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[MARCH 5, 2002]   Basketball fans will have a tough time choosing between two big basketball events Tuesday evening.

•  The Lincoln Railers play Springfield Lanphier in IHSA sectionals at PCCC in Springfield. The game can be heard via Lincoln Daily News on FIX 96 at 7:30 p.m.

Good luck, Railers!

•  Out at Lincoln Christian College’s new Laughlin Center, Habitat for Humanity of Logan County hosts the popular Harlem Ambassadors for a fund-raiser at 7 p.m.

The Nail Benders, composed of all local talent, will be playing for Habitat for Humanity of Logan County. The team is comprised of Will Tomlinson, Kent Cross, Neal Leesman, Matt Haseley, Brad Aper, Dayne Oltman, Kory Conrady, Jeremy Bruce, Terry Hoe of Bradley University, Steve Peterson of Bradley, Ben Lovat of Bradley, Jesse Smith of Bradley, Phil Dehner, Billy Barton and Randy Unger.

Team sponsors are Lincoln IGA, Lincoln A.G. Edwards, State Farm Insurance, Holiday Inn Express, Lincoln Christian College and Lincoln Christian Church.

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Sponsors of players are George Dahmm Construction, Farmers Bank of Emden, Leesman Construction, Lyle Fout Construction, Lee’s Home Furnishings, attorney William B. Bates, "Holers," Jim Xamis Ford and Ray La Hood.

Reduced-price advance tickets are available at $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens and $5 for children under 12. Tickets at the door will be $12 for adults, $9 for senior citizens and $7 for children under 12. For more information, contact Habitat at P.O. Box 714 or phone (217) 732-6234. Tickets can be purchased in Lincoln at the IGA, A.G. Edwards and Union Planters Bank.

[LDN and Habitat news release]

[MARCH 5, 2002]   PARK RIDGE — For the second straight year, a sophomore collected the Big Ten’s highest honor, as Indiana’s Jared Jeffries was chosen as the conference Player of the Year in voting by both the coaches and media. University of Illinois junior Frank Williams was honored as the Player of the Year for 2001 and received first-team honors this year. Lincoln’s Brian Cook, also a junior at Illinois, was one of five players named to the second team.

Jeffries, the league’s only unanimous All-Big Ten First Team pick this season and the 2001 Freshman of the Year, is the second Hoosier in the past three years to be named conference Player of the Year. A.J. Guyton was honored in 2000. Jeffries led Indiana to a share of its first Big Ten championship since 1993 while topping the league with 2.13 blocked shots per game and ranking among the top 10 in rebounding (second, with 7.9 rpg), steals (sixth, with 1.50 spg) and scoring (seventh, with 15.1 ppg). The IU sophomore led his team and was the only Big Ten player to appear in the top 10 in each of those categories.

Other individual honors include Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan being named the Big Ten Coach of the Year by the media, the first Badger head coach to earn that distinction. Ryan led Wisconsin to a share of its first Big Ten championship in 55 years, as the last UW league title came in 1947.

A pair of Minnesota players earned individual honors, as Rick Rickert was named the conference Freshman of Year, and Travarus Bennett shared Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year accolades with Indiana’s Dane Fife. Rickert is the first Gopher to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He led all conference freshmen in scoring (14.1 ppg) and blocks (1.30) while rating third in rebounding (5.3 rpg). Bennett and Fife are also the first players from their respective schools to earn conference Defensive Player of the Year honors (selected by the coaches), as Bennett led the Big Ten in steals with 2.31 per game and Fife rated seventh with 1.50 picks per contest in league games only.

The all-Big Ten choices for 2002 featured youth, as eight members of the first and second teams have eligibility remaining, while each of the four conference co-champs was represented. The first team all-Big Ten squads selected by both the coaches and the media featured these players: Jeffries, Illinois’ Frank Williams, Michigan State’s Marcus Taylor, Ohio State’s Brian Brown and Wisconsin’s Kirk Penney. Jeffries was the only unanimous selection, while Williams was the only player to earn first-team honors for the second straight season.

The complete list of the All-Big Ten awards follows.

2001-02 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team

As selected by Big Ten coaches

First team

Brian Brown, Ohio State

Jared Jeffries, Indiana*

Kirk Penney, Wisconsin

Marcus Taylor, Michigan State

Frank Williams, Illinois

Second team

Brian Cook, Illinois

Tom Coverdale, Indiana

Brent Darby, Ohio State

Reggie Evans, Iowa

Rick Rickert, Minnesota

Third team

Robert Archibald, Illinois

Willie Deane, Purdue

Tavaras Hardy, Northwestern

Luke Recker, Iowa

Dusty Rychart, Minnesota

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Honorable mention

Travarus Bennett, Minnesota

Winston Blake, Northwestern

Charlie Wills, Wisconsin

Player of the Year

Jared Jeffries, Indiana

Freshman of the Year

Rick Rickert, Minnesota

Co-Defensive Players of the Year

Dane Fife, Indiana, and Travarus Bennett, Minnesota

* unanimous

Repeat performers

First team: Williams

Second team: Evans

Note: Jeffries was named to the coaches’ second-team in 2001, Cook was a third-team pick, and Brown and Recker were honorable mention selections.

