December 2008

SI SPORTS CONNECTION •DECEMBER 2008

SI SPORTS CONNECTION • DECEMBER 2008

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A time honored banking tradition of serA time honored banking tradition of serA time honored banking tradition of serA time honored banking tradition of serA time honored banking tradition of service...vice...vice...vice...vice...When walking through our doors, you notice something is different. The

Golden Rule is in fashion at Peoples National Bank... We treat our customers theway we want to be treated. Whether you’re looking to buy that first car, build a

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Bill Bonan IIBill Bonan IIBill Bonan IIBill Bonan IIBill Bonan IICommunity Bank PresidentCommunity Bank PresidentCommunity Bank PresidentCommunity Bank PresidentCommunity Bank President

Community BankCommunity BankCommunity BankCommunity BankCommunity Bank

SerSerSerSerServing Southerving Southerving Southerving Southerving Southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Metro East since 1909n Illinois, St. Louis, and Metro East since 1909n Illinois, St. Louis, and Metro East since 1909n Illinois, St. Louis, and Metro East since 1909n Illinois, St. Louis, and Metro East since 1909.....

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Publisher/Editor Jim MuirGraphic Design/Layout Michael ThomasPhotographers Christopher Kays Ceasar MaragniContributing Writers Teri Campbell Danny Czerwinski Chris Denault Jeffrey Drake Roger Lipe Ceasar Maragni Jim Muir Mike Murphy Mario Moccia Sean Patrick Joe Szynkowski Shannon Woodworth Nathan Wheeler Tom Wheeler

You can get your monthly issue of Southern Illinois Sports Connection at the following businesses: Subway Sandwich in: Mt.Vernon (three locations), Rend Lake College, Sesser, Chris-topher, Benton, Pinckneyville, Du Quoin, Carbondale (four locations), Herrin, West Frankfort, Johnston City, Carterville, Vienna, Metropolis, Harrisburg, Anna, Marion (three locations), McLeansboroCircle K Convenience locations in: Carbondale, Murphysboro, Benton, Mt. Vernon (three locations) Farm Fresh locations in: Benton, Har-risburg, West Frankfort ROC One Stop locations in: Eldorado (Rt.45), Mc LeansboroAll Stars & Stitches in BentonBeav’z Sporting Goods in ChristopherBoccie Ball Club in BentonBP One Stop in NashvilleBP Convenience Rt. 148 in EnergyEldorado Discount LiquorsFielder’s Choice in West FrankfortFood Park in McLeansboroHunt’s Hardware & Groceries in DaleJD Street BP in Johnston CityJumping Jimmy’s Convenience in SesserLake Zone Convenience in WhittingtonLee’s Sports in NashvilleMikey B’s Bleacher Bum Cards in CartervilleMoto Mart in Du Quoin Moto Mart in PinckneyvillePhillips 66 Gas Mart in NashvillePhillips 66 Gas Mart in ChristopherShell Convenience Rt. 154 east of PinckneyvilleSun Mart in SesserWilli Shell Rt. 51 South in Du Quoin

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The Lineup

COVER STORY 18: A True Pioneer - Sara Rennie is embarking on her 33rd and final year as coach of the Mt. Vernon Lady Rams closing out a remarkable career that will include more than 600 wins

Features December 2008

Ask the Coach 8: This month SISC introduces a new monthly feature called “Ask the Coach” where we will ask Southern Illinois coaches a timely question.

Like we tell you every year … the games you remember are the games in November 10: A final look at the 2008 high school football season

Upward … Upward and Away 14: The sky’s the limit for Mari-on’s Upward Football Program after an inaugural opening season attracted more than 100 youth

On the Move 30: Benton’s Lauren Moore is a young lady on the move – and part of those moves comes on the sidelines at the Ed-ward Jones Dome as a St. Louis Rams cheerleader

SISC Goes One-on-One with Rich Yunkus 44: From a gangly freshman in 1963 to one of the most sought after high school play-ers in the nation four years later Rich Yunkus helped put Benton on the basketball map and is the measuring stick when talking about the best-ever big men to grace the hard court in Southern Illinois.

36: In Focus Ceasar Maragni

38: Goro’s Rant Chris Denault

40: From Where I Sit Tom Wheeler

42: RLC Report Nathan Wheeler

52: Around The Horn Sean Patrick

54: SISC Viewpoint Danny Czerwinski

6: Publisher’s Greeting Jim Muir

22: SIC Athletics Jeffrey Drake

23: FCA - Transforming Lives Roger Lipe

24: Murf’s Turf Mike Murphy

26: JALC Journal Teri Campbell

28: Ask the McDocs Dr. Dennis McGuire Dr. John McConnaughy

34: Ask the AD SIU Athletic Director Mario Moccia

Cover: Mt. Vernon Lady Rams basketball coach Sara Rennie is a true pioneer in girls high school basketball. (Photo by Ceasar Maragni)

SI SPORTS CONNECTION •DECEMBER 2008 5

!

easar Maragni


Letter from the PublisherS O U T H E R N I L L I N O I S

SPORTS CONNECTION

Jim Muir, Publisher

Greetings and welcome to the December issue of Southern Illinois Sports Connection. The magazine you hold in your hand is our final publication for 2008 and also marks our 17th over-all issue and the completion of our first calendar year of bringing you some of the top sports stories in our region. Despite the bleak economic news we hear about on a daily basis and the continued increase in unemployment here in our area we end the year here at SISC brimming with confidence and eager to jump on 2009 with both feet. But, before I get too carried away celebrating the end of another year and the start of a new one perhaps I should get back to the task at hand, which is telling you about this month’s magazine. This venture – and sometimes it’s an ad-venture – is about Southern Illinois sports and nothing else. As long as I’m making the decisions there will be nothing over-the-top, no in-your-face attitude and certainly no controversy. Given life in the 21st Century, those things can easily be found elsewhere. Instead, our goal since day one has been to sprinkle in a little of the rich history of Southern Illinois sports with current stories and also to venture off the beaten path and bring you a diverse blend of good things to read that you can’t find anywhere else. Certainly we want to bring you stories about the star athlete or the top sports programs but we also want to highlight other athletes – and there are athletes of every size, age and shape imaginable – here in this area. Based on that recipe this month’s magazine is just what the doctor ordered. We want to introduce you this month to Sara Rennie, who is beginning her 33rd and final year coaching girl’s basketball at Mount Vernon. During her final year Rennie will notch her 600th win (she begins the year with 596) and will become only the sixth coach in Illinois girl’s basketball history to reach that coveted mark. Every girl’s coach in Southern Illinois, in fact every girl that’s ever played sports should send Rennie a card thanking her for the trail she blazed 30-plus years ago during an era when girl’s sports was neither accepted nor appreciated. Rennie has been a true pioneer for girl’s athletics and will leave a legacy that will not be matched. Who’s the best big man to every grace the hard court here in Southern Illinois? Certainly that question by itself will cause more than a few opinions and friendly disagreements, based largely on where you happen to live. This week SISC goes one-on-one with former Benton All-State and Georgia Tech All-American Rich Yunkus who is clearly at or near the top of that ‘best-ever’ list. This week we also meet Lauren Moore, a Benton native and a St. Louis Rams’ cheerleader. If you think being an NFL cheerleader is all glitz and glamour you’ll find out that there are many hours of preparation and hard work that goes into those three hours on the sideline on Sunday afternoon. And that’s just a small sampling of what you’ll find in this month’s issue, which as always is jam-packed with great stories from a talented group of writers. Finally, from my little corner of the world here at SISC let me take this opportunity to wish all our wonderful readers and adver-tisers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.


(This month SISC is introducing a new monthly feature called “Ask the Coach” where each month we will ask South-ern Illinois coaches a timely question. If you would like a particular question asked please contact SISC at – [email protected])

Kevin Toney is in his 18th year at West Frankfort after four years at Mulkeytown Junior High.

“No, my team is not set after summer ball. In fact in the summer I experiment with different line ups, four big guys, maybe four guards. Many times we go to camp without all our returning players; seldom do our top players make it to the same summer tournaments. A high school kid has to be in so many places if he is a multi-athlete” “I do have to cut here; it’s the part of coaching that I hate the most. It’s so tough to cut an athlete that you have spent time with all summer and find him to be a better person than player. Every-one in school is invited to our pre-season

meeting. After four practice sessions I get with my staff and we decide who will get uniforms. It’s possible to become a Redbird without the summer activity.”

Matt Wynn is in his sev-enth year as head coach at Benton after six years coach-ing at Benton Middle School, three years as head coach at Meridian high School and a year in Atlanta, Georgia.

“By IHSA rules, coaches can’t hold players accountable for the summer activities. But, honestly, while one kid is not playing another one is playing in his place. If coaches are going to be in that gym all summer, then sure, we realize who have been battling all summer to be on the team. Anyone in school can go to camp with us, there are no restrictions. It does matter, but summer is tough with 25 contact days for other sports as well. When do a kid and his family go on vacation?” “I do cut here at Benton after our open try outs and three or four practices depending on our gym schedule. It’s

really tough on kids that have not been around all summer, the drills, just being unfamiliar with the way we do things. I do not post a list, I call each player in that doesn’t get a suit and talk to them individually, let them know what they must work on if they wish to try out in the future.”

Joe Hosman has been Mas-sac County’s varsity bas-ketball coach for the past 23 years. Hosman also spent seven years at Eldo-rado and one at Carbondale.

“No, my team is never picked; in fact we have a player this year that was not in our program last year. Our gym is open to everyone in the summer, we have many kids come in and play. When we go to camp or a tournament we have to choose who goes, the same guys don’t go every time. Justin Kindle, one of better players the year we went to state, didn’t play basketball until his junior year; he just worked harder as he got older.” “I still have to cut here in Patriot land. We have a meeting for anyone in school interested in playing basketball; they have to have a physical to try out. We give them three days of try outs. I then talk to the kids that do not get a suit. I think you should be honest with them, they know if you’re honest or not. Some-times it easier for them to hurt after only three days than it is to hurt after three months.”

Randy Smithpeters has been head coach at Harrisburg High School for the past 15 years.

(Photo provided)

(Photo provided)

(Photo provided)

(Photo provided)


“No, we have open gym in the summer and anyone at our high school can come out and play. We do watch it close when we go to camp; only taking those that we know may play the next year. With the cost of camps, I don’t want someone sacrificing their money to go to camp when I don’t think they will be a varsity player. We have a lot of all-around ath-letes at Harrisburg, so I must work very close with the other coaches and learn to “share” our players. Legion baseball and football workouts are very important to

our kids, so there are some summers I don’t see some basketball players in the gym that much. We always have enough playing basketball that this gives some other kid a chance to play, and hopefully, improve.” “I have an announcement made the week before the season starts for an open invitation for anybody in school to try out. Try outs usually last 3-4 days, depending on how much time our staff needs to fairly evaluate the players. We try to keep an eye on that athlete who

has grown over the summer, we watch closely for kids with hidden potential. In fact this year we kept a senior who hasn’t played since his freshman year, but we believe he will help the team. I put the “cut” list up late which means the athlete can come back with anybody he wants, whenever he wants, to see if he gets a suit. I do make sure they know my door is always open if they want to know what they need to work on for the future.”

