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Tuesday, March 11

High school basketball

[MARCH 11, 2003] 

Class A sectionals
     At Decatur Millikin

7:30 p.m. -- Warrensburg-Latham vs. Monticello

Class AA sectionals
At Springfield Southeast

6 p.m. -- Lincoln vs. Springfield Lanphier

Cook selected as Big Ten's
Player of the Year

[MARCH 11, 2003]  The LDN has learned that Lincoln native Brian Cook has been selected as the Big Ten's Player of the Year!  A source close to the LDN sports crew let us know by telephone that Cook had indeed been chosen for the prestigious award.

[Click here for related article from the Big Ten.]

Submit your vote for Cook
for Senior CLASS Award

[MARCH 11, 2003]  Lincolnites, who's your favorite basketball player? If you say Brian Cook, then you will want to participate in a competition that recognizes top college athletes. Cook is one of only 10 top male basketball players from across the country to be nominated to receive the 2003 Senior CLASS Award. "CLASS" is an acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School."

It takes only a minute to submit your vote for Cook for this prestigious award. Recently Cook was 12.8 percent below the leader, with fan voting to continue through March.

National fan balloting for the men and women's Senior CLASS Award winner is now online at www.seniorclassaward.com.

National media voting will be sent via e-mail beginning March 10-14. Balloting by Division I coaches will also begin then.

Fan voting for the Senior CLASS Award is in full swing as we approach tournament play, according to Premier Sports Management of Overland Park, Kan. There is still time for balloting, and the race is wide open for the public to pick their favorite senior student-athlete to win the trophy in April.

Many conference tournaments are already under way as March Madness heats up.

While it is hard to pick a clear front-runner in both men's and women's basketball, these last few games have shown which teams are equipped to make it to the NCAA tournament and possibly Atlanta or New Orleans the first weekend in April.

The stellar play of the Senior CLASS finalists has made choosing the winner a difficult task. Following are some recent highlights:

--Illinois senior Brian Cook has really upped his game as of late, leading his team to a victory over Michigan and a narrow one-point loss to Big 10 champs Wisconsin, by averaging 26 points and seven rebounds for the Fighting Illini.

--Josh Howard helped give Wake Forest a share or possible outright ACC championship by putting up 24 points and nine rebounds in a 75-60 victory over North Carolina. He also scored an amazing 29 points in a recent victory over Clemson and has averaged nine rebounds in three straight games.

--Matt Carroll led Notre Dame with 28 points, including eight-of-16 from the 3-point line, which tied the school record for 3-pointers, in the Irish's loss to No. 12 Syracuse 92-88 on March 4.

--Senior Nick Collison made history during a recent 85-45 victory over Texas A&M, when he became only the fourth player for the University of Kansas to collect 1,000 career rebounds.

Recent balloting totals for men's top 10

(Rank, player, school, number of votes, percentage of fan votes)

1. Nick Collison, Kansas, 14,617, 25%

2. Kirk Hinrich, Kansas, 14,312, 24.5%

3. Brian Cook, Illinois , 6,567, 11.2%

4. Reece Gaines, Louisville, 5,469, 9.3%

5. Matt Carroll , Notre Dame, 5,217, 8.9%

6. Jason Gardner, Arizona, 2,978, 5%

7. Hollis Price, Oklahoma, 2,735, 4.6%

8. David West, Xavier , 2,509, 4.2%

9. Kyle Korver, Creighton, 2,336, 4%

10. Josh Howard, Wake Forest, 1,658, 2.8%

Total number of votes: 58,398

[to top of second column in this article]

Women's update

The women's finalists have prepared all season for the month of March, and it has paid off. Here are some recent statistics:

--Mississippi State standout LaToya Thomas is currently third in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 25.6 ppg. Over the Lady Bulldogs' last three games, Thomas has averaged 29 points and led No. 10 Mississippi State to their best regular-season record ever at 22-6.

--Tennessee senior Kara Lawson had 31 points, four rebounds and five assists in the Lady Vols' victory over No. 18 Vanderbilt 91-71 on Feb. 27.

--Cheryl Ford scored 28 points and grabbed 23 rebounds to lead No. 6 Louisiana Tech to an 89-56 victory over Southern Methodist, equaling the 24th straight win for the Lady Techsters.

--Chantelle Anderson of Vanderbilt has averaged 26 points for the Lady Commodores in a series of three games, including 19 points in a first-round SEC tournament victory over Florida.