As selected by Big Ten media

First team

Brian Brown, Ohio State

Jared Jeffries, Indiana*

Kirk Penney, Wisconsin

Marcus Taylor, Michigan State

Frank Williams, Illinois

Second team

Brian Cook, Illinois

Tom Coverdale, Indiana

Willie Deane, Purdue

Reggie Evans, Iowa

Rick Rickert, Minnesota

Third team

Adam Ballinger, Michigan State

LaVell Blanchard, Michigan

Brent Darby, Ohio State

Luke Recker, Iowa

Dusty Rychart, Minnesota

Honorable mention

Robert Archibald, Illinois

Boban Savovic, Ohio State

Sharif Chambliss, Penn State

Player of the Year

Jared Jeffries, Indiana

Freshman of the Year

Rick Rickert, Minnesota

Coach of the Year

Bo Ryan, Wisconsin

* unanimous

Repeat performers

First team: Williams

Second team: Cook, Evans

Note: Blanchard was named to the media’s second team in 2001, Brown and Jeffries were third-team picks, and Recker was an honorable mention selection.

[Big Ten news release from Scott Chipman]

[MARCH 5, 2002]   ST. LOUIS — Randy Rice, with 14 points, led three Redbirds in double-figure scoring, but Illinois State’s hopes for a fifth State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title were dashed by Creighton’s hot shooting in a 90-63 Bluejay win on Sunday in a tournament semifinal game.

Kyle Korver scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half and led a barrage of 3-point field goals for Creighton as the Bluejays took command of the game in the first half. Shawn Jeppson and Baboucarr Bojang each had 11 points for Illinois State, while Terrell Taylor backed Korver’s play with 19 points. Six Creighton players had at least one 3-pointer.

The third-seeded Redbirds, 17-14, had two good runs at Creighton in the first half, fueled by Rice’s 11 points. CU led 8-2 when the Redbirds went on a 9-0 run to take an 11-8 lead on Baboucarr Bojang’s 3-point play with 14:35 left in the half.

The Jays edged ahead 26-21 before Tyler McKinney fired in back-to-back 3s to start a 15-0 spurt that put Creighton ahead 41-21. Rice and Jeppson hit 3-pointers in an 8-0 ISU run to slice that lead to 41-29, but Korver hit another 3 and Creighton led 47-31 at intermission.

Creighton, 21-7, the No. 2 seed, guaranteed its advance to the title game with an opening 23-4 flurry after halftime. The Jays tied the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament record with 13 3-point field goals made for the game. The Jays hit 58.3 percent from the field and 21 of 26 free throws.

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Illinois State, which has won 10 of its last 13 games, allowed a season-high 90 points, shot just 42 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 35-22 despite Bojang’s game-high eight boards.

Creighton went on to defeat No. 1 seed Southern Illinois 84-76 in the final on Monday.

[ISU news release]

[MARCH 5, 2002]   ST. LOUIS — Shawn Jeppson beat the final buzzer with a 25-foot turnaround, fall-away 3-pointer to lead Illinois State past Drake 64-63 on Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Jeppson, who scored 18 of his 24 points after halftime and hit eight of his final 10 shots, helped the No. 3-seeded Redbirds, 17-13 overall, overcome a 29-point performance by Drake guard Luke McDonald to advance Illinois State to the tourney semifinals for the 20th time in 21 years.

Drake had led 7-6 after a Jeppson steal and layup with 14:27 left in the first half. Lonnie Randolph’s layup started an 11-0 Bulldog run, which ended when McDonald drained a long 3-pointer with 6:33 left.

The No. 6-seed Bulldogs, 14-15, hit five of 12 3-pointers as the cold-shooting Redbirds suffered through a seven-minute scoring drought, missing nine straight shots. McDonald had 14 points at halftime as Drake held a 33-21 advantage. ISU made just nine of 25 first-half field goals.

Illinois State trailed by as many 15 in the first half and trailed 47-37 with 11 minutes left before Baboucarr Bojang hit a jumper to start a 12-0 run punctuated by a Jeppson 3-pointer with 7:45 left, which gave the Redbirds their first lead of the game, 49-47.

The teams battled to 56-56 into the final three minutes, when a McDonald driving shot and an Andry Sola layup gave Drake a 60-56 lead with 1:54 left. Shedrick Ford hit two free throws for ISU, and McDonald’s final basket of the game, a trey, put the Bulldogs ahead 63-58.