(If you would like a particular question asked please contact SISC at –


By Jim MuirPhotos by Christopher Kays

On Oct. 25 the IHSA announced its play-off pairings and immediately the ultimate goal for those 256 teams in Class 1A through Class 8A was to still be stand-ing five weeks later -- standing meaning standing on the turf at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. After nine weeks of Friday night battles the playoffs might best be described as a four-week war of Saturday afternoon joy and heartbreak all geared toward a post Thanksgiving appearance in Central Illinois. Win and move on, lose and go home – it’s as simple as that. On a cold and slate-gray November weekend in Champaign the anticipation

about the playoff pairings and in fact the heat of August, the grueling sum-mer camps and the two-a-day practices seemed like a distant memory. The only thing on the minds of the 16 teams that squared off on Nov. 28 and 29 was to claim the big trophy and head for home. As the saying goes, to the victor go the spoils. The Du Quoin Indians rolled through the regular season with an 8-1 record, qualifying for the playoffs for the 25th consecutive year – a state record. The Indians then efficiently started mowing down playoff opponents beating three previously undefeated teams in a row (Carterville, Decatur St. Teresa and Co-lumbia) and faced Carthage (Illini West) in the Class 3A state title game. The title appearance would be Du Quoin’s sixth, a

nother amazing fact that gets lost in the gaudy statistics of Southern Illinois’ top high school football program. In a state championship match up for the ages Illini West defeated the Indians 21-14, scoring the winning touchdown with only 25 seconds remaining in the game. Proving that football really is a game of inches replays showed that the game-winning pass was only inches away from being deflected by a Du Quoin defender. The Indians closed out the 2008 season with a record of 12-2 and added an-other chapter to a long list of November memories. SISC photographer Christopher Kays was at Memorial Stadium and caught the excitement and the heartbreak of the final day of the 2008 football season.

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Left: Memorial Stadium in Champaign was the site for the IHSA Championship football games. Insert Left: Du Quoin Head Coach Al Martin and Asst. Coach Nick Hill overlook a play. Above: Du Quoin RB David Rose looks to break to the outside.Right: Du Quoin QB A.J. Hill with a QB sneak. Below: Du Quoin linebacker Dalton Morgan (30) and defensive back Blake Hester (22) tackle Illini West RB Stefan Flynn (34)


Top: Du Quoin head coach Al Martin answers questions for reporters after the 3A title game.

Above: Du Quoin captains A.J. Hill (7) and Colin Jones (50) display disappoinment and emotion as they receive their runner-up medals.

Right Above: The officiating crew for the 1A State Final game. (L-R) Jeff Weatherly, Dee Wiley, Rocky Hull, Roger Grumley, and Eric Brannock.

Right: The 3A State Finals officiating crew of Dean Lan-genfeld, Guy Holtkamp, Spanky Smith, Jay Miller, Matt Manfucci and ball-boy Cole Wells.


A pass slips between Reese Hirons, left, and Noah Tarlton, right. The sky’s the limit for Marion’s

Upward Football Program after an inaugural opening season attracted more than 100 youth

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Photos and StoryBy Ceasar Maragni With the theme “Every Child Plays, Every Child Learns and Every Child Is A Winner” a youth sports program in Marion this fall attracted over 100 youngsters and offered them the chance to play flag football and experience cheerleading in an organized, positive environment. Upward Football is a fun sports experience for boys and girls in 1st through 6th grades. The nationally sponsored Upward programs provide first class, organized and detailed sports programming in basketball, soccer, flag football and cheerleading and they emphasizes character and integrity, instead of a “win at all costs” mentality associated with much of today’s sports world. Upward equips local churches with all the necessary training, tools and support to conduct an Upward camp or league. The non-denominational program utilizes local churches, and local leaders, to help young people have an opportunity to enjoy sports, while also receiving faith-based guidance to help mold the youngsters into well-rounded members of society. Marion's Third Baptist Church Recreation Minister Brett Cutsinger was the local organizer of Upward Football in Southern Illinois this year, and his church served as the host site for all of this year's games. “The kids have been great, the coaches and all the other volunteers have been wonder-ful to work with,” Cutsinger said. “We started planning this program two years ago and I was just hoping we'd get at least a hundred involved this first year. As it turned out we had 110 kids participate and I couldn't be happier.” Marion's Upward football program was the only one in Illinois held south of Chicago this year, and Cutsinger said that he and the others will continue Upward Football here again next year. He encourages others to get involved and said that he would be hap-py to explain the merits of the program to those in other area communities. Cutsinger says he can be reached at 618-922-1869 for more information. Descriptions of all the Upward programs can be obtained by visit-ing upward.org the organization's web site.

“The kids have been great, the coach-es and all the other volunteers have been wonderful to work with”

--Brett Cutsinger--Local organizer of Upward Football

Left: Making like a miniature Brett Farve, Braxton Wright looks downfield for a receiver during a game.

Below: Coach Rob-bie Lindhorst gives instruction and encour-agement to his team, the Bills, just before kickoff.

15


Above: Ball carrier Erza Frick evades defenders during a run toward the end zone.

Right: Upward cheerlead-ers Jessica Kragness, left, Hannah Browning, right, and Briley Shanks, back-ground left, help inspire the players and fans with their cheers.


Top Right: Participants, coaches and officials gather for a circle of prayer just prior to kickoff of each game.

Bottom Right: Eli Harlan, left, and Jade Chew, right, both try to haul in this pass as Peyton Barnett, # 22, keeps an eye on the action.

Above: Keen eyes and quick hands help Travis Dodson haul in this pass.


Below:Sara Rennie will be wearing her whistle as coach of the Lady Rams for the final time later this season.

By Joe SzynkowskiPhotos by Ceasar Maragni

Sara Rennie remembers the near-empty gyms on game nights. And she clearly recalls the non-existent media coverage after a big win. She

also recalls having to push for equal gym space and practice time during an era in which boys’ athletics ruled. Girls didn’t have today’s opportunities when Rennie took over Mount Vernon’s high school basketball program in 1976. She says most people, from the student body to parents, were slow to show sup-port for girls’ athletics. “It wasn’t the popular thing to do for a girl to play sports back then,” Rennie said. “You were usually in band or a cheerleader. When you joined a sports

Above: Watching Rennie run her prac-tices gives one a clue as to why she’s been so successful as girls basketball coach in her three decade career at Mt. Vernon High School.


team back then there were a lot of ques-tions about why you even wanted to play sports…those girls were truly the pioneers. And that’s how you know those girls back then didn’t play for anything except for the love of the game.” Mount Vernon girls’ basketball program was started in 1975 with Sherrie Kersh at the helm. The Lady Rams finished the sea-son 2-8 – it would be their last losing season until 1987, more than a dozen years later. Rennie was hired as Mount Vernon’s head coach the next season, beginning a period of success not even she expected. The then-22-year-old graduate of Eastern Illinois University finished her first campaign with an 8-6 record before leading her teams deep into the playoffs the next two seasons. “I was lucky with the success we had early on,” Rennie said. “Success breeds

success and those early seasons helped build the program up in Mount Vernon. As the years went by, more and more young girls knew about our basketball program. It was hard work but it was definitely worth it.

“When we were just starting out there weren’t a lot of expectations. We really didn’t feel any pressure to win and the feeling was ‘let’s just get this started and see how many people we can get to come out.”’

Rennie grew up in Virden, a small town about 20 miles south of Springfield. Her high school didn’t offer girls sports back then, so her interest in coaching wasn’t really piqued until she started college.

“I wasn’t even too aware of any opportunities for young women wanting to play sports,” Rennie said. “I knew I wanted to teach but my plans for coaching didn’t come until my col-lege freshman year when I got on campus and saw the opportunities.” ‘An Amazing Time’ Rennie’s Lady Rams made a big splash during her third year of coach-ing. They cruised to a 19-7 record, won the program’s first sectional

and earned a spot in the Sweet 16 against East St. Louis. Rennie still remembers the honor she felt taking the floor that night. The Lady Rams fell, 86-42. “(East St. Louis) would bring something like 800 people to their games and here

“That success helped solidify the importance of the program. We were able to gain momen-tum and get some fan support behind us. And players just kind of came in and fed off the play-ers who had been there. It just steamrolled from there” – Sara Rennie –Talking about the success of her 1979 ‘Sweet Sixteen’ team.

Coach Rennie’s 1979 Lady Rams advanced to the Sweet Sixtyeen and were perhaps her finest team in her 33 year tenure at Mt. Vernon.


we are playing in front of 100 people,” Rennie said. “It’s the biggest crowd we ever played against. It was a little intimi-dating but we were just so thrilled.” The attention that came with the playoff run helped put Mount Vernon girls’ basketball in the spotlight. “And with that success you get the newspapers calling us up wanting to do articles,” Rennie said. “People are wanting us to do radio…those were the things that came with the winning. That was kind of a whirlwind experience.” “That success helped solidify the im-portance of the program. We were able to gain momentum and get some fan support behind us. And players just kind of came in and fed off the players who had been there. It just steamrolled from there.” Mount Vernon has won 18 regionals and two sectionals since that year, establish-ing itself as a perennial playoff presence in Southern Illinois. Throughout her years of winning, Rennie has earned the respect and admiration of coaches like Carbondale’s Marialice Jenkins, who has faced the Lady Rams in many South Seven battles over the past 11 years. “She’s seen it all,” Jenkins said. “The things I respect are how she conducts herself and handles her team. I feel fortu-nate to have coached against her.” “I’m sure there are girls who have grown up wanting to be a Lady Ram just because of the program she’s put in place there. That goes a long way for contin-ued success.” Jenkins said she was on the front end of reaping the benefits of Title IX, the 1972 legislation that bans athletic or academic sex discrimination in schools. She was a

varsity starter for her high school girls’ team in Kentucky and a four-year player at Southern Illinois University before she eventually took over the Terriers.

She said coaches like Rennie who expe-rienced the discrimination and doubters in the early days of girls’ basketball deserve credit for building the sport’s strong foundation. “She’s been able to watch the game of basketball grow over the years in South-ern Illinois,” Jenkins said. “The kids playing today have no clue how it all got started back then and that’s a shame.

“There probably won’t be as many coaches today who will last as long as Sara. Society in general is changing…more is expected from coaches by players and even parents.” – Mount Vernon Athletic Director Doug Creel –

People like Coach Rennie made huge sacrifices back in those days.”

“I really feel like since girls’ sports were new and were something administrators had to put in with Title IX, a lot of traditional coaches on the inside probably weren’t really sure of what was going on,” Rennie said. “They never had to share gym space or practice time before. It was all so new. It

was just an amazing time.” ‘She’s All We’ve Ever Known’ Rennie is retiring from Mount Vernon in the spring, ending 33 years of teaching and coaching. She began this season with 596 wins and a .667 winning percentage. Her teams have won 20 or more games 14 times and she led the Lady Rams to 10 straight regional titles beginning in 1992.

When Coach Rennie speaks, her players listen, showing great respect for the coaching pioneer and leg-end. It’s not just about basketball, but many other important life lessons that Coach Rennie has shared with the hundreds of players she has coached over the years at Mt. Vernon High School.


Rennie taught high school courses to many current members of Mount Vernon’s administration --- including Athletic Director Doug Creel. Creel coached the school’s boys’ team for 22 years before stepping down at the end of last season. He said coaching has definitely changed over the years, and he respects Rennie’s ability to adapt to those changes. “There probably won’t be as many coaches today who will last as long as Sara,” Creel said. “Society in general is changing…more is expected from coaches by players and even parents.” Creel said working with a new coach next year will take some adjusting. “She’s all we’ve known,” Creel said. “It’s probably going to be tougher on her than anything else trying to make that adjustment to life after basketball.” “It’s going to be very hard to walk away but I’m not really worried about that now,” Rennie said. “It will be a tremen-dous loss in my life, but I just have to try to focus on making the basketball program successful this year.”

