker. I’m still going back and forth on whether Sydni will redshirt this year. Coach Walz could decide to play her in spots this year to get her acclimated to the speed and physicality of the collegiate game. A redshirt season would really benefit Sydni because it will put another year of separation between her and the current post players on the roster. She can continue to add more to her offensive game and improve on her strength, conditioning and the defensive schemes Coach Walz likes to use.