Recent balloting totals for women's top 10

(Rank, player, school, number of votes, percentage of fan votes)

1. LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State, 5,421, 40.3%

2. Kara Lawson, Tennessee, 2,343, 17.4%

3. Jocelyn Penn, South Carolina, 1,323, 9.8%

4. Cheryl Ford, Louisiana Tech, 781, 5.8%

5. Coretta Brown, North Carolina, 777, 5.7%

6. Ashley McElhiney, Vanderbilt, 718, 5.3%

7. Gwen Jackson, Tennessee, 668, 4.9%

8. Plenette Pierson, Texas Tech, 551, 4.1%

9. Courtney Coleman, Ohio State, 446, 3.3%

10. Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt, 407, 3%

Total number of votes: 13,435

Total number of voters for both men's and women's finalists: 53,519*

* Fans may vote twice on the website, which is why the number of voters is less than the actual votes gathered.

[LDN and news release]

Cook named Big Ten Player of
the Year by coaches and media

[MARCH 11, 2003]  PARK RIDGE -- For the second time in three years, an Illinois standout has collected the Big Ten's highest honor. Senior Brian Cook was chosen as the Big Ten Player of the Year in voting by both the coaches and the media. He joins former teammate Frank Williams, who was honored in 2001, as just the second Illinois player in program history to earn the accolades.

Cook, one of two unanimous all-Big Ten first-team picks this season, was named the league's Co-Freshman of the Year in 2000 and was a second team selection in both his sophomore and junior campaigns. The 6-10 forward averaged 20.0 points in Big Ten play to become just the second Illinois player in the last 60 years to lead the conference in scoring. Kendall Gill topped the league in point production with 20.4 points per outing in 1990. Cook also led the Big Ten with 20.1 points per game in all games, while ranking in the top 10 in rebounding (third with 7.1 rpg), field-goal percentage (eighth at .503) and free-throw percentage (10th at .806).

Joining Cook in garnering all-Big Ten honors was freshman guard Dee Brown, who was named to the conference’s second team by the media and to the third team by the coaches. In conference play, Brown led the Big Ten in steals with 1.9 per game and in assist-turnover ratio at 3.04. He finished second in assists (4.75 average) during league play and averaged 12.4 points per game on the season.

Brown was joined on the Big Ten’s first-ever all-freshman team by James Augustine, who averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds on the season. Augustine ranked third in field-goal percentage (.586) during conference play.

Wisconsin's Bo Ryan became the first coach in league history to earn Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in each of his first two seasons in the conference. In voting by the media, Ryan was chosen after leading Wisconsin to its first outright championship since 1947 and its first back-to-back crowns since 1924. He also became just the third coach in Big Ten annals to win titles in each of his first two years, along with Illinois' Bill Self (2001-02) and fellow Badgers mentor Walter Meanwell (1912-13). The last individual to nab Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in consecutive seasons was Purdue's Gene Keady, who was honored on three straight occasions, in 1994, 1995 and 1996.

In other individual honors, Purdue junior Kenneth Lowe was named the Big Ten Defensive Player by the coaches, while Michigan's Daniel Horton earned Freshman of the Year honors from both the coaches and media. Lowe, who missed the entire 2001-02 campaign due to injury, helped Purdue improve from 10th in scoring defense last year (71.5 ppg) to sixth this season (65.7), as the team won 10 Big Ten games for the first time in three years. He is just the third Boilermaker in school history to collect the Defensive Player of the Year award, along with Porter Roberts (1996) and Ricky Hall (1984). Horton becomes the fifth Wolverine to nab Freshman of the Year honors. He ranked sixth in league games only with 16.2 points per game and third with 4.62 assists. He was joined by four other first-year standouts on the first-ever Big Ten all-freshman team, as the five-man squad also included Illinois' Augustine and Brown, Indiana's Bracey Wright and Wisconsin's Alando Tucker.

The 2003 all-Big Ten team was led by senior standouts, as five were featured on the media's first team, and four were named to the coaches' top squad. Both first team all-Big Ten squads included Cook, Wisconsin's Kirk Penney, Michigan's LaVell Blanchard and Purdue's Willie Deane. Indiana senior Jeff Newton was the fifth choice of the media, while the coaches picked Minnesota sophomore Rick Rickert for the final slot. Cook and Penney were the only unanimous selections, while Penney was the only player to earn first-team honors for the second straight season.