Mount Vernon hasn’t finished with a winning season since 2003, but is primed to send Rennie out on a positive note. Senior Mariah Fleming averaged 18 points per game last season and is signed to play next year for Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. “We really haven’t been overly success-ful the past three years, but the time has been pretty rewarding watching some of the players come through,” Rennie said. “That’s better than wins and losses. Like with Mariah’s scholarship, I’d like to think I’m a part of her earning that and it makes me proud.”

And as far as reaching the 600-win mile-stone, Rennie said she’ll have plenty of time to reflect on it after the season. “I guess it’s something I’ll look back on when I retire and go through all the clippings,” Rennie said. “But it’s not something I really dwell on too much. As the milestones all came it was nice to get a little recognition, but it doesn’t really affect my day-to-day activities. I still get up and go to work an hour early every day and do the best I can.” Joe Szynkowski is a freelance writer for SISC. He can be reached at [email protected].

“She’s been able to watch the game of bas-ketball grow over the years in Southern Illi-nois,” Jenkins said. “The kids playing today have no clue how it all got started back then and that’s a shame. People like Coach Rennie made huge sacrifices back in those days.”

– Carbondale Coach Marialice Jenkins--


Mitchell twins succeeding side-by-side at Southeastern

Southeastern Illinois College men’s basketball coach Todd Franklin knows what it’s like to have a family member along

side in running a program. His younger brother Greg was an assistant with the Falcons before taking the women’s head coaching position in 2002.

Since then the younger Franklin has moved on, but there is new a combina-tion of brothers on the court at SIC, and they hail from Carrier Mills.

Paternal twins Jeremiah and Nate Mitch-ell are in the middle of their sophomore campaigns at Southeastern and both were a part of a team which landed in the national quarterfinals last season as freshmen.

Nate has averaged 5.4 points and 5.4 rebounds so far this season as the team’s starting power forward. He knows the guy that comes in right behind him pretty well too. It’s his older brother – by all of five minutes – Jeremiah.

“I thought they did a great job for us last year as freshmen,” Franklin said. “They really worked and worked, and worked, and that’s a big key. They certainly did that in the preseason. Now one starts and one comes in right behind.”

Out of high school, the number of pro-grams to choose from was slim for the twins, and at times the two didn’t think they’d be playing together in college. That all changed when they signed with the Falcons.

“I think I was really blessed to have a chance to come out here because when-ever I was in high school, I really didn’t

have any opportunities to go anywhere and Coach Franklin gave me a chance to come out here and play,” Jeremiah said. “This is a real good thing to be able to play at such a high level.”

The younger brother agreed that it's a special opportunity being on the same floor with his twin. And it’s something that has made them both better players.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” said who at 6-feet-5 is two inches taller than his twin. “We thought after high school that we wouldn’t be going to the same schools because we had a bunch of different skills, but we came here and worked hard and compete with each other in practice. And it makes us go harder and gives us a competitive feel.”

Playing junior college basketball so close to home is something that is special and even more so is having their parents Lounita and Jetson Mitchell in the stands for most of their games.

“They give us a lot of support and they get to come to all of the home games and a lot of the road games. It’s always good to have them in the crowd,” said Nate about having his parents around who wait to talk to their sons after each contest.

But with the two playing similar posi-tions, they realize it would be difficult

to transfer to the same school again, and both seem to be ready to go their differ-ent ways after this winter.

“It’s probably winding down,” Nate said of the chance of playing with his brother. “We’ve got different majors so we’re getting different looks, so it’s probably the last year.”

Both said they could beat each other in games of one-on-one, but their coach says it’s easy to forget they are twins when they are out on the floor.

“You really don’t even think about them being twins that much when you’re out there and they both have their unique personalities,” Franklin said. “It’s been interesting, they are different guys who are playing major roles for us, but they’ve been better people, leaders, students than they are basketball players and they’ve done nothing but add quality to our program.”

The former Carrier Mills-Stonefort High School standouts aren’t the only area players that have worked for and enjoyed success while at SIC.

Eldorado graduate Shane Simms went on the play at the University of Southern Indiana, Harrisburg’s Kyle Smithpeters continued at Southern Illinois University, and more recently, Gallatin County’s Kyle Oldham is playing at Henderson State.

“I think there is one thing that is consis-tent with those guys; they’ve all been tremendous team guys and have all been beyond willing workers. Those guys have gotten a lot of pride in being part of it here and they’ve probably enjoyed challenging themselves, and I know I’m better off from being around all of them,” Franklin said.

Nate (left) and Jeremiah Mitchell

By Jeffrey Drake


By Roger Lipe - Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Faith on the Field

Character Tests Sport provides character tests with each competition, practice session, team meeting, training room appointment and recovery period. We are tested through-out the process by success, failure, frustration, fatigue, disillusionment, pain, indulgence, pride and more. Success tests our character as we learn how to handle praise and an inordinate sense of our importance. It checks our heart for how we deal with privilege and media hype. Will we be humble and deflect praise toward our teammates, coaches and our God, or will we become unapproachable, proud and arrogant? Failure tests our character in other ways. It probes our hearts’ darker recesses regarding frustration, anguish, feelings of inadequacy, bitterness and envy. Will we separate ourselves from teammates, friends and family to stew in our self-pity or will we press through the pain and maintain the healthy, healing rela-tionships which help restore our broken spirits? Sport will test your character every day. Play your heart out and you’ll pass the test with a high mark and no regrets, win or lose.

Why is Winningso Important? I recently watched a Division I Women’s Basketball game from the visiting team’s bench in the gym of their strongest conference rival. This game and the brief moments after the game were a vivid re-minder of why winning is so important. This season had been one of great frus-tration, loss and division for our team. We entered the game near the bottom of the conference and the team we were to play was tied for first in the conference. (They eventually won the regular season and post-season conference tournament championships.) The whole game was an uphill battle, but our team had a short lead at half-time. In the second half we played very well and one could feel the momentum growing as three players made big shots and defensive plays. This swing of momentum put down all the feelings of frustration, division, jeal-ousy, bitterness and more as the whole team was focused on the win which was within their grasp. The team was unified, at least for the final twenty minutes of the game and we won a huge road vic-tory. As the players ran from the floor with smiling faces, excited voices and victori-

ous gestures, one would never know the true nature of the team’s past three months. In the locker room, the celebra-tion continued with the coaching staff congratulating players, affirming the way they played and smiling at their achieve-ment. A couple of players commented in the hall shortly thereafter about how much fun the game is when we win. This is why winning is so important. When we win, the selfish nature of people is more easily kept in check and it’s much easier to selflessly seek the best for our team and for each teammate. When we lose, it’s infinitely easier to self-protect, to shift blame and to “look out for number one.” It requires much more self-control to love our teammates and coaches when we’re struggling to succeed. Play your heart out. Pursue wins strong-ly, because when you win the game pays you back for all the hours of hard work, the miles of running and the years of training you’ve invested. You experi-ence the best of sport when you strongly compete for victory.

Roger Lipe has served with Southern Illinois FCA since 1994 when he became the region’s first direc-tor. Roger operates out of the Carbondale FCA Office.You can reach him at: [email protected]


Murf’s TurfBy Mike Murphy

Hopes & Wishes

By the time you read this, hope-fully the Du Quoin Indians have won the 3A football state championship, SIU football is

still alive in the playoffs, SIU basketball have ripped off a couple of impressive wins and area high school basketball teams are providing hardwood entertain-ment to all their fans.

During this busy time of the year we reflect on the months past and if you’re a sports junkie like me important events are usually paired with certain sports sea-sons or games.

For example one knows the seasons are changing because a different sport is starting up. It’s almost like having your own type of screwy calendar in your head and sometimes you can even set birthdays and anniversaries with your method.

Winter and the cold weather bring Thanksgiving and Christmas and also football playoffs and the start of high school basketball tournaments.

It’s also the time of year that the Hot Stove League officially fires up with its talks of available free agents, or rumors of trades. Being a lifelong Cardinal fan this time of the year has been kind of boring in past seasons.

The Red Birds have adopted a policy of fiscal conservancy right after they told fans they needed help with a new stadium and instructed fans to buy up all the tickets so they could stay com-petitive with other major league teams. This word ‘competitive’ has been used frequently over the past several years.

It’s been used so much I’ve gotten a bit confused.

The Cards have the best player in the National League in Albert Pujols. The Cards finished fourth last year.

The Cards say they want to continue to wait and see how former ace Chris Carpenter’s health will be before doing something, anything in the active mar-ketplace. Just who are the Cards trying to be competitive with? I would hope the Cubs, Dodgers and Brewers and not

the Pirates and Padres.

If I look into my crystal ball, I see the Cards almost standing pat, picking up say a Trever Miller or Arthur Rhoades. They may also get a middle infielder like Edgar Renteria.

Maybe I’m all wrong to shake my head at Cards’ General Mananger John Moze-liak’s approach. After all, the economy is in a mess. Baseball will or already has started to feel the pinch. Some teams have already started laying off club em-ployees. Many fans though scream at the patient approach and gnash their teeth when the Cards let the top players go to other clubs or don’t even show much interest.

St. Louis hosts the All-Star Game this summer and will showcase one of the top players of all time in Pujols. Hopefully that won’t be the only things Cardinal baseball fans have to cheer about in 2009.

Let’s Meet Here Next Month.

Just who are the Cards trying to be competitive with? I would hope the Cubs, Dodgers and Brewers and not the Pirates and Padres.


The JALC JournalBy Teri Campbell

Hoops Season Underway at Logan

The John A. Logan College men’s and women’s basketball teams are in the midst of their non-conference schedules. The

Volunteers have four sophomores back from last year, including starters Chris Parks and Matt Lander. Mark Imhoff, head coach of the Volun-teers, says their experience and leader-ship have been important early in the campaign. “It’s good to have some veterans who know the system and understand what we’re trying to accomplish, but we also have nine true freshmen so we’re a young team,” Imhoff said. “The transi-tion from the high school game to the college game takes time. We’ve gone through some natural growing pains and had ups and downs, but we’re making progress. We still have plenty of work to do, but this group has a lot of promise, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the season unfolds.” The Lady Vols have three returners from last year, but their roster has a real local flavor this season with five of the 12 newcomers hailing from Southern Illinois. Marty Hawkins, head coach of the Lady Vols, says he makes an effort to recruit players from the area. “I’m always looking for the best talent no matter where it is,” Hawkins said. “But I think it’s important to keep the best players in Southern Illinois playing in Southern Illinois, and I’m pleased to have these young ladies on the squad.” Tiffany Williams, a former first team all-state guard from Gallatin County High

School, in one of the local products. “I love playing at Logan,” Williams said. “The game is more fast-paced than in high school and it’s more physical. The competition is a lot harder, but I like the faster pace, and I think I’m becoming a better player. I also love all my team-mates. They are all different, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them.” Allison Powell, a 6-foot-1 freshman center from Metropolis, says there’s a big difference between playing in high school and playing in college. “Playing at the college level is definitely more challenging, but the coaches have helped me with the adjustment,” Powell said. “Every day at practice I feel like I learn something new. I also like all of my classes. My instructors are great, and they are always willing to help with anything I need.” Stephanie McSparin, a 6-foot-2 center from Marion, is the most experienced of the local players. An all-state selection in high school, she played at Southeastern Illinois College last year and transferred to Logan after a coaching change at SIC.