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Gregg Alexander, who had 13 points, hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 57 seconds left to cut that back to 63-61. Then Randy Rice stole the ball from McDonald to set up ISU’s final possession. Jeppson missed a driving layup with eight seconds left, but the ’Birds got the ball back for the final time as Drake’s Greg Danielson landed on the baseline with the rebound.

"Shawn made an unbelievable shot," said Redbird coach Tom Richardson. "Greg’s shot was big-time from the corner before that. Randy Rice made a big-time defensive play, so we had a number of things happen to lead up to that play."

The win slated Illinois State to meet No. 2 seed Creighton in a semifinal matchup.

[ISU news release]

[MARCH 4, 2002]   Led by Lincoln’s Brian Cook on Sunday afternoon, Illinois showed the world why they are named the Fighting Illini.

Down by nine points in Minnesota with just over three minutes to play, it looked like the final nail was going into the Orange and Blue coffin.

Suddenly there were reports that both Lazarus and the Illini were coming back from the dead. And when Frank Williams stripped the ball away and Cory Bradford drilled one of his five 3-pointers on the day, Illinois was down by only one with 6.9 seconds to play.

Frankie then hushed the crowd in an aptly named sold-out arena by sending a high-arching banker that floated softly through the twine.

Why do I say aptly named? Because the barn is known as "Williams" arena!

Frank’s shot set off a wild celebration throughout the state, which hopefully will sober up by Friday!

Lincoln’s Brian Cook did all he could to set up the celebration by registering a double-double, tallying 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Illinois finishes league play tied for the Big Ten championship with Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio State! The Illini get the No. 3 seed and will face the Penn State-Minnesota winner Friday night at 8:10 p.m.

How sweet it is!

[Jeff Mayfield]

Field set for Big Ten tourney

[MARCH 4, 2002]  PARK RIDGE — The field is set for the 2002 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament that will take place Thursday-Sunday, March 7-10, at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Co-Big Ten champion Wisconsin (18-11, 11-5) earned the No. 1 seed after winning a tiebreaker among four teams. Fellow conference winner Ohio State (20-7, 11-5) nabbed the No. 2 seed. With a win over Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, Illinois (23-7, 11-5) collected a share of their second straight league crown and the No. 3 seed in the tournament, while co-conference champ Indiana (19-10, 11-5) was awarded the No. 4 seed.

All four teams received a first-round bye, along with No. 5 seed Michigan State (19-10, 10-6), and will start tournament play on Friday, March 8.

The fifth annual 2002 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will tip off for the first time in the state of Indiana with a local flavor, as No. 8 Purdue (13-17, 5-11) will face No. 9 Iowa (16-14, 5-11), the defending tournament champion, at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 7, on ESPN2. The four previous conference tournaments were contested at the United Center in Chicago.

The second game of the tournament will feature No. 7 Northwestern (16-12, 7-9) against No. 10 Michigan (10-17, 5-11) at 4:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The final game on Thursday will be No. 6 Minnesota (16-11, 9-7) and No. 11 Penn State (7-20, 3-13), with a 7:10 p.m. EST tipoff on ESPN Regional.

Day two will begin with the No. 4-5 contest at 11:30 a.m. EST (ESPN2), as Indiana will face Michigan State, which has won five straight games and emerged victorious in two other conference tournaments.

Wisconsin, which earned its first No. 1 seed in the five-year history of the tournament, will begin its quest for its first tournament title, at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN2 against the Purdue-Iowa victor.

No. 2 Ohio State will also aim for its first tourney crown, on Friday at 6:40 p.m. EST (ESPN Regional) versus the Northwestern-Michigan winner.

The second day will conclude with No. 3 Illinois facing the Minnesota-Penn State winner at 9:10 p.m. EST (ESPN Regional), as the Illini aim for their third berth in the tourney final in the last four years.

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The Big Ten Tournament semifinals will take place on Saturday, March 9, with the first game beginning at 1:45 p.m. EST on CBS. Game two will start 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one, at approximately 4:05 p.m. EST.

The tournament will conclude with the championship game on Sunday, March 10, at 3:30 p.m. EST on CBS.

Iowa became the lowest-seeded team to win the Big Ten Tournament last season, as the sixth-seeded Hawkeyes won four games in four days to clinch the tournament crown and an automatic NCAA championship berth. Iowa’s win ended a string of two straight Big Ten Tournament titles by Michigan State, as the Spartans won it all in 2000 and 1999, while Michigan won the inaugural event in 1998.

A limited number of full-session ticket packages for the 2002 Big Ten Conference Tournament are still available and on sale for $225 to the general public. Tickets are available at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster charge-by-phone numbers and www.ticketmaster.com.

