One day after Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address, the most influential politician in Illinois told all of us something else about the state of the state: Illinois has to jump-start its economy.
Saluki football team to participate in annual Souper Bowl of Caring on Saturday
January 31, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Jan. 30, 2014
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki Football will be participating in the annual Souper Bowl of Caring at various locations in Carbondale and Murphysboro this Saturday, February 1.
Saluki wide receiver LaSteven McKinney (left) and defensive end Calvin Belts (right).
The Salukis will assist the Good Samaritan Ministries and the Murphysboro Food Pantry in their quest to combat hunger in southern Illinois by collecting donations outside local businesses from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m at the following locations:
Carbondale: Kroger, Schnucks, Walmart, The Neighborhood Co-op
Murphysboro: Kroger, Walmart
Donations collected will benefit both the Good Samaritan Ministries and the Murphysboro Food Pantry.
Dawson Verhines teams up with older brother one last time
January 31, 2014 By Leave a Comment
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. – After winning the 2013 Division II juco national championship at Rend Lake College, Dawson Verhines figured he’d never again team up with his older brother, Bronson. The two had played basketball together since childhood, nearly won a state championship in high school, and the national title seemed like a perfect way to cap their careers together.
Dawson Verhines
Then Southern Illinois, in search of a front court player, called Bronson last spring. The 6-foot-6 forward had one year of eligibility remaining. He brought Dawson along to scrimmage with the team, and SIU head coach Barry Hinson actually offered Dawson a walk-on slot a week before granting Bronson a scholarship offer.
“When Southern called Bronson, we were ecstatic because we never even dreamed that we could make it here,” said Dawson, who turned down Division II scholarship offers from McKendree and Missouri Southern to walk-on for the Salukis.
Dawson has far exceeded the expectations for a typical walk-on. He’s played in all 22 games and made two starts. He recalled being discouraged after not getting any minutes in the two exhibition games, but then he suddenly found himself on the floor in the opener against Missouri and even knocked down a 3-point shot.
“I was as surprised as anybody when I got in,” he said. “Coach Hinson threw me in there with five minutes to go in the first half and it’s one of the most scared I’ve ever been.”
Although he averages only 1.4 points per game, he has the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team (3.20) with 16 assists and five turnovers on the season.
“I know I’m not as talented or as athletic as a lot of my teammates, but I can work hard,” he said. “Coach doesn’t look at me as just a walk-on. If you hustle and work as hard as you can, he’s going to give you an opportunity.”
Dawson went to tiny Woodlawn High School just west of Mt. Vernon, and his graduating class was 40 strong. He started as a true freshman, and as a sophomore point guard directed the team to the state tournament for the first time in school history. They finished second that season and third his senior year.
“People told me if you go to a bigger school, you’ll get more college looks, but I just feel like if you’re good enough to play, schools are going to find you,” he said.
His high school coach encouraged him to play baseball in college, and that was the original plan until Rend Lake’s coach told him he would only be on half scholarship.
“I had it set in mind that I wanted to have all my school paid for, so I talked to the basketball coach, Randy House, and he said he’d pay whatever baseball doesn’t,” Dawson explained.
So during his freshman year, Dawson played both sports, an experience he found exhausting.
“There was a span there for a month where I was going to basketball for two hours, and then I’d hustle over to baseball and finish the last hour and half of practice there, then go home and try to find some energy to do homework,” he said.
When Bronson decided to play basketball at Rend Lake the next year, Dawson gave up baseball.
“We went 14-2 in the conference and we were the only Division II team in our league,” Dawson said. “When we won that, it kind of opened our eyes that man, we could win this (national tournament).”
Dawson, who scored four points in SIU’s upset win over Indiana State last night, said he has no regrets about passing up a scholarship offer to be a walk-on for Southern.
“I didn’t think I’d ever get a chance to play with Bronson again,” he said. “And I didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to play DI basketball at my dream school.”
RLC pitcher Trey Garrett signs to Florida International University
January 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment
INA, Ill. – Rend Lake College sophomore pitcher Trey Garrett recently signed a national letter of intent to play next year at Florida International University in Miami. FIU is an NCAA Division I Program in the Conference USA.
Trey Garrett
The 6-foot-1 Benton native is the son of Mike and Julie Garrett. He played for Benton Community High School before coming to RLC, where his arm strength helped him excel on the pitcher’s mound. Coming out of BCHS in 2012, Garrett was one of the top recruits in the state.
Garrett came into the fall with no offers, but after several strong performances at showcase events, he picked up the interest of many Division I schools.
“I didn’t really have a plan for where I was going to go. The fact that it’s in Miami and in warmer weather helped me make that decision,” said Garrett.
Last year as a Warrior, the criminal justice major had 10 appearances as pitcher with seven game starts. The right-hander posted a 5.45 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 36 innings. Offensively, he hit .242 with four doubles, 25 runs, 21 RBI and nine stolen bases.