“Coach Hawkins and my teammates have made my transfer to Logan pretty easy, and I like playing for the Lady Vols,” McSparin said. “I’m a homebody, and I’m glad to be playing close to home where my family and friends can attend my games.” Katelyn McMahan, a 5-foot-9 freshman guard/forward from Cobden, recently returned to action for the Lady Vols. She suffered a sprained ankle and torn liga-ment in the preseason and was sidelined for several weeks. “Basketball is a big part of my life, and it was frustrating not to be able to practice or play,” McMahan said. “My coaches and teammates were very supportive when I was out with the injury, and I’m happy that I can get on the court now and help the team.” Du Quoin native Melissa Pearson joined the Lady Vols as a walk-on this fall. “I have a lot of respect for Coach Hawk-ins for giving me a chance to try out and play for the team,” said the 5-foot-7 freshman guard. “He’s a good and fair coach. His motto is: ‘make me play you.’ I know if I listen and work hard in prac-

From left to right: Katelyn McMahan (Cobden), Allison Powell (Metropolis), Tiffany Williams (Shawneetown), Stephanie McS-parin (Marion), and Melissa Pearson (Du Quoin).


tice, I can earn playing time.” Logan Baseball Card Show Set for January 4th The John A. Logan College Athletic Department and the First Bank & Trust Company of Murphysboro will present the 23rd annual Jerome “Mimi” Alongi Baseball Card and Sports Memorabilia Show on Sunday, January 4. It will take place in Logan’s Donald L. Brewer Gymnasium and Convocation Center and run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors from through-out the Midwest will display and sell their goods. Tyler Johnson and Cliff Politte, pitchers for the St. Louis Car-dinals, are this year’s special guests and will sign autographs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The admission price to the show is $2 and proceeds go to benefit Logan’s baseball program. Jerry Halstead, athletic director and head baseball coach at Logan, says the card show is an important fundraiser for his baseball team and he’s hoping for a good turnout. “We’ll have a wide variety of sports memorabilia available,” he said. “I think fans and collectors will find something they’re interested in.” For more details and further information, please contact Lo-gan’s Athletic Department at 618-985-2828 or 618-457-7676, Ext. 8369 or TTY 618-985-2752.


Cheerleading Injuries on the Rise

When it comes to sports injuries this time of year a lot of people think of football players. But it's

actually a different group, on the side-lines, seeing a rise in injuries. Cheer-leaders have been transformed from pom-pon waving students, to gymnastic athletes. The first noted cheerleader was Johnny Campbell, who led cheers in 1898 at a Minnesota University football game. With all the tumbling, stunting and dancing that present day cheerleaders do, there has been some speculation that the sport has become too danger-ous. And although safety has always been a top priority for most coaches, is there still more that needs to be done to ensure that cheerleaders stay safe?

Cheerleading is one of the leading sports-related causes of severe, traumat-ic injury in females, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Sur-geons (AAOS). As such, the academy recommends that cheerleaders observe certain safety guidelines.

Injuries among cheerleaders often result from gymnastic tumbling or danger-ous maneuvers. Two such maneuvers include the pyramid, in which the cheerleader at the top is most often injured after falling and landing on a hard surface, and the basket toss, a stunt in which a cheerleader is thrown into the air, often between 6 and 20 feet, by three or four other cheerleaders. Just as football has evolved to a bigger, faster, stronger program, so has cheerleading to become more exciting, both in com-petition and on the sidelines to get the

By Dr. John McConnaughy and Dr. Dennis McGuire

Ask The McDocs

crowd involved. This pushes the coach and cheerleaders to perform the more dangerous stunts and, in turn, places the cheerleader at a greater risk of injury.

Injuries such as bruises, twisted ankles, shin splints and head and neck injuries can also occur while cheerleaders are performing simple routines on unfor-giving surfaces like gymnasium floors, according to an AAOS press release.

The number of cheerleading injuries has risen dramatically over the past three decades as the sport has grown. According to the U.S. Consumer Prod-uct Safety Commission, cheerleading injuries have more than doubled since 1990, while participation grew just 18% over thesame period. In 2007, they accounted for more than 74,000 injuries.

According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, over half of all catastrophic injuries to female athletes at the high school and college level occurred in cheerleading.

Safety experts, including the NCCSIR, the American Association of Cheer-leading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA), and the National Cheer Safety Foundation, therefore suggest the following steps to help prevent cheerleading injuries:

1. Cheerleaders should undergo pre-participation evaluations before they are allowed to participate, including the taking of a complete medical history.

2. Cheerleaders should be trained by a qualified coach with training in gymnastics and partner stunting. This person should also be trained in the proper methods for spotting and other

safety factors.

3. Cheerleaders should be exposed to proper conditioning programs and trained in proper spotting techniques.

4. Proper training. Cheerleaders should receive proper training before attempt-ing gymnastic and partner type stunts and should not attempt stunts they are not capable ofcompleting. A qualifica-tion system demonstrating mastery of stunts is recommended.

5. Supervised practices. Coaches should supervise all practice sessions in a safe facility. Practice guidelines issued by the American Association of Cheer-leading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) require direct supervision by a coach with practices held in a location suitable for the activities of cheerlead-ers.

6. Mini-trampolines and flips or falls off of pyramids and shoulders should be prohibited.

7. No dangerous stunts. Pyramids over two high should not be performed. Two high pyramids should not be performed without mats and other safety precau-tions.

8. Emergency plan. If it is not possible to have a physician or certified athletic trainer at games and practice sessions, emergency procedures must be pro-vided. The emergency procedure should be in writing and available to all staff and athletes.

9. Certification. Cheerleading coaches should have some type of safety certifi-cation such as offered by the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators. The AACCA

28


course features safety awareness training with a safety test administered at the end of the training session and is required for all NCAA cheerleading coaches, and by school districts and states around the country.

10. Proactive parents. The AACCA advises parents, “parents have a role to play in ensuring that their child is able to reap the benefits that come with the activity while being protected from unreasonable risk. If a parent has a concern about safety, they should bring it to the attention of the coach. If a satisfactory response is not received, they should contact the administration to make sure proper procedures are in place for safety.

Cheerleading can be a positive physical and emotional outlet for students. Protecting them from injury is an ongo-ing struggle that has to be addressed by the student, parents, coaches, and school administration. Completing a season without injuries would truly be something to cheer about!

If you have any questions concerning this topic, you can contact either Dr. Dennis McGuire, D.C. at 805 North Main St, Benton, IL or at 250 Small St., Harrisburg IL. or Dr. John McConnaughy at McConnaughy Chiroprac-tic Clinic, P.C., located at 1311 South Division Street in Carterville. For more information contact “Dr. John” at 618-985-4344 or on-line at www.drjohndc.com)

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(Photo Courtesy of St. Louis Rams Football)


By JimMuirPhotos by Ceasar Maragni The life of an NFL cheerleader is all razzle-dazzle, glitz and glamour, right? Well, not exactly. Benton’s Lauren Moore is complet-ing her first year as a St. Louis Rams’ cheerleader and slowed down long enough from her hectic pace to talk with SISC about her foray into the world of professional sports – an experience that might best be contrasted as ‘thrilling’ and ‘grueling’ all at the same time. It only takes a brief conversation with the 22-year-old Moore to figure out that her life is a virtual whirlwind. A full-time job in marketing with Enterprise Car Rental, numerous trips to St. Louis each week, an active family life, a full-time boyfriend, a variety of appearances at Rams’ charity events and an upcoming trip to Afghanistan all combine together to make Moore a young lady that’s trav-eling life at a fast pace. Moore said the constant movement between Monday and Saturday in prepa-ration for game day can sometimes be nerve-wracking but quickly adds that the excitement she feels along the sidelines at the Edward Jones Dome is well worth the rigorous pace. “When we’re in the tunnel with the team just before they take the field it’s the neatest thing I’ve ever experienced in sports,” she said. “You can hear the

crowd and the adrenaline level of every-body in the tunnel is just sky high, it’s just an awesome feeling.” To say that Moore, who began dancing at age three, has feet that need to move would be a major understatement.

“I started taking dance lessons when I was three years old and I’ve been danc-ing ever since,” said Moore. “It is just something that I have always loved to do. I’ve just lived and breathed it since I was a little girl. I’ve done studio dance and then in high school I started on the dance team. “My mom (Lisa) has taught dance all my life and had a studio all the time I was growing up and my sister (Lyndsey) also has a dance studio. I

guess you could say that dancing is in my blood.” After four years as part of the award-winning Benton Rangler Girls’ Dance Team Moore took her considerable talents to Murray State University where she also was part of the “Racer Girls” dance team for four years, serving as captain for her final three. Much like any other athlete who longs to compete at a higher level Moore said she decided to try out for the Rams during her senior year at Murray State, noting that she quickly learned that the competi-tion is tough and the selection process is tougher. “It’s a three-week process,” Moore said. “There are tryouts three times per week and each week they make another cut. We had to learn three dances and go through an interview process and then they announced the cuts on a website, so you had to sit around and wait for the names to be posted. I hit the ‘refresh’ button a lot of times.” The squad was picked last April and in anticipation of the start of the 2008 NFL season in September practice began that same month, Moore said. “And almost immediately we also began our different promotions,” said Moore. “As a team we’ve done more than 1,000 hours of charity promotions. Some are paid events but mostly it’s all charity.” Moore was asked to detail what a game day is like for her.

“The atmosphere down on the field is just unbe-lievable, just incredible. During the Dallas game people were just going crazy, it was just unreal.” – Lauren Moore –

St. Louis Rams cheerleader Lauren Moore of Benton.

(Photo Courtesy of St. Louis Rams Football)


“For a 12 noon game we have to be there at 8:30 a.m. and we go on the field for a run through for about 45 minutes and then we have hair and makeup for every-body and that takes about 90 minutes to get the entire team done,” said Moore. “Then we have to be on the field at 10:30 a.m. to sign autographs and sell posters and calendars and then we have to be in the tunnel at 11:30 for pre-game when the team takes the field.” Factoring the drive to St. Louis, pre-game activities, a three-hour game and then the drive back home Moore said a game day consumes 12 hours total. “It’s a long day but I don’t even think about that,” Moore said. “I just think about how much fun it is.” The day that Moore was interviewed by SISC was only hours after the Rams pulled a stunning upset of the Dallas Cowboys – one of the few bright spots during the 2008 season. Moore was asked what it’s like to be on the sideline with a revved up crowd of more than 50,000. “The atmosphere down on the field is just unbelievable,

“This is not something they do for money or even for additional income. All the girls are required to have a full-time job or be a full-time student. This is not a job, so this is some-thing they do because they love it.” –Theresa Mancini, entertainment assistant and cheerlead-er coordinator for the St. Louis Rams –

Rams cheerleader Lauren Moore keeps in shape with hours spent at the Benton Fitness Center in-cluding stretching, treadmill and weight lifting.


to have a full-time job or be a full-time student. “These positions are really like a hobby for these girls,” said Mancini. “They are paid a little bit but once again, it’s more like a hobby. They are compensated for some of their appearances and they also receive $75 per game.” Mancini, who is a former cheerleader herself with the Rams, said Moore and the other 23 cheerleaders are also required to attend a minimum of 15 non-compensated charity events during the course of the season. “This is not something they do for money or even for additional income,” said Mancini. “All the girls are required to have a full-time job or be a full-time student. This is not a job, so this is some-thing they do because they love it.” Mancini said after the preliminary round each girl is interviewed and also goes through a background check. Mancini said many times the eye-popping good looks of

just incredible,” said Moore. “Dur-ing the Dallas game people were just going crazy, it was just unreal.” Theresa Mancini, entertainment assistant and cheerleader coordina-tor with the Rams said the selection process is tough. “The tryouts begin in April and we have more than 100 applicants this year,” said Mancini. “They come to clinics and we teach them a routine that is developed by our choreog-rapher. They learn the routine that week and then they come back on the next Saturday and perform the routine in front of judges.” Mancini said those trying out must be at least 18 years old and said most of the applicants come from Missouri and Illinois. Another key fact is that making it through the tough selection process guarantees only that one year. “The girls are required to try out each year, there are no holdovers,” said Man-cini. “We do have girls come back and try out year after year. Some girls do it for two or three years and we have one that is in her seventh season. I would say that the average span for our cheerlead-ers is three or four years.” Mancini said it is not uncommon for a girl not to make it and then come back the following year and qualify. “Maybe we don’t have a spot that one year but they keep trying and improve,” she said. “It’s a difficult and a very thor-ough process.” After the selection process is completed cheerleaders begin a practice schedule that includes two, three-hour practices each week (Tuesday and Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) held in St. Louis. In Moore’s case (she has a full-time job in marketing for Enterprise Car Rental) the twice weekly practice adds up to a very hectic pace and an overall 18-hour day on practice days. Mancini said cheerleaders are required

the cheerleaders overshadows the athletic ability required. “These girls are very good athletes,” said Mancini. “It takes a lot of en-durance and ability to stand out there and cheer for a three hour game. The girls all work out on their own but they also have a trainer that comes to our practices. Certainly they are all attractive but they are definitely also great athletes.” When asked about the charity work and the meager $75 per game Moore widened her ever-present smile. “Obviously, we’re not doing it for the money,” she laughed. “But, I didn’t get into this to try and make money; the experience itself has been well worth it for me.”