Click here to see the tournament brackets, with teams, dates, times and television (in Adobe Acrobat). [Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader.]

[Scott Chipman, Big Ten Conference]

[MARCH 2, 2002]   

Boys

Lincoln                          9   20  34   58

Champaign Central       14  17  27   44

Lincoln stats

Bunch 3-6-12, Farmer 6-12-28, Komnick 0-0-0, Wilder 0-0-0, Peters 0-0-0, Schonauer 1-0-3, Schrader 3-0-7, Welch 0-0-0, Young 1-6-8

Totals 14-24-58

Three-point field goals: Farmer 4, Schonauer, Schrader

From their second regional win, the Railers move on to face Springfield Lanphier, second- ranked in the state, on Tuesday evening in Springfield.

See more pictures of the game

[MARCH 2, 2002]   

Women

Lincoln Christian                 23  38 — 61

Marantha Baptist                30  37 — 67

Lincoln Christan stats

Robbins 6-1-14, Urton 0-3-3, Szoztek 2-0-4, Wright 7-5-20, Wertin 3-1-8, O'Malley 2-4-8, Devore 0-0-0, Jewell 2-0-4

Totals 22-14-61

Three-point field goals: Robbins, Wright, Wertin

[MARCH 1, 2002]   

Men

Emmaus                  39  23 — 62

Lincoln Christian     31  30 — 61

Lincoln stats

Clark 7-0-15, Raymer 3-1-7, Okusami 3-0-6, Grooms 4-2-10, Searby 4-1-9, Gordon 0-1-1, Below 5-3-13

Three-point field goal: Clark

Women

Lincoln Christian     36  27 — 63

Moody Bible          19  23 — 42

Lincoln stats

Robbins 7-0-16, Szostek 2-0-4, Wright 5-3-14, Wertin 3-0-6, O’Malley 6-0-12, Jewell 4-3-11,

Three-point field goals: Robbins 2, Wright

[MARCH 1, 2002]  I love the way that Steph Reichle plays basketball. I played with a scowl on my face. Steph plays with a smile on hers. She bounces off the bench during the starting lineups, and she doesn’t stop bouncing until the game is over. She could give my boy’s Tigger in his room a run for his money! Her upbeat attitude is infectious to her teammates, and never was that the case more than in last night’s thrilling 70-67 nail-biter over the visiting Indiana State Sycamores.

Reichle led a balanced attacked with an incredible line. She tallied nine points and was the team leader in rebounds with six, mostly because of her all-out hustle. She also had three assists and three steals while foul trouble limited her to 27 minutes of action.

[Steph Reichle on right, No. 22]
[Photo by Jeff Mayfield]

She says that she is now 100 percent after knee surgery, but what she won’t tell you is that she really is a warrior. She’s had two cortisone shots, one just a few weeks ago.

You couple her desire to rehab and get stronger with her intensity and focus and the energy and leadership that she brings to the floor, and what have you got? Another great player from Lincoln. It’s almost becoming redundant.

ISU got off to a slow start and dug a huge hole for themselves. But Reichle said, "We picked up our defense and our intensity and played tighter on them." Whatever it was, it sure did work, as the ’Birds fought back from a 4-12 deficit at the 15:29 mark and had clawed to within 18-22 with 7:54 left. By halftime the Redbirds were up 35-32.

They continued the fight in the second half, as Reichle’s inspired play showed her hitting some big baskets, including a nifty little left-handed scoop shot, and dishing to the hot hands of Heidi Harnisch, Taren O’Brien, Stacey White and Michelle Harakas. The Redbirds led by as many as eight points, at 59-51 with 9:16 left in the game. But the Sycamores came roaring back to lead at the 3:34 TV timeout by a score of 65-64.

Reichle made some spectacular plays down the stretch. One of her scintillating entry passes in the post was nullified when a bunny was missed. On another she could have made the game-winning shot but unselfishly kicked the ball back to White, who was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer. Stacey calmly canned the first two free throws, and O’Brien added one more for the final margin.

The LDN sports staff caught up with Reichle, who was moving a little slower after the game.

LDN: How’s the knee?

Steph: It’s basically 100 percent.

LDN: Very few teams will finish this season with a win. What did this game mean to you in Kristi Larson’s last collegiate game?

Steph: It was very emotional for her, for me and for all of our teammates. We wanted to play hard for her, and we wanted her to go out with a win. And we got it for her.

LDN: Why did you dig so deep of a hole? Was it because tonight was so emotional?

Steph: We were not in sync. Once we started executing, I knew that we would be all right. Before the game we said that we wanted to win and leave this season with a good taste in our mouths, and that’s what we did. We even talked about tonight being the start of next season for us. We’re 1-0!