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

(* unanimous choices; names in ALL CAPS have 2003-04 eligibility)

As selected by Big Ten coaches

LaVell Blanchard, Michigan

Brian Cook, Illinois*

Willie Deane, Purdue

Kirk Penney, Wisconsin*

RICK RICKERT, Minnesota

[to top of second column in this article]

[photo by Tom Seggelke]

Second team

Brent Darby, Ohio State

DEVIN HARRIS, Wisconsin

CHRIS HILL, Michigan State

DANIEL HORTON, Michigan

Jeff Newton, Indiana

DEE BROWN, Illinois

KENNETH LOWE, Purdue

BERNARD ROBINSON JR., Michigan

BRACEY WRIGHT, Indiana

JITIM YOUNG, Northwestern

CHRIS BOOKER, Purdue

MICHAEL BAUER, Minnesota

Tom Coverdale, Indiana

MAURICE HARGROW, Minnesota

Jerry Holman, Minnesota

Chauncey Leslie, Iowa

JARED REINER, Iowa

GLEN WORLEY, Iowa

JAMES AUGUSTINE, Illinois

DEE BROWN, Illinois

DANIEL HORTON, Michigan

ALANDO TUCKER, Wisconsin

BRACEY WRIGHT, Indiana

Brian Cook, Illinois

DANIEL HORTON, Michigan

KENNETH LOWE, Purdue

First team: Penney (first in 2002), Cook (second), Rickert (second) and Deane (third)

Second team: Darby (second)

Third team: none

LaVell Blanchard, Michigan

Brian Cook, Illinois*

Willie Deane, Purdue

Jeff Newton, Indiana

Kirk Penney, Wisconsin*

DEE BROWN, Illinois

Brent Darby, Ohio State

CHRIS HILL, Michigan State

DANIEL HORTON, Michigan

RICK RICKERT, Minnesota

DEVIN HARRIS, Wisconsin

Chauncey Leslie, Iowa

KENNETH LOWE, Purdue

BERNARD ROBINSON JR., Michigan

BRACEY WRIGHT, Indiana

ALAN ANDERSON, Michigan State

MICHAEL BAUER, Minnesota

SHARIF CHAMBLISS, Penn State

Tom Coverdale, Indiana

JEFF HORNER, Iowa

JARED REINER, Iowa

ALANDO TUCKER, Wisconsin

Brandon Watkins, Penn State

JITIM YOUNG, Northwestern

Brian Cook, Illinois

DANIEL HORTON, Michigan

Bo Ryan, Wisconsin

First team: Penney (first in 2002), Cook (second), Deane (second) and Blanchard (third)

Second team: Rickert (second) and Darby (third)

Third team: none

[Scott Chipman, associate director of communications, Big Ten Conference]

Brian Cook named as a
finalist for Wooden Award

[MARCH 11, 2003]  LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The John R. Wooden Award Committee has announced the 22 student-athletes named to the official ballot for the 2003 Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate basketball player. Illinois senior forward Brian Cook is on the ballot as a finalist. The 27th annual Wooden Award ceremony will be televised live from the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Saturday, April 12.

[to top of second column in this article]

The Wooden Award Scholarship Fund was established in 2002 by Applied Materials and corporate partners through the California Community Foundation to honor coach Wooden's dedication as an educator. The scholarship fund distributed a total of $75,000 to five universities last year, enabling 23 deserving students to pursue their educational goals. Anyone interested may contribute directly to the scholarship fund through the CCF (www.calfund.org).

[News release]

ZLS state basketball

[MARCH 11, 2003]  The Lady Eagles from Zion Lutheran School in Lincoln were among the sixteen teams playing in the Lutheran Sports Association State Basketball Tournament at Roselle and Arlington Heights in the Chicago area last weekend, March 7-9.

Zion finished 2-2 in four games. On Friday they lost 38-34 to Naperville, the eventual state champions. Saturday they defeated Oak Lawn 43-30 and Schaumburg 29-26. In the consolation championship game on Sunday, they lost to Rockford 34-19.

Seventh-grader Amanda Podbelsek was named to the 14-player all-tournament team.  She finished with 38 points in four games.  Kate Kastendick led Zion with 39 points over the weekend.  Ally Fuiten had 21 points, Michelle Eack 17, and Candace Schmidt scored eight.

Zion finished the season with a 16-5 record, with one of the best-ever finishes by a Zion Lutheran School team.