And the experience for Moore was enhanced even more when she was recently notified that she will be one of four Rams’ cheerleaders that will travel to Afghanistan in February to entertain troops. “I’m so excited about that,” Moore said. “We’re going to be over there for 10 days, it’s just a great opportunity and experience.” Moore said she is uncertain if she will try out again in 2009 but said this year has been a positive experience. “I’ll just have to see where my career is at next year, but right now I’m thinking about it,” said Moore. “It has definitely been an experience that I will never, ever forget and I’m just so thankful that I had the opportunity to do it.”

Here’s proof that Rams cheerleader Lauren Moore doesn’t always have a smile on her face as she takes this part of her workout routine seriously.


Ask The ADBy Mario Moccia, SIU Athletic Director

• The cost of many construction-type raw materials has dropped by huge percentages. As an engineer in the manufacturing and construction busi-ness, I am finding project costs have dropped around 15 to 20 percent due to material decreases and construction companies no longer running a back-log. Is SIU locked into commitments for the upcoming construction projects or can you gather new quotes based on current costs?• We don't have any "commit-ments" for the new project. The first "phase" which includes the recreational play fields and tennis courts came back under budget, which was good news. Out of the 40 total bid packages that make up the football stadium, retrofitting of SIU Arena and the auxiliary building, we have put three out on the street and re-ceived them back, and they were all significantly under budget, which is very good news. We will be putting more bid packages out on the street in a few weeks, and we will hope that the trend continues.

• What is the average attendance at SIU baseball home games? Is there a consensus that improvements to Abe Martin Field would increase atten-dance? Did building a state of the art facility for softball increase its atten-dance?• Our average baseball attendance over the last three years has been 367 in 2006 (30 home dates), 433 in 2007 (30 home dates), and 270 in 2008 (21 home dates). Obviously, the weather plays a great part in this. I would be very confident that improvements to Abe Martin would increase attendance. The field, while aesthetically pleasing, could use some significant upgrades from a fan stand-point, especially in restrooms, conces-sions and bleacher seating. I spoke to our

head softball coach Kerri Blaylock, and even though some of our old attendance records are spotty in the old stadium, she is positive that the new stadium has significantly increased attendance, as well as provided a huge shot in the arm for recruiting.

• Recently, SIUE made the transi-tion to Division I athletics and had one of their first DI basketball games televised on Charter Communications cable in the St. Louis area. Is there a

chance we'll see more games on WSIU (which Charter carries in my area) or on Charter?• Third tier men's basketball televi-sion broadcasting is an area that Saluki Sports Properties will oversee in the future for us. Through the Missouri Valley Conference, the ESPN family of networks reviews our schedule and has first choice. They selected six of our games. Then, the MVC offers our games to their league partner, Fox SportsNet, of which four games were selected. The remainder of the games are free for us to televise. Our philosophy has been that if our home games aren't sold out, we have not wanted to televise them, so our third tier consists mostly of away games. We have been in a multi-year contract with Mediacom, which is in its last year, and they will air seven games this year. Traditionally, WSIU has aired games and will continue to do so with one this year. After eliminating the home games,

which aren't sold-out or close to selling out, there aren't many games not being televised. In the off season, we will sit down with SSP and partner-up with whichever entity will be able to televise a maximum amount of our third-tier games at the best cost. We're also concerned with quality and expect to eliminate the distribution errors we have had throughout the past few years. After reviewing the choices we will make the selection.

• I would love to have a pair of Saluki Basketball game shorts. Any plans on making them available to fans?• When we get equipment from Nike, we just get the amount for the team. Our contracted merchandiser, 710 Bookstore, can get some merchan-dise, but many of the "official game gear" isn't available for purchase. Nike does offer some gear to pur-

chase, but they have minimum orders of at least 144 pieces, and store general managers don't want to get stuck with items that have to be purchased up front. Your best bet is to see what is available at our games, and then check with 710 Bookstore to see what they have.

• Did anyone from SIU speak with Walt Frazier during their time in New York City for the 2K Sports Classic? Is SIU trying to get Walt and his team-mates from the 1967 NIT champion-ship team to return to Carbondale so they can be recognized? Will a Hall of Fame area be added to the new main entrance of the renovated arena? • I spoke with Walt the week of the tour-nament, but he was out of the country when we were in New York. We had a great conversation about football, and he mentioned that he sees Brandon Jacobs at Madison Square Garden frequently. At the appropriate time, we will recog-


nize the 1967 team again, and Walt did commit to coming back to Carbondale, possibly at the "grand opening" of the building, which would be special. At the present time, we have mulled several idea for the lobby of the new facility. A Hall of Fame seems like a logical choice for a portion of the area. The architect has several ideas to modernize the Hall of Fame area as opposed to just mov-ing the photos that are in the student center over to the new building, and we are deciding on what would be the best approach.

• I noticed that many of the teams that qualified for the FCS playoffs played a 12-game regular-season schedule. Is a 12th regular-season game a possibility for SIU in the years to come?•This is something we will consider. The next opportunities for FCS teams to play a 12-game schedule are 2013, 2014 and 2019. The biggest issue in this decision are finances. In order to have an FCS team come to Carbondale to play one game (a buy game), it would cost almost $100,000, and we aren't making that kind of money from a home game to justify

this at the present time.

• With the conflicts between high school playoffs and Saluki home games, have you considered the possi-bility of offering to piggy-back the HS game onto the Saluki game?

• We have not done this to date and don't have much contact with the Illinois High School Athletic Association regarding playoff date and game times. Since this has come up over the last few years, we are going to ask the question, but I know they are working on very tight time frames, and we set our schedules well in advance, so I am not holding out too much hope. In addition, I spoke with our Assistant AD for Compliance, Christian Spears, and any University partnering up with specific high schools on game time issues and promotion of games would need to jump through many NCAA hurdles. Good question, and we will have the discussion of trying to avoid the same dates and times at all costs, but it might be inevitable that conflicts arise.

• After the brown dog and gray dog costumes are replaced, how about re-tiring them by putting them on display

in the lobby of the arena? • Well, that is a thought, but we were leaning to something a bit more along the lines of the Hall of Fame and pieces of Saluki sports history in the lobby. The costumes, if you look up close, are pretty worn, and I am not sure that this is what we would want displayed. Perhaps we could do something like this in front of the new Saluki Team Store to draw some attention to potential customers.

• Have you named a management company for the first stage of the Sa-luki Way project? If so, who is it, and will this be the primary contact for the construction through the end of the project? • I believe you are referring to a con-struction manager and yes we have hired JE Dunn of Kansas City and Holland Construction out of Belleville, Ill. as our construction managers. They have been on the job for almost one year to date. These individuals will stay on for the entirety of the project to ensure to the best of their ability that it comes in on time and in budget.


In FocusBy Ceasar Maragni

Cancer is a monster. And like most monsters, cancer comes in many forms. The word "cancer" actually represents

over 250 separate forms of the disease. Some are curable. Some are not. Either way, when the monster comes into our lives, it brings sadness. The handsome little boy you see pic-tured here with his parents and sister is Gunner Gillespie. From birth on Gunner was a fighter. Born in Robinson, Illinois on September 4, 2000, Gunner showed a fighting spirit and a fierce will to live from day one. He weighed just 1 pound 14 ounces. He was so small that his father's wedding band slid freely up his son's tiny arm. In time Gunner caught up with others his age and was a typical little boy.

But when Gunner was seven years old the monster came into his young life in the form of a cancer-ous brain tumor with the un-friendly name of ‘diffuse pontine glioma.’ It was a highly aggres-sive tumor located in the fibers of Gunner’s brain stem. It couldn't be operated on and chemotherapy was not an op-tion. His parents, Gus and Janna Gillespie were devastated with the news. But from the day the monster came into their lives, they were determined to do whatever they could, whatever was pos-sible, to save their little boy from the monster. I first met Gunner when SISC publisher Jim Muir and I traveled to Benton, Kentucky earlier this year on a cold dreary March day to do a story about the Gillespie family’s battle. Our day certainly brightened when we met Gun-

ner and his family. Jim's heartwarming account of the family's struggles with the monster was published a month later. Gus is boy's varsity basketball coach at Marshall County High School and Janna is a teacher at the same school. Both are Illinois natives from Lawrenceville. Prior to taking the Kentucky job, Gillespie was boy's varsity basketball coach at Centra-lia High School. Shortly after our arrival Gus shared the seriousness of the situation. “Radiation will shrink the tumor, but we have to worry about it coming back.” They were told early on that less than eight percent of those diagnosed live lon-ger than a year and this particular type of cancer has never been cured. They were

given the grim diagnosis on November 30th of last year. The news was devas-tating to the young couple. Janna told us that day, “I've cried every day since November 30. Our emotions have ranged from denial to complete hysteria.” After the diagnosis the Gillespie family quickly learned that they were not alone. As Christians, the couple looked to God as they never had before. Outpourings of love and support from their fam-ily, church, friends, doctors, nurses, co-workers, students, community, the coaching community, both in Kentucky and Illinois, and new friends from around the country enveloped the family and somehow made the struggle at least bearable. I'm sorry to report that Gunner lost his courageous eleven month battle with the monster on October 26. I can't imagine the grief that Gus, Janna and Garlyn have experienced these past few weeks. I got a small glimpse into that dark place as I read an online posting by Janna written just days after losing her precious little boy. “I don’t know if I can even explain this feeling that takes over me. Gus and I have decided to call it the “Great Sadness.” He is reading a book and in the book they talk about the great sad-ness. I think it is an appropriate name as the sadness is so great at times that it completely takes over my body. My head hurts, my stomach is sick and my muscles are weak. It is an effect that runs all over from head to toe….the great sadness.” To all who knew and loved him Gun-ner will always be 8 years old. He will always be handsome. He will always inspire. He will no longer hurt. The mon-ster is gone.


3


By Chris “Goroshnik” DenaultGoro’s Rant

FOR THE BCS SCHOOLS THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

So the kids, the wife and I were keeping cozy on the couch recently, doing some channel surfing, when we came across

the timeless classic, “The Wizard of Oz.”