LDN: How does the future look for you and for the Lady Redbirds?

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Steph: With the players that we have returning and with the recruits that we’re going to get… our future is very bright. The off-season will be the determining factor for us. I will be working out in the gym a lot. Hopefully my teammates will join me at least four times a week in the weight room and out on the court. We all want to work hard so that we can improve for next season.

LDN: Will you be scouting the AA state tourney for recruits that can help ISU?

Steph: Yes, we will be going to the Olney game to see a recruit, and we will be cheering Kassie Drew (former CS8 opponent and daughter of SH-G coach Jim Drew). Tonight many of those girls were in the stands for this big event. We wanted to make a positive, lasting impression on them, and I think we did that.

LDN: What was the turning point for you this year?

Steph: After the huge upset win over Creighton, I thought we had turned the corner, but our inconsistency didn’t allow that to happen. I think some of our girls didn’t realize how big the transition from high school ball to college ball would be. It’s much more aggressive, and it’s much more intense. You have to be ready to play a much more physical style and be ready for the emotions of the faster-paced game. Now that we have that experience, it will really help us for next season.

LDN: How ’bout a prediction for next year’s team? Wouldn’t a .500 season be a huge step in the right direction?

Steph: It would be… but, I’m placing no limits on us next year! NO LIMITS! We need to focus on our team and not worry about what the other teams are doing. Playing for a very successful high school team in Lincoln made me hungry for more wins and for team success. I want to bring that experience and that leadership to next year’s squad.

LDN: How will you do that?

Steph: I have to walk the walk. Every day I try to compete on every play, and I will continue to do that.

LDN: What grade to give you and your team for this season?

Steph: And A and a C. When we were focused and executed it was an A, but far too often our focus was not there and we were a C. When we played solidly for 35-40 minutes, we got high marks. For me personally, I turned it around after the Bradley game. Coach Yopp called me out in front of my teammates. She told me that I needed to step up and provide leadership for our team. I took her seriously, and that’s what I did. I plan to continue to do that next season. I can help the girls go over the scouting reports and how to break down film. I bring focus and how to get prepared properly. I’m really excited about our future.

Steph, on behalf of the entire LDN staff, congratulations to you and the Lady Redbirds on your improvement this season. We all wish you and the team the best during the off-season as you strive to become the team you want to be next year! Thanks for taking the time to let your loyal fans know how you’re doing.

[Jeff Mayfield and the LDN sports staff]

Pre-game notes: Illinois vs. Minnesota  (men)

[MARCH 1, 2002]   

[Click here for background information (in Adobe Acrobat).]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader.]

[FEB. 28, 2002]   

Boys

Rantoul       11  20  32   48

Lincoln       10  23  28   55

Lincoln stats

Bunch 1-1-3, Farmer 0-11-11, Gallagher 2-0-4, Schonauer 2-0-6, Schrader 1-0-3, Welch 1-0-2, Young 6-14-26,

Three-point field goals: Schonauer 2, Schrader

[Photos by Bob Frank]

[FEB. 28, 2002]   

Men

John Wood          23  30 — 53

Lincoln College    25  32 — 57

Lincoln stats

Roberson 5-2-13, Clark 2-0-5, Fowler 1-0-2, Turner 3-5-12, Kehr 1-0-2, Sams 2-4-6, Major 1-4-6, Hollyfield 2-2-7, Bowen 1-0-2

Three-point field goals: Roberson, Clark, Turner, Hollyfield

[FEB. 28, 2002]   Although falling short of a team goal — to reach the eight-team State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Tournament — Steph Reichle and the Illinois State University women’s basketball team have a chance to become one of the few teams in the nation to end the season with a winning note, when the Redbirds meet Indiana State at 8:05 p.m. Thursday in Redbird Arena.

"Only a few teams, like the national champions, finish the season with a win," said Reichle, whose inspired play at both ends of the court in recent weeks has been a bright spot for Illinois State, 6-20 overall, 4-13 in the Missouri Valley. "We have a great opportunity to become one of those teams. We have a chance. We have to take it."

To Reichle, it’s more than just the trivia of "Which teams won their final game of the 2001-02 season?"

"If the team can finish the season with a win, that’s something positive going into next year," said Reichle, who is one of two juniors on a team which bids farewell to just one senior, Kristi Larson, after the Indiana State game. "We’re also looking at this game not as an ending but as a start to next season. We have a lot of work to do before next season. This can be a head start for this team."

Redbird coach Jenny Yopp believes her team’s chances to reach the goal of going out a winner would be enhanced if all her charges followed Reichle’s recent determination and consistency. The junior guard has moved into the Valley’s top 10 in offensive rebounds and steals with big late-season numbers, including an 11-rebound, seven-assist, three-steal performance Sunday at Wichita State.

