There was a time when Brooklyn Meyer didn’t really see herself playing college basketball.
Yes, that Brooklyn Meyer – the junior post player who will lead South Dakota State’s Jackrabbits into the Summit League Basketball Tournament this weekend in Sioux Falls.
“But I did start to receive offers in eighth grade, starting with SDSU,” she says now. “I then received more offers from places like Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Minnesota, USD, Drake, NDSU and UND.”
Jackrabbit fans are happy Meyer decided to play in Brookings.
The Larchwood, Iowa, native has become a cornerstone player for a Jackrabbits women’s team that finished the regular season 26-3 overall and 16-0 in Summit League play. This season marks the third straight year the Jacks have finished with a perfect conference record.
Meyer’s tremendous success has been a key part of that success. She received five awards last season for her performance, one being Summit League Player of the Year. This season, Meyer has been awarded for her 1,000 career points as well as hitting big milestones of 500 career rebounds and 100 career blocks.
The junior finished the regular season averaging 17.5 points, 5.4 boards, 1.7 assists and one steal per game which helped her earn a spot on both the Summit League All-Conference First Team and the Summit League All-Defensive Team.
Meyer started playing basketball when she was in grade school but didn’t love the sport until seventh grade.
“SDSU was my first offer, and they’ve been very consistent with me, helped me grow and
develop,” Meyer said, “When I was making a decision it felt obvious SDSU was the place for me and they were really invested in me to come and it really felt like home.”
Meyer’s success didn’t just start in college, though, in fact, she holds a record at her high school for the most blocks in a season, totaling 119. Meyer finished her high school career with 1,493 career points, 967 career rebounds, and 413 career blocks.
As a freshman, Meyer played in all 35 games that season while averaging 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Her sophomore year was her breakthrough.
Meyer was the first sophomore since 2011 to be named Summit League Player of the Year. She’s also the fourth player in conference history to be named Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
On the stat sheet, Meyer led the Jacks with 556 points, 252 rebounds, 61 blocks, and 9 double-doubles just in her sophomore season alone. Meyer also led the Jacks to being Summit League Champions. It is no doubt that Meyer is no stranger to the court.
Meyer is a leader shown by the stat sheet but she’s a leader in many other ways as well.
“Brooklyn’s always been productive, she knows what it takes to make our team win, she’s thoughtful about what her teammates are going through,” head coach Aaron Johnston says, “Very much by example is how she leads and I think she’s good at behind-the-scenes conversationalist and getting to know where people are at.”
Senior teammate Paige Meyer describes Brooklyn as someone who “cares for others and makes everyone around her better in the way she plays.”
One role model Meyer has looked up to since 8th grade is SDSU’s Myah Selland.
“It was really cool to play one year with [Selland] her and learn from her,” Meyer said, “She’s a great player but also a great teammate as well, she still is so great about checking up on me and is a great person in general.”
At South Dakota State, Meyer is majoring in nutrition dietetics and is planning on getting her master’s degree. She wants to be a registered dietitian and work closely with either collegiate or professional athletes.
Meyer and the Jackrabbits will be taking on the winner of Denver and Omaha Thursday at 2:30 p.m. inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