A few downed bowls of popcorn later, we finally reached the movie's end, where Dorothy woke up from her tech-nicolor dream, gazed up at Auntie Em, and happily cried out, “....there's no place like home!”

Don’t ask me why, but for some reason, that got my stats-inclined mind to think-ing, as right now, we're smack dab in the middle of the non-conference basketball season. Dorothy must have been a true Kansas /Big 12 fan, as you’d always find those BCS teams scheduling as many home games as they could take in.

I had to do some digging to find out if the BCS boys were staying at home like they usually do. Why all the fuss about these six conferences, you might ask? It's because these teams can pretty much schedule whomever they please, unlike the Missouri Valley Conference teams

that have to scrape and claw every year just to put together a decent enough non-con schedule.

Instead of focusing on the cupcake home schedules like I usually do, I wanted to see how the BCS teams did in scheduling true road games. The early season tournament games have rapidly become the main source of BCS vs. non-BCS matchups, but let's see which teams really took risks by playing in hostile environments, and which ones stayed home and played it safe.

THE BIG EAST - ONE BIG COWARDLY LION

On the plus side, every single BCS team (save one... we'll get to them later) had at least one true road game scheduled. However, 16 teams kept it down to a single road game, and the Big East was by far the worst conference of the bunch, as Syracuse, Pitt, Cincinnati, George-town, Louisville and St. John's are only hitting the opponents’ courts once. Twelve of the sixteen teams in the Big East are playing two road games or less... is that how you show 'em who’s king of the forest?

Louisville's playing 11 of its first 12 games of the season within city limits, and although Georgetown does eventu-ally travel to Duke in January, they open the season with eight straight home games.

As for Syracuse, they're the biggest cow-ard of them all. In the last seven seasons, the Orangemen have had a total of 6 true road games. The 2001-2002 season was the last time that Syracuse scheduled as

many as two games outside of the state of New York... and they lost both of those games that year.

South Florida certainly didn't get the “no place like home” e-mail from the Big East bigwigs, as they'll play no less than seven road games, by far the most of any BCS team. In other words, South Florida will play more non-con road games this season than Syracuse has played in their last seven seasons combined. Lost your courage again, Jimmy Boeheim?

THE SCARECROW IN THE ACC FIELD

I do want to congratulate the ACC for scheduling 35 true road games this sea-son... that's nearly three games per team, tops among all BCS conferences. The ACC did quite a nice job with its non-con slate this year ... save for one miser-able ACC team who resembles the Scare-crow in its inability to leave its post. The Maryland Terrapins have a few neutral tourney games in Florida, one “neutral” game in Washington DC, and ten home games to start the year. If Gary Williams “only had a brain” he'd realize that this kind of schedule-making will cost him dearly should the Terps be sitting on the NCAA bubble come selection time.

NO YELLOW BRICK ROAD IN THE VALLEY

I've counted up approximately 175 games with BCS teams as the road team, but only a handful find their way to any MVC venues this year. We see Arkansas at Missouri State, Iowa State at Northern Iowa, and Iowa at Drake. That's it... just three lousy games. If it weren't for the nice, instate rivalry games that take place in Iowa every year, the chances of seeing an MVC team host a BCS club would be few and far between.


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So, if the MVC’s not getting these games, where are the BCS teams going? To other BCS locations, obviously. Of the 175 BCS road games this year, 80 games are against other BCS teams. No surprise there, but you'll be interested to know which non-BCS leagues are pulling in quite a few of these games:

Atlantic 10 - 14 games Conference USA - 13 games Mountain West - 11 games

When NINE different A-10 teams, TEN of the twelve C-USA teams, and SEVEN of the nine MWC teams are hosting some-one from the Big 6 conferences, what does that say about the BCS leagues' refusal to take their chances against the MVC?

It tells you that the Big 6 boys don't want any part of the MVC, unless it's either on their turf or at a neutral site. Call them scarecrows, call them cowardly lions, call them what you like.

Utah's got three BCS teams (California, Oregon, and LSU) playing at their arena this year, which equals the total for the entire MVC. Chew on that, my pretties, while I click my heels three times in disgust.

Dorothy was right in one regard ... “there’s no place like home” for the holidays, so here's hoping your seasons bright. I've gotta run, as the little munchkins in my house are threatening to melt the cat with a bucket of water.


YOUTH IS SERVEDFrom Where I SitBy Tom Wheeler

As I walk out of the tunnel at Duff-Kingston Gymnasium for yet another Eldorado Holiday Tournament I al-

ways have a pretty good idea who I’m going to see. It could be Vern Pollack or Carl Justice, maybe Gary Barton and son Kyle who is home for the action. As I look to my immediate left, I can see some of the long time officials, Terry Elms, Don Folder, Jimmy Collins, Bobby Blondi, and Ray Bates. Under the basket to the left will always be Martin Duffy and his son Matt and down to their left will be Dan Hampton, father of current Eldo-rado football coach Brandon. At the opposite end I look for the Carmi gang of the 1980’s – Gaddey, Acker-man, Winters, Kuykendall or Wool-sey – there for the entire tournament, no doubt. Behind the home bench I can usually find the Phelps family and legendary Ridgway coach Bob Dallas behind them. No matter how much things change the familiar family atmosphere at the EHT always remains the same. Here are some thoughts on this great basketball tourna-ment. HISTORY:Eldorado gymnasium was built in 1957… the first Christmas tournament was a four-team event, Eldorado, Car-rier Mills, Norris City and Ridgeway in 1965 … before this tournament started most area teams played in the eight-team McLeansboro Holiday tournament … in 1968 the tournament went to eight teams with McLeansboro winning the title over the host Eagles … in 1991 in one of the best moves of the tourna-ment, the fifth place bracket was added

… in 1989 the tournament did not have 16 teams.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES: Some of the exciting championship games included Mt. Carmel’s first tournament (1970) they beat Eldorado 64-63 (and Carrier Mills 54-53) in the championship game … in 72 Ridge-way’s Dennis Pierce’s last second tip in over the host school was the difference 41-39 … in 1977 Eldorado freshman Mark Finnie hit a shot at the buzzer for a 60-59 win over favorite Cairo … and in 1980 Cairo also lost a heart breaker to top seeded Pinckneyville losing 92-91 in double overtime … the Panthers won again in 1981 when Brian Rushing (MVP) hit a last second shot to beat Perry County rival Du Quoin 59-57 … in 1987 Harrisburg became the first AA school to win the championship … in 1988 Norris-City-Omaha won its first tournament since 1965 over Christopher … Curt Reed’s McLeansboro Foxes won the 1992 tournament using a nine man rotation beating Harrisburg in the title game … Massac County’s Cory Turner (MVP) in 1995, hit a bucket with eight seconds on the clock, for a 36-34 win over Harrisburg … in 1997, the Foxes of Coach Reed became only the second non-seeded team to win the tournament (first was Meridian in 1976) beating Harrisburg 44-43 in OT … Kevin Toney’s West Frankfort Redbirds won the 2003 tournament when Craig Ramsey knocked down two free throws for the 61-60 win over Meridian … and in 2005 Anna-Jonesboro, a sixth seed, won the crown as Coach Jim Drew’s son Jimmy was MVP … in 2006 Fairfield, an eighth seed, won the championship ALL TOURNAMENT: Some very familiar names have been

etched in the record book at the EHT … Harrisburg Coach Randy Smithpeters’ sons Kyle, 1999, and Matt 2007 … Massac County Coach Joe Hosman’s sons Zack 1999 (MVP) and Andrew 2001 … ex-Eldorado coach Don Gines son Jason 1990 playing for Vienna … McLeansboro’s Lewis Winemiller 1968, and son Ron 1993 and nephew Clint 1987 … the Foxes Johnson brothers Andy 1988 and Benji 1988,1989 and 1990 … other three-time all tourna-ment selections besides Benji Johnson was Eldorado’s Terry Kaid (the first to win this honor) in 1965, 1966 and 1967, Johnston City’s Keil Peebles 1972, 1973 and 1974 and NCOE’s Reed Jackson who was also MVP those three years (NCOE also won three straight titles) … McLeansboro’s Sturm brother Tracy in 1983 and Stacy in 1984 …Pinckneyville brother Wade Graskewicz 1979 and 1980 and brother Kerry 1980 and 1981 … Eldorado ‘s Max Plunkett in 1966 and son Lee in 1988 … Me-tropolis cousins Norman Goodman and Ron Goodman in 1974 … and from McLeansboro Terry Lee in 1969, Brad Lee in 1980 and Darin Lee in 1982 … Eldorado’s Phelps, Aaron in 1990 and Brock in 1991 … 1977 MVP Eddie Lane of Eldorado in 1976 and 1977 and son Cody in 07 … the only player in the tournaments history to be named all four years was Christopher’s TJ Wheeler, 1986-89 … only two brothers to be named MVP’S were Eldorado’s Dennis Smith, 1973 and Barry Smith in 1975 … the EHT’s first two-time MVP was Cairo’s Anthony Webster in 1979 and 1980 … West Frankfort’s Lance Brown won MVP in 1994 while playing for his dad Bobby Brown’s championship team … Bobby also won titles as Eldorado’s head man in 1973 and 1975 … Joe Hos-man has won championships in 1993, 1994 and 1996 at Massac county and in


1984 at Eldorado (current Eldorado basketball coach Greg Goodley was the MVP) … in 2001 Egyptian’s Dana Ford was MVP at the EHT the Christopher Turkey Tournament and the South Egyptian Conference Tournament. DUFF-KINGSTON SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: This might be the most prestigious award in the south named in honor of Eldorado’s Mike Duff and Kevin Kingston and seems to be a preview of basketball coaches to come. Examples include Gallatin County’s Tim Monroe 1988, cur-rently coaching at Galatia, Jason Varner 1990, coaching at Marion, Brett Blondi, 1995 (Benton) and Keith Welch 1999 (Hamilton County). The Eldorado Holiday Tournament is like the old Buckner Reunion, Enfield’s Mule Day or Pop Corn Day at Ridgeway – there will be plenty of excitement and just as much visiting and getting reacquainted with old friends. There are countless names I could have used and numerous games to talk about. Think back on the illustrious history of this Southern Illinois post-Christmas treat and name your favorite game or favorite player, but let me warn you … with the top-notch teams and quality players that have performed during the past 43 years at the EHT … it won’t be easy. That’s the way it looks From Where I Sit this month.


By Nathan WheelerRend Lake College Report

Setting records at Rend Lake College just seems to be Boaz Lalang’s thing.

The 19-year-old mid-distance running sensation by way of Eldoret, Kenya came on the collegiate track and field scene as a freshman at RLC in fall of 2007. He quickly smashed individual bests in nine events, led RLC to an indoor national title, and broke the National Junior Col-lege Athletic Association records in the indoor mile and 800m, and the outdoor 800m and 1500m. In the postseason, Lalang became RLC’s first Olympian when he fought to the 800m semifinals in Beijing. On Nov. 16, he set his final record in Warrior red when he signed a profes-sional running contract with Adidas and became RLC’s first track and field athlete to turn pro. The college held a press con-ference on Friday, Nov. 21, where Lalang talked about his decision and the future.

“I decided to turn professional because of family,” he said. “I have two siblings

who need education and right now my family doesn’t have any other income.

Lalang sets one last record at RLC

Boaz Lalang talks about his decision to go pro with James Templeton and Adidas during a morning press conference at Rend Lake College where Lalang has been a student-athlete since fall 2007.