Garrett also played over the summer for the Richmond RiverRats, a collegiate summer baseball team out of Richmond, Ind., where he made 19 appearances. He ended the summer with a 3.26 ERA at 21 strikeouts in 30 innings.
When it comes to this spring season, Garrett says he’s looking forward to helping the Warriors have a successful season.
“Hopefully we can get a bunch of wins this year and go further in the postseason,” he said.
Head Coach Tony Etnier added, “Trey is a gifted athlete who played the outfield and pitched for us last year. This summer in the Prospect League, his ability as a pitcher really took off. The increase in his velocity and the development of a legitimate out pitch is what attracted so many Division I 1 programs this fall. I am very happy for Trey and think that Florida International will be a great fit for him next year.”
For more information, contact Etnier at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1282. For all things athletic at the Lake, visit www.rlc.edu/warriors.
State of the Union: Obama to lay out go-it-alone approach
January 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment
WASHINGTON —
President Barack Obama will lay out a strategy for getting around a divided Congress and boosting middle-class prosperity on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that reflects scaled-back legislative ambitions after a difficult year.
Here’s the link to the story in the Chicago Tribune.
Major union group sues to overturn Illinois pension law
January 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment
A coalition of the state’s major public employee and teacher unions filed a lawsuit in Springfield today alleging Illinois’ new pension law is unconstitutional and amounts to “theft.”
Here’s the link to the story in the Chicago Tribune.
Lady Vols romp past Lincoln Trail
January 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment
BY JOHN D. HOMAN
Logan Media Services
CARTERVILLE – Four players hit for double figures and every player on the active roster scored as the John A. Logan College women’s basketball team romped past visiting Lincoln Trail College Saturday afternoon, 94-51.
The Volunteers built a commanding 42-26 lead at the intermission and played even better in the second half, notching an additional 52 points over the final 20 minutes.
Top scorer was sophomore guard Briya Wilborn with 12 points. Du Quoin native Jessica Hirsch, BreAnn Denny and Daryus Franklin each tallied 10 points. Aneta Sloma, Shae Jamerson and Diann Sales contributed nine points apiece. Ashley Yateman checked in with seven points. Marissa Nix and Alison Webb hit for five. Sarah Bailey added four. Rebecca Grimeau and Carterville High grad Andrea Kesler had two points each.
For the game, the Vols connected on 32-of-72 shots from the field (44 percent), including 6-of-17 from beyond the arc. Hirsch, Sloma and Franklin each bagged a pair of triples. Logan made good on 24-of-36 free-throw opportunities (67 percent).
The Vols also outrebounded Lincoln Trail, 45-28.
JALC head coach Marty Hawkins was pleased with the way his team performed.
“We really dominated today, especially what I would call the third quarter. We scored 29 points over a 10-minute span,” he said. “On the other end of the floor, we defended the dribble the best we have all year and rebounded well. Jamerson and Sales gave us a great lift off the bench. They were all over the boards.”
Logan is now 6-9 overall and 3-4 in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference. The Vols play at Shawnee College in Ullin Wednesday.
Missouri State pulls away late to beat Saluki Men’s Basketball, 69-63
January 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Jarmar Gulley scored 17 points, including a key put-back off a missed free throw with two minutes remaining to lead Missouri State to a 69-63 win over Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Tyler Smithpeters
As they’ve done so often this season, the Salukis (6-15, 2-6) played well in spurts but could not string together 40 minutes of winning basketball. Desmar Jackson scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the second half, as Southern led by as many as five points. He surpassed Walt Frazier for third place in scoring by a two-year player at SIU and now has 888 career points.
The tide turned in Missouri State’s favor midway through the second half when freshman sharpshooter Austin Ruder got hot from 3-point. He made back-to-back 3-balls in the span of a minute to turn a three-point MSU deficit into a 54-51 lead with 7:38 remaining. The Bears (14-6, 4-4) never trailed thereafter.
“We played all five starters 30-plus minutes and we ran out of gas,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson of his team’s inability to closeout the game. “I burned every timeout I had to rest our guys. We had huge breakdowns defensively. It’s not like we don’t know (Ruder) can shoot.”
The most encouraging sign for Southern was the play of freshman Tyler Smithpeters, who scored 16 points and added five assists in his first-career start. He was 4-for-7 from 3-point after entering the game only 5-of-17 on the season.
“We talked about living with eating some threes from Southern because they haven’t shot it well,” said MSU head coach Paul Lusk. “Obviously, Smithpeters was very good tonight. That changed the game. He gave them 16 that was unexpected.”
Hinson has been desperately searching for a long-range threat this season, as Southern ranks among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the nation. At least for one night, Smithpeters showed he has that ability.
“As my dad would say, for the most part this year we couldn’t hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle,” Hinson joked. “(Tyler) certainly played well.”