"Steph is evidence of how maturity helps you perform as a player," said Yopp. "She has controlled her emotions with her performance, especially in the last few weeks. She does not get rattled or upset. She’s very consistent on the court. Steph is what I expect of the class which will be juniors (next year). It’s maturity."

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In the context of starting next year now, Yopp has some specific areas targeted for team improvement.

"Getting stronger will make us better rebounders," said Yopp. "Ball-handling and one-on-one shooting are other areas of focus; we’ve seen our ball-handling improve, and it needs to continue in that direction. In shooting, we need our players to move beyond their main strength; players arrive as 3-point shooters or post-up players, and we need them to develop the ‘middle game,’ which includes the jump shot."

Since a 1-5 conference start, Indiana State has been one of the league’s most consistent teams. The Sycamores, 11-15 overall, 7-10 in league play, had won six of nine conference games until losing in overtime in both ends of the Wichita State-Southwest Missouri State trip.

Missouri Valley Conference scoring leader Kourtney Mennen already has broken the Sycamore single-season record for 3-point field goals with 75. If Valley women’s basketball selected a "most-improved" team, junior center Kristin Stewart would be a shoo-in. Her 13 points and eight rebounds per game are double her previous season averages.

[ISU news release]

[Click here for Illinois State vs. Indiana State pre-game notes.]

[FEB. 27, 2002]   ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Illinois State’s Baboucarr Bojang was named to the Missouri Valley Conference second team and all-newcomer squad by a vote of the league’s coaches and media on Tuesday. In addition, Gregg Alexander was elected to the all-freshman team and Randy Rice was chosen for the all-defensive team. Rice, along with fellow senior Shawn Jeppson, were each named honorable mention all-conference.

Creighton’s Kyle Korver, a junior from Pella, Iowa, was named the Valley Player of the Year. In addition to that honor, Korver was tabbed first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference for the first time. Korver becomes only the third Creighton Bluejay to receive league player-of-the-year recognition, joining Bob Harstad (1990) and Chad Gallagher (1991).

Wichita State’s Randy Burns, a freshman from Houston, Texas, is the Valley Freshman of the Year. Ranked among the league’s top 10 for free throw percentage (.819) and 3-point field goal percentage (.422), Burns — a 5-foot-11, 179-pound guard — is the first Shocker to earn freshman-of-the-year honors since former WSU standout Jason Perez received the league’s top freshman award for 1996-97.

The league’s Defensive Player of the Year — selected by the conference’s head coaches — is Southern Illinois’ Rolan Roberts. A senior from Woodbridge, Va., Roberts — a 6-foot-6, 240-pound forward — is the second Saluki taught by head coach Bruce Weber to win the honor. The other was Monte Jenkins in 1998-99.

A Valley player-of-the-week selection on Nov. 26, Roberts is also the conference’s 2002 Newcomer of the Year. The league’s top shot-blocker with 2.63 deflections per game, Roberts ranks among league leaders for scoring (14.3), rebounding (7.2) and field goal percentage (.607), and is the first Saluki to earn newcomer-of-the-year plaudits since Chris Thunell in 1997-98.

For the fifth consecutive season, the league’s head coaches selected a "Sixth Man Award" recipient, and this season’s honor goes to Creighton’s Terrell Taylor. The honor is presented to the league’s top reserve player.

2001-02 Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball all-conference awards

Kyle Korver, Creighton

Robbie Sieverding, Northern Iowa

Kent Williams, Southern Illinois

Luke McDonald, Drake

Rolan Roberts, Southern Illinois

Second team

Mike Wallace, Southwest Missouri State

Scott Brakebill, Southwest Missouri State

Baboucarr Bojang, Illinois State

Brody Deren, Creighton

Terrance McGee, Southwest Missouri State

Phillip Gilbert, Bradley

[to top of second column in this article]

Honorable mention

Shawn Jeppson, Illinois State

Jermaine Dearman, Southern Illinois

David Gruber, Northern Iowa

Terrell Taylor, Creighton

Djibril Kante, Indiana State

Dan Lytle, Evansville

Kelyn Block, Indiana State

Randy Burns, Wichita State

Andry Sola, Drake

Randy Rice, Illinois State

Terrell Benton, Wichita State

Player of the Year

Kyle Korver, Creighton

All-newcomer team

Rolan Roberts, Southern Illinois

Baboucarr Bojang, Illinois State

Terrance McGee, Southwest Missouri State

David Gruber, Northern Iowa

Brody Deren, Creighton

Newcomer of the Year

Rolan Roberts, Southern Illinois

All-freshman team

Randy Burns, Wichita State

Danny Granger, Bradley

Chris Foster, Northern Iowa

Jamar Howard, Wichita State

Gregg Alexander, Illinois State

Randy Burns, Wichita State

Defensive Player of the Year

Rolan Roberts, Southern Illinois

All-defensive team

Rolan Roberts, Southern Illinois

Randy Rice, Illinois State

James Gillingham, Bradley

Marcus Howard, Indiana State

Jamar Howard, Wichita State

Sixth-Man Award winner

Terrell Taylor, Creighton

[MARCH 4, 2002]   While I enjoyed growing up in Southern California and skateboarding and hittin’ the beach with my buddies out there, it doesn’t even compare with March Madness!