Lalang sits down for an interview with WSIL TV-3 sports co-anchor Rickey Thein. The 19-year-old sensation said he decided to go pro so he can afford to help his family with their financial struggles in Kenya.


I decided to turn pro so that they can be in a position to live a better life.” He holds RLC records in the indoor 600m (1:17.75), 800m (1:47.82), 1,000m (2:26.97), mile run (3:58.34), 4x800m relay (7:28.54) and DMR (10:04.36); and the outdoor 800m (1:44.69), 1500m (3:37.62) and 4x800m relay (7:27.95). Albeit bittersweet for men’s track and field head coach Brent McLain, he understands Lalang simply got an offer he could not refuse. He turned down offers stemming from his perfor-mance in Beijing where, as the second-youngest runner in the event, he came up two-hundreths of a second short of making the finals. In his eyes, his education and family are at the top of his priority list. So, when James Templeton with Adidas came along with a deal that allows him to make money competing in international races and pays for his studies beyond RLC, Lalang was able to have his cake and eat it too. Templeton also represents Bernard Lagat, the top U.S. mid-distance runner and former Kenyan-turned-U.S. citizen. Lalang is one of five athletes contracted with Templeton. “Yeah, it’s bittersweet,” McLain said. “I mean, I love the guy to death and I am very proud of him, but as a coach I want the points he brings our program at each outing. This is not prema-ture. He is ready and we just have to let him fly. Boaz is true blue. We will be watching his career, which I am positive will be a trailblazing one indeed.” McLain will be able to watch Lalang develop for a while longer since he currently plans to stay at RLC and continue his training with McLain. He will finish the school year at RLC and graduate with his associate’s degree in May. Lalang is studying business accounting and currently holds a 3.08 GPA. He was named a NJCAA Coaches Association Academic All-American last season. He also plans to keep training with McLain as a student at Southern Illinois University at Carbon-dale. So far, everything is falling into place for Lalang to reach his goal of a world record. He moved to the U.S. and entered the collegiate circuit. He gained international exposure as a mem-ber of the Kenyan Olympic track and field team. He finally got the contract he wanted and turned pro. In February, he said during an interview, “When I turn pro, that is the opportunity for me to break the record. I hope it will come true one day.” He is one step closer. “That is part of my dream that I haven’t fulfilled yet. I want to set the world record. That is when I will see my dream come true.” For now, he is going to train for a race, Feb. 8, in Boston. It will be his 20th birthday. “My goal in Boston is to win the race and set the seasonal best time or the track record. I want a nice present for my birthday.”


SISC Goes One-on-One with Rich Yunkus

From a gangly freshman in 1963 to one of the most sought after high school players in the nation four years later Rich Yunkus helped put Benton on the basketball map and is the measuring stick when talking about the best-ever big men to grace the hard court in Southern Illinois.

Benton basketball legend Rich Yunkus at home with just one of his many national award trophies he received during his All-Ameri-can career at Georgia Tech.


By Jim MuirPhotos by Ceasar Maragni

When Rich Yunkus showed up for foot-ball practice at Benton High School in the fall of 1963 he looked like anything but an athlete. “I was quite a physical specimen,” Yunkus said with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. “I was 5-feet-11 and I weighed 111 pounds.” No one could have imagined that four years later the personable Yunkus would be recruited by 220 Division I colleges and would be the player most associated with helping put Benton basketball on the map. While many of today’s players begin honing their skills in grade and junior high school Yunkus gave a not-so-sterling critique about his basketball abilities in those early days. “I was so weak that I could stand in the middle of the lane, maybe seven or eight feet from the basket, and put the basketball over my head and shoot it and I couldn’t get it the basket,” recalled Yunkus. “So, basketball was not some-thing that came real easy for me, I had to work really hard to develop my skills.” From that gangly freshman Yunkus blossomed to a 6-feet-4-inch sophomore but still did not play varsity basketball. The summer between his sophomore and junior season was a turning point for Yunkus that would also mark a turning point for Benton and Southern Illinois basketball. “I grew to 6-feet-8 during the summer, I remember before school started my mother had to buy me all new clothes be-

cause all my pants were high-water and my long sleeve shirts hit me between my wrist and elbow,” said Yunkus. “I spent most of my summer in the gym getting ready for basketball that year.” Looking back Yunkus said nobody, including himself, had any inkling what the next two years would bring to the small Franklin County community. “It was certainly an exciting time,” said

Yunkus. “Even today 40 years later peo-ple still fondly recall those days. Basket-ball just totally encompassed the entire community. The entertainment back then was to go out to eat and then go to the basketball game. There were people who never went to a basketball game before that year and were just immediately ad-dicted to Ranger basketball.” Yunkus said the foundation for the bas-ketball dynasty was actually put in place a few years earlier when a young and enthusiastic coach named Rich Herrin was hired. “It got started when Coach Herrin was hired in 1960 and they had that first team with Tom Whittington, Terry Thomas, Wiley Hall and Bob Crawford and they

went to the state tournament. There was just a feeling throughout the commu-nity that something special was going to happen,” said Yunkus. “Then we had those back-to-back teams in 1965-66 and 1966-67 and that just solidified that entire era of Benton basketball.” Benton went 61-2 during Yunkus’ two-year varsity career and the unique thing is that he was the lone starter his junior year and played with two completely dif-

ferent starting units each year. “It was actually four different starters with me each year,” said Yunkus. “My junior year I started with Kenny Payne, Dave Woodland, Jimmy Adkins and Terry Heard,” said Yunkus. “And then my senior year we had Greg Fustin, John Burlison, Jerry Hoover and Bill Lowery. And my senior year we also had Danny Johnson who was probably the greatest sixth man in Illinois, maybe even the na-tion. I was the only returning player so it

was really two different teams.” Yunkus said the undefeated regular sea-son run in 1965-66 was not expected. “I don’t think anybody had any idea we would be that successful,” said Yunkus. “That year we were nicknamed ‘four splinters and a barrel’ because we were all pretty thin except for Terry Heard, who was stocky. Everybody had a role, we all played well together and we played really hard. Coach Herrin was very intense and dedicated and he taught us a lot. He demanded that we work hard but he didn’t demand any more than what he gave. We were in the gym every morning at 7:30 and Coach Herrin still denies it but we practiced right after school and we rarely got out of the gym

The 1966-67 Benton Rangers, ranked as the # 1 team in the state most of the season. Front row left to right: John Burlison, Bill Lowery, Greg Fustin, Rich Yunkus, Danny Johnson, Jerry Hoover Back row left to right: Coach Rich Herrin, Gary Kearney, Dick Corn, Bruce Taylor, Dennis Miller, David Choisser and manager Kirby Williams (photo provided)


before 6 p.m. We worked hard, during basketball season that’s all you did.” Yunkus spoke fondly of the Centralia Holiday Tournament and his two-year association with venerable Trout Gym-nasium. Yunkus said the now-closed Trout Gym was one of his favorite all-time places to play, and why not, he led back-to-back Benton teams to two CHT championships and a pair of regular season victories over the Orphans in the tough South Seven Conference. Yunkus and Benton went 9-0 at Trout during his two-year varsity career.

“I could walk in Trout Gym and you could just smell it, the popcorn, the hardwood it smelled like a basketball court,” said Yunkus. “It was a great floor to jump on; it was just an atmosphere that you can’t describe. Trout Gym was my favorite place to play in high school. I loved playing at Centralia.” Yunkus said it was during the Centralia Holiday Tournament his junior year that he realized that Benton could compete with any team throughout the state. “Remember that there was only one class back then and the Associated Press

would rank the top 16 teams in the state,” Yunkus said. “When I was a junior nine of the top 16 ranked teams were at the Centralia Holiday Tournament. We met Thornton in the championship game and they were ranked number one in the state and were 9-0 and we were ranked number two in the state and we were 9-0. We beat them 70-63 and we were ranked number on the rest of the year.” Yunkus said he believes the 1965-66 sea-son solidified the storied Rich Herrin-era at Benton and said the win over Thorn-ton was the turning point in the season and gave Benton statewide recognition.

There are many trophies and awards in the Yunkus home honoring the Benton native for his stellar career at Georgia Tech where he is still the school’s all-time leading scorer. Yunks was named All-American in 1970 and 1971.


He also points to one moment in the win over Thornton that still stands out as one of his greatest memories. “The place was absolutely packed, there was not a single seat any-where,” said Yunkus. “Thornton had Jim Ard at 6-feet-11 and another 6-feet-8 kid, there were just some outstanding athletes on the floor. It was a very difficult game, we were trailing and then about the middle of the third quarter we made

a run and I’ll always remember Kenny Payne stole a pass and went the length of the floor and scored and Thornton didn’t have the legs to catch him. We could see that they were tired and the momentum really shifted and we just kept pressing them and won the game. That was the first time that Benton had ever won the Centralia Holiday Tournament and I’ll always believe that was the game and that was the moment that started that long, long run of great Benton Rangers basketball.” Before spacious Rich Herrin Gymnasium was built—with a seat-ing capacity of 4,000—Yunkus played his high school basketball at what is now known as the East Gym in Benton. Yunkus has fond memories of the gym, which has a seating capacity of ap-proximately 1,000. Yunkus related a story about a deal he made with the high school custodian. “I always struggle breathing real cold air and I used to tell Walter (the custodian) to stoke the furnace up and he’d get it about 75 degrees in there,” Yunkus said. “The hotter it was the better I thought I could play. But, it didn’t take much to get the heat up in there; the fans were so close they were right on top of you. I can remember people getting in line at 2 o’clock in the afternoon to get tickets for a regular season game. Looking back, it was just an incredible time and it was great to be a part of that.” Long before the days of the Internet, blogs and instant communi-cation the success of Benton basketball drew national attention. “The Runnin’ Rangers caught the attention of a lot of people and we had stories written about us in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Chicago Tribune,” said Yunkus. “Pete

(Continued on Page 48)

Today Rich Yunkus is a successful invest-ment broker with Edward D. Jones.


Yunkus: (Continued from pg. 47)

Swanson of the Evansville Courier did a great job covering us and they even started having a section for just Illinois basketball. It was pretty much unheard of back then but we ended up making national news.” Yunkus was a two-time first team all-state player during his high school career and averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds per game. During his junior year Benton went 31-1, losing 73-71 to Galesburg in the IHSA quarterfinal at Champaign. Galesburg went on to finish second, los-ing to eventual state champion Thornton, the same Thornton team that Benton had defeated in the CHT earlier in the season. During his senior year Benton finished with a 30-1 record losing to Carbondale in the super sectional. Benton had defeated Carbondale twice during the regular season and the Terri-ers went on to finish second in the state in 1967. Following his sterling high school career Yunkus received more than 220 scholar-ship offers from Division I schools and settled on Georgia Tech. During that era in college basketball freshmen couldn’t play, there was no three-point shot and players were not allowed to dunk the basketball. Despite all that Yunkus – more than 35 years later – is still the Yellow Jackets all-time leading scorer. Yunkus amassed 2,232 points during his three year college career averaging 26.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Dur-ing his junior season Yunkus averaged 30 points per game and grabbed 12 boards. Matt Harpring, who currently plays for the Utah Jazz in the NBA, came close to breaking Yunkus’ record, scoring 2,225 points. Harpring played one more year than Yunkus, 40 more games total, and hit 210 three-pointers.