Southern stayed within striking distance in the final eight minutes of the game, but a key turning point was a Gulley put-back off a missed free throw by Dorrian Williams with 2:02 to go. Gulley slipped past Jalen Pendleton for a bucket that extended MSU’s lead to 63-56. Although Anthony Beane countered with a 3-pointer for Southern, the Salukis could never get it to a one-possession game.
Another positive for SIU was the play of redshirt freshman Bola Olaniyan, who also made his first-career start. He had eight points and eight rebounds, including five offensive boards in the first half. Along with Sean O’Brien, the Salukis started three freshmen in the same game for the first time since Kevin Dillard, Ryan Hare and Justin Bocot started the final nine games of the 2009 season.
Missouri State moved into a tie for third place, an impressive achievement considering their best offensive and defensive player, Marcus Marshall, suffered a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago.
“At the end of the day, we get the win,” Lusk said. “It’s not going to pretty for us at times, but we’re finding a way to win games.”
For Hinson, it was another emotional return to Springfield, where he coached Missouri State for nine seasons from 2000 to 2008.
“I had a lot of animosity after I left here after I got fired, I wasn’t very mature and I didn’t want to come back here,” he said. “For whatever reason, I let that go. I came back the other night and I felt as home as I’ve ever felt, just like I still lived here for nine years. I want to apologize to the people of Springfield and southwest Missouri and Missouri State University for the animosity, because I do love this place.”
Salukis women top Evansville 66-57 behind Pierre’s double-double
January 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois women’s basketball team got a much-needed 66-57 win over Evansville on Sunday afternoon at SIU Arena. Southern outhustled the Purple Aces, getting 26 offensive rebounds and forcing 22 turnovers. SIU’s defense held Evansville to only two field goals from the eight-minute mark until the game was decided.
Dyana Pierre recorded her eighth double-double this season with 24 points and 14 rebounds.
“I don’t think we played well, but we played hard. That’s probably what I’m most pleased with,” head coachCindy Stein said afterwards. “We fought the entire game to come up with the loose ball or the rebound or the stop or the free throw.”
Dyana Pierre came into the game without a double-double in four-straight games–her longest stretch of the season without a double-double–and she responded with a monster game, pouring in 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Pierre was immediately trapped upon catching the ball throughout the game. In the first half, the traps held her to 3-of-11 shooting. In the second half, she scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
While it was Pierre’s offense that carried Southern through the second half, it was the team defense and rebounding that gave the Salukis the opportunity to overcome their five-point halftime deficit. SIU hauled in an incredible 26 offensive rebounds; Evansville ended with only 32 total rebounds. The Salukis forced a season-best 22 turnovers. The combination of offensive rebounds and forced turnovers resulted in 22 more field goal attempts for Southern.
Southern Illinois, usually the team that is trying to break a press, employed a full-court trapping press in the second half, a move which energized the Salukis and wore on the Aces. The Salukis pressure and intensity came at the perfect time in the second half; a crucial 12-3 run in the final minutes turned a three-point deficit into a six-point lead.
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“Coach talks a lot about out-scrapping people,” junior guard Mercedes Griffinsaid. “I think that’s what we did tonight. We outworked them. We got all the hustle plays. That’s basically what the game came down to.”
Evansville’s freshman star Sara Dickey came in as the MVC’s leading scorer and showcased her talent, scoring a game-high 30 points to keep Evansville in front for most of the game. She had 28 points with eight minutes remaining, but Griffin and the rest of the Salukis held her to only one field goal down the stretch.
“I’m worried that she is in our league for another three years,” Stein said. “I wish she would graduate very soon, but I think a lot of (stopping Dickey down the stretch) was Mercedes Griffin. Mercedes did a great job of staying with her and denying her the ball. We knew they were going to try to get her the ball in the last three minutes of the game, but Mercedes continually worked hard to make that a struggle for (Dickey).”
In addition to guarding Dickey down the stretch, Griffin stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, three assists, two blocks and five steals. Her final steal of the game led to a runout layup that sealed Southern’s second conference win this year, already surpassing last year’s regular season total.
As has become customary this season in MVC play, all nine available players played, and eight played double-figure minutes. Jordyn Courier played great down the stretch, ending up with nine points and three assists–all in the second half. Guard Hannah Shores hauled in nine rebounds and added seven points and three assists. Azia Washington just missed a double-double, recording nine points and eight boards.
“This is a team that hasn’t stopped believing that we can get better and get victories,” Stein said. “That’s a credit to them. I would love to say that there is some magic potion we’ve given them, but there’s not. We haven’t changed the way we’ve coached them. They have kept a great attitude and continued to work hard, so the credit goes to them for staying in
January 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Pirates take on Devils in first game of SIJHSAA Championship
INA, Ill. (Jan. 24, 2014) – The first game of the Southern Illinois Junior High
School Athletic Association (SIJHSAA) Girls Class M State Basketball
Championship series tipped off this afternoon between Sesser-Valier Devils
and Valmeyer Pirates at Rend Lake College’s Waugh Gymnasium. For more
information and to find match-ups, visit www.sijhsaa.com
