Size and skill: Lake City post Brooklyn Rewers commits to Duke

There’s an adage in basketball that says, “You can’t teach height.” That might be true, but Lake City 6-foot-4 junior post Brooklyn Rewers brings a lot of things to the table – not just her size.

On Saturday, the two-time defending Inland Empire League 5A player of the year announced via Twitter she accepted an offer to continue her basketball and academic career at Duke.

The offer came about only recently and was the result of some fortunate timing.

“They called me at the beginning of April,” she said. “A coach down at Mountain View, actually, (Duke was) talking to her and she suggested to give me a call.”

Rewers said Michigan State and several West Coast Division I programs also showed interest.

“Duke just gave me everything I was looking for, both academic and for basketball,” she said. “It’s just a great opportunity all the way around.”

She plans to major in business with an emphasis in marketing and media.

Rewers was named to the Idaho 5A all-state second team and averaged 18.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.7 blocks as a junior – leading the state in scoring and blocked shots.

“Brooklyn is so skilled,” Lake City coach James Anderson said. “She works so hard. She’s very dynamic and can score in so many different ways. And she keeps getting better and better.

“The height helps, but she’s got a pretty unique skill set to go along with it.”

Rewers will be the latest in her family to play college basketball. Her dad, Brian, was a 6-10 center at Wyoming and played internationally for 11 years. Her sister, Lauren, recently transferred to Michigan State after playing three years at Hawaii.

Along with the accolades comes some pressure.

“Everybody’s going to know she was the kid that signed with Duke and they’ll want to come watch her,” Anderson said.

Rewers said she isn’t worried.

“I feel like in a sense I have more to prove,” she said. “But it’s definitely easier on my family and for travel ball – we can just go and enjoy it now. It definitely took some pressure off.”

Just as important as the growth in her skills has been her growth in the mental aspects of the game.

“It’s her confidence,” Anderson said. “Last year she really became a leader for us. You could tell from Day 1 at practice that she was all-in. She’s one of our hardest workers. Every year she takes a huge leap and it’s fun to watch.”

Not many kids from North Idaho get a chance to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“It’s a neat thing for our community to follow her in her journey to go somewhere that unique and well thought of as a basketball school,” Anderson said.

Rewers is the latest player out of the Northwest Blazers program, led by Steve Klees, to receive a Division I scholarship. She is thankful for the opportunities the nationally recognized program has provided to her.

“I’m looking forward to growing and pushing myself to be a better overall player,” she said. “I want to be the best I can be and see how far I can take things with my basketball.”