“I’m very surprised that nobody has broken the mark after all these years,” Yunkus said. “If somebody would have told me that the scoring record would still be intact nearly 40 years later I would have said no way.” Yunkus earned All-American honors while at Georgia Tech while competing against the likes of Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe (UCLA), Artis Gilmore (Jacksonville), Dave Cowens (Florida State) and Dave Robisch (Kansas). While Yunkus had many highlight games during his collegiate career a couple that

stand out include a 47 point effort against North Carolina (ranked fourth in the na-tion at the time) and 39 against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. Yunkus was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and played part of one season before deciding the NBA was not in his future. “I always said if basketball got to the point where it wasn’t fun anymore I would quit, and it wasn’t fun for me anymore,” Yunkus said. “They (Atlanta) wanted me to go to Europe and play there the rest of the year and then come back. The money isn’t like it is today and you were on the road all the time. I had a good education and I felt like I had better opportunities to do other things.”

After leaving basketball Yunkus went into business with his father running a Terminex franchise in Benton. The business was sold in 1989 and Yunkus currently works as an investment broker with Edward D. Jones. He and his wife Donna, a fourth-grade teacher in Benton and his high school sweetheart, have two daughters, Alicia and Lindsay and four grandchildren. Looking back on his remarkable career, from the freshman who couldn’t get a shot to the rim to a dominating colle-

giate All-American, Yunkus gives high marks to his high school coach for helping shape his career as a player and as a successful business-man. “Besides my mother, Coach Herrin has been the most influential person in my life,” Yunkus said. “And the reason I say that is because of his dedication, his hard work and his commitment to his players. If you were willing to work hard he’ll give you 110 percent back to make you a better player or athlete. He saw something in me when I was a fresh-man, maybe a diamond in the rough, and he helped me build my strength and my

basketball skills.” Yunkus was asked what advice he would give to today’s aspiring athletes. “There are many more great athletes today so that’s just one more hurdle that has to be cleared, but the thing I believe is the most important is that there are so many outside influences today,” said Yunkus. “There are so many things today to distract you from making that com-mitment. You can still balance it and still have fun but you have to be careful to not let those distractions keep you from spending the time to become a better ath-lete. I think if you make the commitment and spend the time the sky’s the limit and believe me, it’s a great experience.”

Yunkus is a St. Louis Cardinals fan and treasures this photo of he and Stan Musial together.


Herrin: ‘Yunkus best-ever’ Rich Herrin doesn’t mince words when asked who’s the best high school player he ever coached. “Without question, it’s Rich Yunkus,” Herrin said. “Just look at the two years he was a varsity starter. Benton was 61-2 and he was the key player on both of those teams.” The 24 points per game scoring average is testament to Yunkus’ scoring prowess but Herrin points out that he also altered the opponent’s game because of his defensive skills. “He had a great touch shooting the basketball, but he’s one of the key reasons our press was so effective,” said Herrin. “We had him guard the goal and he had great anticipation, he could block the ball but block it real soft or just take it out of the air. He blocked a lot of shots, but didn’t block them out of bounds, he’d come up with the ball after he’d block it.” Herrin said Yunkus’ basketball skills were developed through hard work. “He was just a very hard worker, very dedicated player,” said Herrin. “When he was a freshman he wasn’t very strong but he worked very hard in the off-season to become a great player. The only two high school games he lost in during his varsity career were at Assembly Hall in Champaign and at SIU Arena.” Herrin says Yunkus fought mononucleosis the final two months of his senior season, a fact that he be-lieves played into the super sectional loss to Carbon-dale. “He continued to play with mono but we curtailed his practices and he lost his endurance and stamina down the stretch,” Herrin said. “I don’t think anybody would have touched us that year if he had stayed healthy.” Herrin said the two year run in 1965-66 and 1966-67 established Benton as a basketball powerhouse in that era and Yunkus was the main cog on both of those teams. “Rich was just a very talented player and he got there because of hard work,” said Herrin. “In my mind that’s what really stands out about him.”


Around the HornBy Sean Patrick

The Dark Side of The Moon

I like to refer to this time of year as the “dark side of the moon.” For baseball guys like me, the peak of the off-season is like smashing

your finger in a car door – it hurts for a while, but after a month or two it gets better. Well, until big league pitchers and catchers report to spring training and college teams make their first trips south, I have no alternative but to get my sports fix by passing the time with bowl games and hardwood. Speaking of the round ball, did you know that the youngest coach in the history of Illinois high school basket-ball to reach 200 wins resides right here in Southern Illinois? In fact, this area athletic director accumulated 13 years of high school head coaching experi-ence in Illinois at Elmhurst (Immacu-late Conception), Highland (St. Paul), Vandalia and Argo before accepting, at the age of 37, a low-paying gradu-ate assistant position at the University of Iowa. Ironically, he was recruited to coach at Iowa as a result of Dr. Tom Davis’ scouting trip to watch Argo’s best player the year before. Carbondale AD Rick Moss sure has a lifetime of memories to tell about, but for him, there’s still a lot of years left to go in his storied career. In the midst of all those humorous stories that most lifelong coaches often have, there’s one story, however, that brought Coach Moss to his knees, one that brought him back to Illinois to take a coaching position at Centralia. More importantly, though, it was a coach-ing position that would allow him to coach his son, Ty. When Chris Street,

a for-sure first round NBA lottery pick, was killed in an automobile collision with a snow plow on a clear, cold Iowa City evening, Rick searched his soul and felt, against the wishes of the other Iowa coaches, that he needed to get out of the Division I basketball coaching ranks and back to his roots in Illinois. Before sitting down with Coach Moss for this story, I had actually heard about this incident from my wife, who as a 12 year-old in Norway, Iowa, had a brother playing baseball at UI at the same time. It really is a small world. Believe it or not, Rick’s last game as a college basketball coach was against Jim Valvano’s NC State Wolfpack. That very game was Jimmy V’s next-to-last one before losing his battle with cancer. Also, Rick can lay claim to coach-ing well-known players such as B.J. Armstrong (Chicago Bulls), A.C. Earl (Boston Celtics) and Paul Lusk, who as Saluki fans know later starred at SIU. Rick would never get another chance to fulfill his ultimate goal of being a Division I head basketball coach again, but he would get a chance to make a trip his son’s senior year to the IHSA state basketball tournament in 1998 (1st round), and again in 2002 (3rd place). In addition, his four-and-a-half years as the AD at Carbondale Community High School have produced several confer-ence champions, state qualifiers and South Seven Conference Gold Cups. Also, CCHS prides itself on their ARP (athletic review period) program which Rick has built upon following its inception by his predecessor, Vicky King. The ARP program takes place for 25 minutes prior to the first class of the day, and is a driving force behind CCHS’s student-athletes consistently

ranking among the best in the state in the classroom. And last but not least, Rick is the one who gave this writer, after a few years of professional and college coaching, his first break as a high school baseball coach. Turning to football, by the time this month’s SISC hits newsstands, the BCS standings will be set and the full slate of bowl games will be about to begin. The only bowl game the Fight-ing Illini qualified for this year is the Toilet Bowl. As a matter of fact, their opponent might be the hapless St. Louis Rams! But seriously, with the talent Ron Zook had at his disposal this year, I guess the boosters and alumni who put in $116 million to fund the “Illinois Renaissance” renovation of Memorial Stadium should be happy that the team went 4-2 at home, while going only 1-5 on the road. I guess I can take a lesson from our friendly neighborhood Cub fans and say, “wait ‘til next year.” On the other hand, I’ll take off my Illini hat and put on my Sooners hat, as the Crimson and Cream have put together a whale of season, blemished only by a 10 point loss to their bitter rivals across the Red River, the Texas Longhorns. With the ‘Horns having a cake schedule to end the season, and OU defeating then No. 2 Texas Tech in a blowout, OU has the Bedlam game with Oklahoma State to prove that they should be No. 2 and take on Mizzou in the Big 12 cham-pionship game. A win there will land them in the National Championship game on January 8th in New Orleans. I’m crossing my fingers! Thanks again for your time, this time, until next time… when we go ‘Around the Horn.’


By Danny CzerwinskiSISC Viewpoint

(Danny Czerwinski does color commenatary for Benton Rangers athletics on WQRL (106.3 FM) in Benton and is co-host of “Saturday Morning Talking Sports” also on WQRL.

Most people like things to be simple, it’s only human nature. And I’m one of those people. In the world of sports, there are almost daily events that pop up that need a little changing to make life easier on many people. This past late October and early November, I noticed that the IHSA needs to restructure things just a little bit to help out in this regard. I want to preface before I begin that the IHSA does so many things well, that I don’t want anyone to think that I am al-ways looking for something. Trust me, I could write way more on the good things the IHSA does for schools and athletes. However, this particular topic of sports, dates, and time frames really stuck out for me this year. It begins with volleyball. I’ve noticed that in the past couple of years that many teams during postseason have been required to play two games in one night. I wanted to see this in action myself so I took in a night of a Class A volleyball regional this past fall. Team A played Team B in the first game. It was a close, hard fought two-set match. When fin-ished, Team B had about 30 minutes or less to rest before playing against Team C which is a huge conference rival in a regional semi-final. The game was very tight in both sets, but you could see that having to play a very tough first game had a major affect on Team B as far as mental and physical fatigue as they went on to lose the match. On the way home, I began to think about the other sports we watch during postseason. You name the sport and in the postseason there aren’t very many that makes teams play two games in one night. Could you imagine basketball teams having to play two regional games

in one night? How about football teams playing two games in a day? Golfers aren’t going to be made to play 36 in one day to get through regional and sectional, while track athletes won’t do double meets in one day to get to Charleston. It just isn’t going to happen. Many of the reasons given is you can’t make these sports play two games in one night. Why then should volleyball be different? My solution for volleyball is very simple. For example, Class A volley-ball usually has up to seven teams in a regional. On Monday, you will play three games. The No. 4 seed will play No. 5, No. 2 will play No. 7, and No. 3 will play No. 6. The next night, the semi-final matches would be played. Finally, the championship game would be played on a Thursday. For five and six team region-als, things could be set up in a similar way to not have to make a team play two matches in one night. This would eliminate two games in one night during postseason play for volleyball teams. Now, the restructuring of the regionals for volleyball that I have just put forward would also help out other people and events. This season, another issue with volley-ball is that regional championship games were held on Saturday. This happens to be the first weekend of the football playoffs when many games are played on Saturday afternoon as well as regional cross country meets that morning. With the current schedule, this is one of the busiest sports days on the IHSA calendar. Schools with multiple teams participat-ing on this day mean fans can’t get out and root for their teams without hav-ing to either set up a meticulous travel schedule or have to pick and choose which event to go to. Going along with Thursday volleyball

regional finals, this would eliminate con-flicts of schools deciding on whether to go to football games, volleyball regional finals, and cross country regional meets. Now you are down only to two events with cross country being in the morning and football playoff games can be held on Friday nights or Saturday afternoons. The calendar is more spaced out and time constraints and travel will not be as big of a headache. Let’s do a review. Volleyball teams would not play two games in one night and regional finals would be on Thursday night. Cross country regionals would remain in the morning and football playoff games would be on Friday nights and Saturdays. With this setup, fans are going to be able to attend all of the different athletic events with their teams participating. With this rearranging of the schedule, it would be easier for another group of people to get their job done. The media would be given an ideal setup to cover sporting events to the best of their abili-ties. In today’s economy many media outlets struggle to cover events due to a lack of staff. On a November Saturday, you had volleyball regional champi-onships, cross country regionals, and the first round of the football playoffs. Newspapers have to make tough deci-sions on what to cover and then feel the wrath if everything isn’t covered. My proposed scheduling change would make the media’s job much easier and please many more readers and viewers. Many times in life, and this is one of them, keeping things simple is the best plan.

December 2008

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