[Zion Lutheran School news release]

Lincoln's Zion Lutheran Lady Eagles were runners-up in their state consolation championship. Front row (left to right): Michelle Eack, Amanda Podbelsek, Colleen Pech, Kate Harmsen, and Brittany Rogers. Back row: Brian Fuiten (assistant coach), Candace Schmidt, Kate Kastendick, Ally Fuiten, Dan Podbelsek (head coach).

Lincoln College splits softball games in Florida

[MARCH 11, 2003]  COCOA, Fla. -- Lincoln College split a pair of softball games here Monday afternoon, defeating Toronto, Canada, 8-0 in the first game and losing to Olney, Ind., 5-1 in the second game.

Jen Polhemus was the winning pitcher in the first game, and Beth Conner took the loss in the second game.

In the first game, Lincoln College banged out 12 hits and made no errors. JoJo Halko, Marie Burash, Loren Kohenes and Erica Ernst each had a pair of hits to pace the Lynx.  Burash had four RBIs in the contest and a pair of stolen bases.

Lincoln was able to manage just three hits in the second game, one each by Kokenes, Halko and Ernst. Injuries also hit the Lynx in the second game, as Monica Perone broke a finger and will be out of action for at least one month, while Ernst was hit in the back and is likely to miss a week. Norissa Stetter injured a knee, and her availability is day to day.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]

Lincoln College baseball team plays Alabama Southern

[MARCH 11, 2003]  On their southern trip the Lincoln College baseball team dropped a pair of games Monday afternoon to Alabama Southern, 3-0 and 3-2. The Lynx return to action Tuesday, hoping to break a five-game losing streak.

Coach Tony Thomas said: "We played really well defensively and our pitching was strong. We just aren't putting the ball in play very well. We are starting to show signs of improvement at the plate, but we need a lot of improvement in that area."

LC managed five hits in the first game, one each by Jeff Harris, Dan Dunn, Kenny VanHouten, Matt Miflin and Lou Persino. Tony Eckhart took the loss in the opener.

In the second game, Lincoln College scored two runs in the third inning and led 2-1 going into the bottom of the seventh. Alabama Southern tied the game in the seventh and scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Jake Buchanan took the loss in relief of VanHouten, who pitched the first seven innings.     

Lincoln scored when Dunn drew a walk and Zach Rinaberger dropped down a bunt and reached safely on a wild throw, putting runners at second and third.  Matt Miflin hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the first run, and Andrew Bartman singled to drive home the second run. Bartman's hit was the only one for the Lynx in the second game.

[to top of second column in this article]

First game

Lincoln College          000 000 0 -- 0-5-1

Alabama Southern     100 200 x -- 3-8-0

Tony Eckhart (L), Tino Villasenor (5) and Frank Pesce; Trommeln (W) and Nash.

Lincoln College           000 200 000 -- 2-1-0

Alabama Southern      010 000 101 -- 3-7-1

Kenny VanHouten, Jake Buchanan (8-L) and Bartman, Pesce (8); Meacham (W) and Botin.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]

Yopp believes her team is relaxed, businesslike

[MARCH 11, 2003]  NORMAL -- Getting a chance to play in the State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Tournament is an advancement for Illinois State, and head coach Jenny Yopp hopes her Redbirds will play more relaxed when they face No. 1 seed Creighton at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Knapp Center in Des Moines.

Even though the Birds have been getting good shots, they have not hit more than 37 percent from the field in any of their last five games. Yopp thinks her team can get rid of its shooting tightness.

"I think we can shoot the ball with confidence and be relaxed," said Yopp. "What I'm really impressed with (in practice) is our energy and execution."

The Redbirds took a couple of days off after their final regular-season game at Indiana State and have come back with a renewed enthusiasm in practice.

"We have the extra energy to be sharper," said Yopp. "Little things are showing up to demonstrate that sharpness: better spacing on offense, getting two hands on the ball to secure rebounds, setting solid screens. Those things usually translate into game situations."

Even though her team is excited about its Valley tournament bid, Yopp admires its businesslike attitude.

[to top of second column in this article]

"In postseason, you can't be caught up in the emotion," said Yopp. "Emotion wears off after a time. Solid execution, resiliency and toughness through 40 minutes is what makes the difference, and I'm confident this team will be prepared to do that. The work ethic and intensity have certainly been there."

Although the Redbirds have struggled to score points lately, sophomore guard Jaci McCormack has developed a consistency that has vaulted her to ISU's scoring leadership. Scoring in double figures in eight of her last 10 games, McCormack has averaged 12.7 points per game during that time.

