Fifth-year SIU starting point guard Makenzie Silvey has written a new page in the SIU record books recently. Silvey surpassed former SIU point guard Cartaesha Macklin as the new SIU Women’s Basketball scoring leader at 1,780 points.

Entering January 22, SIU’s game against Bradley, Silvey needed at least 17 more points to put herself on top in the record books and she earned exactly that number to put herself in SIU history forever. Silvey nailed a jump shot assisted by Abby Brockmeyer early in the fourth quarter to seal the deal and the celebration began from there.

Silvey said the record had been on her mind for quite some time now, but it wasn’t the main goal she had set out to achieve.

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“I felt obviously excited but mostly relief. I’ve been thinking about it for a little bit. We’re obviously just trying to win right now. With us sitting at the top of the conference, that’s really on the front of my mind but you can’t really not think about this also. I was glad to get it done and I was excited.” Silvey said.

Silvey’s performance helped her surpass previous record holder Cartaesha Macklin.

“I’m just honored to be in a list of names with the greats. I know Rondo and Cartaesha were one and two on that list and those were girls that were here right before me so I’ve seen them play and practice a little bit. It’s really surreal to have scored that many points. It still doesn’t seem real that I’m actually at the top of that list. But we got more work to do with the conference season,” Silvey said.

After the first timeout, the first person she went to was coach Cindy Stein, who’s been with Silvey through all of her 5 years at SIU and Stein said she couldn’t have been prouder of Silvey.

“We know how hard she works and she’s gotten better and better every year and it’s neat to see somebody, that all those blood, sweat, and tears, all those things are paying off for her. We were all just genuinely happy for her,” Stein said.

Not only did the points scored on the shot give Silvey the new record, but it was the start of a 12-2 run for the Salukis that helped them clinch the home win over Bradley to give the women their tenth win of the season and fifth of their last six games.

Silvey said her biggest focus on the night was just trying to keep winning.

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“We got more work to do with the conference season. It was almost nice to get this record over with because my main goal is to win. I know my role on the team is to score so I wasn’t really concerned about when I would get it, as long as it would come in a win. I wanted to do what we had to do to win,” Silvey said.

Stein can attest to Silvey’s selflessness for the team. Stein said Silvey has a lot more that means to her than just this record.

“She’s very humble. I know breaking this record is almost embarrassing to her. She obviously enjoys it but team recognition has always meant more to her. She’s always had great character. She comes from a great family with morals and values. She came in a tremendous kid, but she’s become a better leader and become more giving. She’s been a tremendous person to coach,” Stein said.

Stein also happened to coach the previous points leader for SIUC in Cartaesha Macklin, who broke the record back in 2016. She’s seen first-hand what it takes to break records like this. Stein said getting to that point takes a big effort and time in the gym and on the court.

“It just takes a lot of hard work. I mean they both spent a lot of time in the gym. It’s simple but that’s what it takes. If you want to be that good you got to spend a lot of time at it. Ball don’t lie,” Stein said.

Macklin was just as ecstatic about Silvey breaking the record as everyone else has been. Macklin said it is a lot more than just a tally of points.

“I was just Saluki proud. Anytime you put on a uniform that’s representing something more than yourself, it makes you feel extremely connected to the community and the program. This is a lot more promotion for young girls around to see the Salukis,” Macklin said.

Macklin was given the opportunity to practice with the Salukis even after her graduation in 2016 and saw for herself what traits gave Silvey to get this record.

“I was already a fan of hers after practicing with her. She’s just such a great shooter. I loved her mentality and attitude. She’s a made version of what you want to see out of a student-athlete. She’s great in the classroom and on the floor and a great teammate. I’m proud and excited for her and I know the hard work she had to experience to get that. She should be proud of herself, the team, and what it does for the program itself,” Macklin said.

Silvey and Macklin’s relationship has grown even though they never played together at the same time and on the same team. Through certain appearances at practices by Macklin, Silvey has gained another fan in one of the greats at SIU. Silvey said Macklin has been cheering her on to break her record for a while now.

“There’s been a couple of times after games that she’s been in town to watch us play and she mentions it to me and encourages me that I can get it. She wants me to get it because she likes watching me play and she’s practiced with us a couple of times before since she’s been retired and she’s still real tough so it’s an honor to even be in the same sentence as her because she was one of the best to ever play here,” Silvey said.

Macklin compliments coach Stein in producing such great athletes like Silvey and paying attention to what Silvey needs to improve upon and succeed in her later years. Macklin said Silvey’s extra two years that she’s had with Stein gave her an upper edge over the competition.

“It was a huge advantage. Getting to see her in high school and knowing what she needed in those early years of college was so potent to her later career. Just how coach Stein is, I know how strategic she is with her player’s placements on the court and she knew what she needed to do to develop her into what she is now. It’s good to plant a seed and watch it flourish and that’s what she did with Makenzie,” Macklin said.

Silvey will have the opportunity to expand even more on her record through the rest of the season and look to keep their good vibes going throughout the last 11 games of the season.

Sports reporter Joseph Bernard can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter @Jojobernard2001. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.

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