Brooklyn Schilb and her older sister, Addie, have an affinity for bedazzling things.
As a freshman at St. Charles East, Schilb ended up covering an entire basketball with jewels, including the fleur-de-lis insignia in the middle, to use for media day photos.
And for the 2025-26 season, the sophomore used her crafting abilities for assistant coach James Hawkins, gifting him with a bowtie that could sparkle for senior night.
“Coach Katie (Claussner) and (assistant) coach Sam (Munroe) wanted to do bright orange suit jackets that night, and Hawkins said he just wanted a little accessory to wear,” Schilb said. “So I bedazzled the bowtie for him to wear. It’s just super fun and brings a little excitement and just a little something that’s fun for the team.”
That love for dazzling translated onto the court for Schilb. She finished the season averaging 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.9 assists per game. She earned Class 4A Second Team All-State honors and led the Saints to their first sectional title since 2021.
For her efforts on the court, Schilb has been named the Kane County Chronicle Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
“I think the word that describes her the best is dominant,” Claussner said. “She was just a dominant force on the floor all the time. A lot of times it resulted in her scoring a lot, but she also did a lot of things outside of that. She’s just a dominant all-around force for us.”
Schilb’s addition to the bowtie seemed to bring some magic to the Saints towards the end of the season. After gifting the bowtie to Hawkins, the Saints would go 6-1 to end the season, which included avenging regular-season losses to Lake Park and Glenbard West in the sectional round.
“Being able to match up with Glenbard West felt so nice, especially since they were the ones to end our season last year on our home court,” Schilb said. “And then being able to come back after losing twice to Lake Park and come in and not play like an underdog and get that win, I was just so proud.”
Her shining moment of the season came in that sectional final against the Hilltoppers. After scoring only two points and picking up three fouls in the first half, the sophomore would finish the game with 32 points to lead the Saints to a 53-28 victory.
“I honestly didn’t know that she only had two points in the first half until after the game,” Claussner said. “That just shows the level of effort that she gives the entire game, whether it’s scoring or not. In that moment, I didn’t know she wasn’t having her best game. And for her to explode the way she did in the second half, that’s just what she does.”
Schilb was one of two starters returning from last year’s undefeated DuKane Conference champions, with Addie Schilb being the other. And after averaging 12 points per game as a freshman, she knew she was going to need to step up in the scoring department.
“I just want to credit my coaches and teammates for believing in me,” Schilb said. “I just had the confidence in myself and knew my team needed me to pick up more of a role, whether it be scoring or picking up rebounds, or just doing anything I could for this team.”
That drive led to plenty of success, especially in the paint. Schilb finished the season shooting 52% (212 of 405) from inside the 3-point arc, and finished with 16 double-doubles with points and rebounds. That scoring drive led to multiple accolades, including reaching 1,000 career points on Feb. 5 and being named a co-DuKane Conference Player of the Year.
“With a freshman or a sophomore, it’s really hard to know what you’re going to get” Claussner said. “But she’s just such a special player that we kind of expected this big of a jump. We just knew what she was capable of and how hard she works for everything she’s done. And we think there’s so much more potential than what she’s doing now.”
With two high school years remaining and her sister being the only starter graduating, Schilb says the focus is continuing the success of the program from her first two seasons and going even further.
Even if it means bumping her scoring average up another 10 points.
“As long as our team is successful, that’s the biggest thing I’m focused on,” Schilb said. “Whatever I can do to help, whether it’s with rebounding more or scoring the ball more, I’m going to focus in on those and just whatever my team needs me to do.”