Her 46 3-pointers are the Redbird record by a sophomore player. She also has hit a 3-point shot in 14 straight games, the third longest streak of its kind by an Illinois State player. Jenny Schmidt had two strings of 25 straight games with at least one trey. McCormack's 46 treys eclipsed Schmidt's sophomore record set in 1996-97.

[Thomas Lamonica, Illinois State University]

Articles from the past week

[MARCH. 10, 2003]  It was a bittersweet day for the LDN sports department on Sunday. Sweet because we have enjoyed the coattails of Brian Cook's success. Bitter because we know that we'll never see him play another game in our favorite venue, the Assembly Hall. Cook and his fellow seniors said goodbye to the fans and to the Hall in a convincing 84-60 thumping of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who still appear to us as a dangerous team -- in fact, a team the Illini may have to beat again Friday night IF they want to advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament.

But this story is about Brian Cook. Talk about a kid who did it right. First of all, he took care of business in high school. He even told us before his senior year in Lincoln that he was a little bored and was probably ready for Big Ten ball. I wish when we were bored we could lead our school to the IHSA Elite Eight just for something to do! For his efforts he was crowned Mr. Basketball in Illinois, which is no small accomplishment for ANY downstate player.

He followed that up with a nice showing in the McDonald's all-American game. There everyone was talking about the Duke players and virtually everyone else but Cook. They were in for a big surprise. It's worth noting here that several of us were not one bit surprised. If you ever watched some of the things that Cook could do in practice, you knew from the start that this kid would some day be a very rich man toting his wares for, hopefully, a close by NBA team.

As Cook was making his final preparations to attend Illinois, he was still legally able to make official visits to at least six other schools that knew HE was the franchise. We enjoyed talking to him about those options, but we were also very glad when he decided NOT to make those visits! And the rest, as they say, is history.

How 'bout leaving this legacy for any Illini to follow? He was selected Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He made coaches and media all-Big Ten squads his sophomore and junior years. And we think he might squeak in on some of those all-star teams again this year. Unless he is robbed, which could happen, as NOTHING that happens in the Big 10 surprises us, he should walk away with player of the year honors. He will probably make and deserves to be on several all-American teams. He might even win a few senior awards and at least has a shot at some national player of the year awards.

Here's a stat for you… What college has the best home-court winning percentage over the last four years? How 'bout Brian Cook's Illini with a 50-2 mark during his career! With his 22 points yesterday, he becomes the first Illini player since Kendall Gill in 1990 to average 20 or more points in league games and the first to lead the league in scoring since Gill did it that same season. Whenever he scores his next point, he will amazingly be tied for fifth place on Illinois' all-time scoring list! That is a feat that we find just incredible. He will leave Champaign-Urbana seventh on the career rebounding chart. He will also have claimed fourth place on the blocked-shots list.

He had no idea how important those last two buckets were on Sunday to these individual records. We're guessing that someone on the bench knew, but he and Self had already gotten what they came to get… the "W."

This is a more important factor when considering Cook's legacy. He should've broken every record! On a great, smart team, teammates would've realized that sacrificing some personal glory to get the ball in the hands of the guy who can take us to the dance would probably have been a good idea. But Cook didn't pout. He didn't demand the ball and take the glory away from guys like Williams, Johnson, Griffin or McClain. He didn't sulk that the offense that should've gone through him oftentimes froze him completely out. And furthermore, those teammates probably didn't even realize how much better the Illini could've been! For instance, how far do you think they could've gone had they played with the energy that THIS year's team played with? At least one trip, maybe two, to the final weekend?

[to top of second column in this article]

[photos by Tom Seggelke]

But if you just look at numbers, figures and stats as a basis for your opinion on Brian Cook, you will have missed the most compelling aspects of his presence and his nature. And that is the person of Brian Cook. As hard as it will be to replace his numbers, it will be even harder to replace his persona, his charisma and his personhood. Brian has been a tremendous representative of Lincoln to not only the UIUC campus and the Big Ten but to the nation as well.

Several of our friends who got to see the Illini when we didn't said that Cook ALWAYS stayed around to sign autographs and take pictures with kids. It's easy to do that when you win; he did it many times when we lost! He is the kind of kid that you would want hangin' around your kids -- not because of his celebrity status but because he is so fun to be around and hang out with.

His mother, Joyce, has done an excellent job raising this young man through extraordinary circumstances. We're here to tell you that they're due EVERYTHING that may soon come their way. Through it all this kid has remained polite, good-natured and a tribute to his community upbringing.