And, yes, they have great basketball out there. In fact, some of the all-time great hoopsters and current Hall of Famers hail from that region. It’s just that the weather is so nice there most of the time, that nobody cares about going indoors to watch anything, much less basketball.

On the other hand, here in the Midwest the world is an entirely different planet! I woke up this morning, picked Payne up out of his bed and went to turn on Clifford the Big Red Dog (what else would you be watchin’ at that time of the morning?). The weather update on the screen said that the temperature outside was 1 and that the wind chill was minus 12! Payne wanted me to flip to SportsCenter to get caught up on all the tourney results nationwide, and I gladly obliged him! What else are you gonna do in these weather conditions?

This year’s Railers have clawed, scratched, outworked, out-hustled, out-coached and outplayed their opponents en route to yet another 20-win season.

As we travel the state so many have told us what it would mean for their local high school team to have even one 20-victory campaign. So regardless how the rest of the season goes, the LDN salutes this year’s Railers! Nice going, fellas!

The Railers proved once again that what they may lack in size and athleticism, they make up for in preparation, execution and made free throws. Champaign Central is well coached and had a good game plan, but when Lincoln hits 24-of-25 free throws you’re not going to beat them.

We will go on record to say that if LCHS converts 24-of-25 charity tosses against Lanphier Tuesday night, they will walk off the court with an upset of epic proportions. It appears that no one thinks that they could ever beat this Lanphier team. And yes, it does have the potential to get ugly, but people said the same thing about the David-Goliath matchup until the blabbering bully went facedown in the dirt.

The Lions will still have to hit the shots and make the plays and prove that they really are the No. 2-ranked team in the state. And there is no reason to suspect that they are not that good. Some even say that they are the best team in the state and will have no problem runnin’ the table on their way to a state championship.

If they do it, we say, more power to them. Their coach Craig Patton, who is a former Lincoln coach, seems to be a nice enough guy; we would certainly wish him well IF they were to travel that road.

However, in order to travel that road they must get by the Railers first. Others have countered and said that Lincoln just saved Champaign the embarrassment of taking another shellacking from the Lions; that, on paper, these guys are one of the best teams ever in our state.

I’m sure glad that no game we’ve ever been involved in was played on paper! No one knows how a team is going to react, especially after last year when everyone was saying the exact same things. We recall that some other team went on to win the sectional title.

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We’re not saying that it would be easy to spring such an upset. It would take a near flawless performance. It would mean patiently breaking down one of the better presses that we’ve seen in a while. It would mean limiting the Lions to one shot per possession. It would take great overall team defense, moving feet so quickly as to not let dribble penetration take over the contest. It would mean contesting every shot and trying to force the opponents into taking off-balance, forced shots maybe quicker than they are ready to do so. It would take deliberate offensive flow, with good ball movement and excellent screens to free up the best shooters at just the right times. It would take a spectacular effort in the post both offensively and defensively. And it would take a huge coaching effort to even allow one’s self to even believe that an upset is even in the realm of possibility.

A wry smile has just come across our collective face. All the pressure in the world is on Lanphier. Everyone expects them to win and to win big… Well, maybe not everyone…

The Redbirds won a thrilling contest over Drake Saturday night when Shawn Jeppson hit a 3-point prayer as time expired, leading ISU to a win over Drake. But the dreams hit the skids Sunday when Creighton took it to ISU big in the semis. Actually it sets the stage for the MVC’s two best regular-season teams to battle it out Monday night to see who gets the NCAA automatic bid.

But what about ISU’s postseason chances? ISU’s SID, Todd Kober and I have been speculating for the last couple of weeks that ISU really is deserving of an NIT bid. IF you look at the record over the last 10 games and consider how they have overcome injuries, and then if you look at a pretty decent RPI… I guess you could say that we’d be pretty disappointed if they don’t get an invite. It could result in a very difficult game on the road, but we’ve always believed that any postseason experience is a good experience. And what it could do for next year’s team would be huge. We’re keepin’ our fingers crossed for an engraved invitation!