We will miss seeing Lincoln or Illinois stamped across his chest, but it will ALWAYS be stamped on his heart. Why? Because he's one of us; albeit, a little taller and maybe a little more talented at least in this arena.

His coaches should also be commended for the way they molded him for his future. His Lincoln junior high coaches and several even before got him off to a good start.

Then there are Neil and Denise Alexander. When he wasn't at home, he was probably with Gregg at the Alexanders' house. Probably why yesterday was a bittersweet time for them as well. Do you have ANY idea how much those kids eat? Or how many summer games, practices and trips these people took him to? It is a staggering number. We think it is safe to say that coach Al may have filled that father role for Brain on several occasions. We know a lot of kids who haven't fared nearly as well. And from what we can tell it was a mutually beneficial relationship. We do know that Brian wouldn't be nearly as far along as he is without the Alexanders' influence on his life on or off the court!

Then there was coach Kruger and his staff, especially assistant coach Rob Judson. They went to great lengths to recruit Brian, but we always felt that they treated the Lincoln coaches and Brian with great respect and dignity. Lon's quiet confidence was helpful in Brian's early development. Lon protected Brian and knew that he would need time to learn the Big Ten game. He didn't throw him to the wolves until it was really necessary.

Though it was a shock and a huge disappointment when Kruger left, NO ONE could have foreseen what Bill Self would add to the equation. He didn't baby or pamper Brian; he toughened him up. And before this campaign got under way, Self placed the huge burden of leadership squarely on Cook's shoulders. And Brian Cook delivered! As a matter of fact he delivered in a way that shocked many of the doubters and skeptics. If you know Brian well, YOU probably weren't surprised.

We were going to make this a REALLY long column. We were going to show conclusive proof and evidence, because it does exist, on why Brian Cook is one of THE most CONSISTENT Illini players ever! But we're just going to let Brian's walk be his talk. We are going to say this: Thanks Brian for representing us all so well -- more off the court than on it. Good luck in both remaining tournaments. And always remember that no matter where you go or what you do, we are proud of you!

Your friends in Lincoln

• Mayfield's Mutterings last week: "It was all Lincoln"
• More columns...

Announcements

[MARCH 6, 2003]  The Lincoln PONY Association will have its annual spring sign-up this year beginning March 9 and running until March 29. Sign-up sheets can be obtained at the front desk of the Lincoln Rec Center. On Saturday, March 29, representatives of Lincoln PONY will be on hand to assist with signups.

Lincoln PONY ball is for both boys baseball and girls softball, ages 8 through 14.

Additional information can be obtained at the Lincoln PONY website and at http://www.pony.org/.

Redbird baseball offers summer clinics

[MARCH 6, 2003]  NORMAL -- In June, Illinois State head baseball coach Jim Brownlee and his staff will offer three summer clinics designed to help area youths improve their baseball fundamentals.

The first clinic will focus on offense and defense and will be offered twice, June 9-12 and June 23-26. All sessions will run from 9 a.m. to noon, and the clinic is open to all youths ages 11-17. Cost of the clinic is $100.

The second clinic will emphasize the fundamentals of pitching and catching and will take place June 9-12. The pitching and catching clinic will be open to youths ages 9-17 and will run from 1 to 3 p.m. Cost for this clinic is $100.

The third baseball clinic offered at Illinois State in June will be a developmental clinic. It is designed to instruct younger children the fundamentals of baseball. This clinic will be offered on June 16-19 from 9 a.m. to noon and is available for children ages 6-10. Cost for the developmental clinic is $100.

[to top of second column in this article]

Participants in any of the three clinics will receive a Redbird Baseball Clinic T-shirt and an in-depth take-home evaluation upon completion.

For further information regarding any of these three clinics, please contact Seth Kenny, assistant baseball coach at Illinois State, at (309) 438-3338 or sakenny@ilstu.edu.

Registration forms are available online from the baseball page of the Illinois State athletics website. [To download the Adobe Acrobat reader for the registration file, click here.]

[Rob Huizenga, athletics media relations,
Illinois State University]

[MARCH 6, 2003]  The American Amateur Youth Baseball Alliance is seeking both players and coaches for their 2003 All-Star Nationals program. The AAYBA is seeking the "best of the best" among coaches and players. If interested, please visit our website at www.aayba.com and click on the "All-Star Nationals" link. If, after reviewing information about the program, you are interested in playing or coaching, complete the online tryout form.

Questions may be directed to clwjr28@aol.com.

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