PLEASE join Greg Taylor and I Monday night on FIX-96.3 from 6 to 7 pm. Greg is ALREADY in Indy sending good Illini vibes all over the place in order to allow the Illini a deep tournament run. Tonight’s agenda will include high school sports, and obviously the IHSA A and AA tourneys; college sports — U of I, ISU, LC and LCC reports; Cub and Cardinal spring training updates; prize giveaways; and a whole lot more.

Call us at 648-5510 or toll free (877) 963-9669.

The Illinois Fighting Illini, winners of back-to-back Big Ten championships. On behalf of your loyal LDN staff, CONGRATULATIONS!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[FEB. 27, 2002]   Going into last night’s contest with Indiana, Illinois was still mathematically alive in the Big Ten conference race. How in the world that was the case, this semiprofessional writer can’t tell you. When the Illini were mired in a three-game losing streak and a funk that reminded me of the Afro I sported during the swingin’ ’70s, not many were projecting the Illini to be in the title hunt when the final week of the season arrived. But, that’s exactly where they are!

One of the many ugly aspects of their performance in the throes of the losing streak was their lack of intensity on defense and just their overall lack of hustle. They were not closing out on perimeter shooters; they were not choking off entry passes to the post; and because of it, opponents were abusing the Illini inside and out.

On top of all that, Indiana coach Mike Davis commented earlier in the week that no one could stop Jared Jeffries. Somehow that word filtered through the basketball community and found its way to Lincoln’s own, Brian Cook. And the first few trips down the court, Cook made sure that Jeffries got the message that Brian isn’t no one. And even though Jeffries may win the award as the league’s best player (and it pains me to say it, but he probably deserves to), he wasn’t last night! Cook made sure of that.

[Photos by Jeff Mayfield]

Brian kept good position on him and on IU’s other would-be post players all night. He looked as if he was auditioning for a spot on the SWAT team as he rejected four Hoosier shots and altered several others. He led all players with six rebounds, and though he didn’t get a lot of touches, he finished the game with 15 points — many of which came at the line down the stretch in crunch time. Maybe he didn’t get the memo that it was Senior Night, because he was definitely the difference in the contest.

Illinois jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, but IU came storming back and actually took the lead themselves at the 11:32 mark at 9-7. But 3-pointers from Sean Harrington and Cory Bradford gave the Illini a 36-24 cushion at the half.

However, I did not feel that that lead was safe. Former Lincoln resident Curt Swan was at the game, visiting from Florida. I leaned over and told him at the break that this game would go to the wire, and in many ways it did.

For some reason IU (18-10, 10-5) seemed to be distracted by the officials from the opening tip. That eventually did not play in their favor, as they were rightly slapped for two technical fouls and one intentional foul. The outcome might have been different if poise and composure would have set in.

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The Illini were led in scoring by Frank Williams, who had 24 points, six rebounds and three assists and was 7-of-9 from the line during crunch time. Joining Cook and Williams in double figures was Bradford with 13. Nick Smith and Roger Powell had nice outings off the bench, which really helped the Illini, as Robert Archibald spent half the night on the bench in foul trouble.

IU had four players in double figures. Kyle Hornsby led the way with 14, Tom Coverdale had 13, Jeff Newton finished with 12, and Jarrad Odle chipped in 10.

Illinois won the battle of the boards 33-30 and forced 17 Hoosier turnovers while limiting themselves to only 13!

The fans said goodbye to Robert Archibald, Damir Krupalija, Lucas Johnson, Cory Bradford and to Frank Williams.

Senior nights are always hard for me personally. I know it’s crazy, but I think of these guys as part of my family and in very few cases have I ever been glad to see one of our seniors go.

On behalf of the LDN sports staff, I would just like to thank all of our seniors for the way they have carried themselves during their time here at Illinois. You’ve read our game reports, but we’ve gotten to see these guys on the road, in restaurants and in hotels, and they always reflect well on the fans of the Illini. I don’t know about you, but I appreciate that! While I marvel at their abilities and their stats, their good character is the thing I hope my son is picking up on. And by the way, the character stat is a stat that never slumps!

But the stat of the night was Cook’s stifling defense on Jeffries and the Hoosiers.

Illinois now has a record of 22-7, and 10-5 in the league, and will play for a piece of the conference title Sunday afternoon in Minnesota.

[Jeff Mayfield]

For a game report from the University of Illinois, see http://fightingillini.fansonly.com/sports/
m-baskbl/recaps/022602aaa.html.

Announcements

[FEB. 28, 2002]  The Lincoln Pony League will have their sign-up period for both baseball (boys) and softball (girls) over the next three weekends, beginning this Saturday, March 2, and continuing on March 9 and 16. Sign-ups will be in the lobby of the Lincoln Rec Center from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Anyone interested in playing ball this summer can get signed up during those times. Representatives of the Lincoln Pony League will be on hand to answer any questions and to assist with the sign-ups.

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