The Illinois House approved a resolution Monday that calls for a review of the body that oversees high school sports and other extracurricular activities — including whether a state agency should take over its duties.

House members voted 55-51 to conduct the review of the Illinois High School Association.

The resolution calls for the House’s Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education to “hold subject matter hearings on the administration and funding of high school sports, the safety of high school athletes, the systems and protocols of the Illinois High School Association, the costs and income associated with the administration of high school sports, and the feasibility of statutorily transferring the duties and functions of the IHSA to the State Board of Education.”

The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, said she has various concerns about the operation of the organization, such as its sponsorship contracts. She said the organization has not been cooperative in voluntarily providing information to lawmakers.

Chapa LaVia, a Democrat from Chicago, said there’s no transparency in the operation of IHSA. She said if the hearings show that the organization is doing a good job, that’s fine.

“If they’re doing a great job…now everybody knows, and their questions are settled,” she said. “Why would anybody be afraid of a House resolution and hearings? If they (ISHA officials) don’t want to come, it’s kind of interesting.”

Rep. John Cavaletto, R-Salem, who is a former high school basketball coach and school administrator, urged colleagues to vote against the measure. He said schools are hands-on members of IHSA.

“The oversight of the IHSA is great. It’s very transparent,” Cavaletto said.

He added that the organization’s events bring “considerable dollars to communities,” and the IHSA’s judgment and integrity have never been questioned.

The organization provided about $2.6 million in revenue to its member schools last year. Cavaletto said the organization’s sponsorship deals with corporations help keep down the costs of extracurricular activities.

IHSA officials have said they’re baffled by the legislature’s involvement. IHSA director Marty Hickman has said the organization’s annual audit is posted on the IHSA website, and as a not-for-profit, the group is required to file federal financial reports that are available for public review.

Hickman on Monday said the IHSA “has nothing to hide and will be fully cooperative” with the General Assembly.

“We wish Rep. Chapa LaVia had provided the courtesy of discussing any issues she believes exist within our organization prior to the introduction of this resolution, which has unfairly cast the Association in a negative light,” Hickman said. “While we believe the hearings she proposes will be an unnecessary strain on the time and resources of both the General Assembly and the IHSA, we welcome the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions this resolution has created.”

Belleville School District 201 Superintendent Jeff Dosier said his district has always had a good relationship with IHSA.

“I’m not sure what the purpose of this is,” he said. “The IHSA has been good for Belleville East and Belleville West.”

Dosier described Hickman as a “person with a great deal of integrity.”

“Marty Hickman has been very upfront,” Dosier said. “He’s been very forthcoming every time I’ve talked to him.”

Granite City Superintendent Jim Greenwald — who is a former IHSA board member and former president of the Southwestern Conference — thinks it would be a terrible idea to put IHSA’s work under the state board.

“In all of my years as an administrator, I have been very impressed with the operations of IHSA,” Greenwald said. “All a person has to do is go to their website to see how comprehensive and complete they are. All the people I’ve worked with over the years are very professional.”

IHSA is supported through its sponsorships and televising the state tournaments, Greenwald said, which means that the member school districts have not had to pay membership fees in years. The system in which a nonprofit organization that is separate from the state organizes interscholastic athletics and non-athletic co-curriculars is the standard structure for most states, Greenwald said; most do not have state oversight for interscholastic competition.

And with the struggles faced by ISBE, Greenwald said he didn’t see how the state would be able to take on those responsibilities.

“It would be a big loss and would really affect the schools and their extracurriculars,” Greenwald said. “I’m not saying ISBE would not do a good job, but as undermanned as they are… It would be a huge job.”

The resolution was supported by two media organizations: the Illinois Broadcasters Association and the Illinois Press Association. The Press Association’s president, Dennis DeRossett, has said taxpayers deserve to know more about how the IHSA operates.

“They claim to be exempt from both the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act, and they argue that they alone should control any revenue that is ultimately derived from taxpayer-funded sporting events,” DeRossett said.

The media and the sanctioning bodies for high school sports in some states have clashed over the use of images and video from sports events.

A spokeswoman for the state board of education has said taking over the ISHA’s work would mean the government agency would need more money and employees.

The IHSA was set up in 1900. It is not funded by tax dollars or administered by state government. It has more than 780 member high schools, which pay fees to the organization.

The organization is the sanctioning body for high school activities ranging from bass fishing and football to chess and scholar bowl.

ST. LOUIS – Southern Illinois senior first baseman Ryan Casillas has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for his performance in five games this past week.

Casillas helped the Salukis to three wins this past week, driving in seven runs and recording multiple hits in three of five games. In SIU’s win over Missouri on Tuesday, he set a career high with four hits and matched a career high with three RBIs.  Three days later, Casillas again drove in three more runs in the series opener against Bradley. In that game, he also hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season. Four of his eight hits for the week went for extra bases.

Casillas is the first Saluki to earn MVC baseball player of the week honors this season.

Acts 13:36

Do you ever wonder about what God’s purpose for you might be?  Have you ever contemplated why God would have you born in this generation and not a hundred years earlier, or later?  How will our great-grandchildren see our lives long after we’ve died?

In the Acts of the Apostles at chapter 13 and verse 36, the Apostle Paul says, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay;”

Paul, many generations after King David had died, says of him that he served the purpose of God in his own generation.  What a marvelous legacy!  How great would that be for you and me, to know that we had served God’s purpose in our own generation.  How do we approach such matters?  What shall we do to insure our success in this pursuit?

Let’s do as David did and give ourselves fully to seeking God’s face and to serving Him only.  Let’s give the very best of all that we are and all we have to loving God.  Then as we sleep with our fathers, we shall have confidence that our descendents will look upon us as having served the purpose of God in our own generation.

As you pray today, ask the Lord to show you His purpose for you in this generation.  Ask Him further for the power and wisdom to carry it out.

BY JOHN D. HOMAN

Logan Media Services

ROBINSON – It was not a good day for the John A. Logan College baseball team Sunday as the Vols dropped a doubleheader to Lincoln Trail College, 4-3 and 6-1.

With the two losses, Logan is now tied for first with the Statesmen at 10 wins apiece.

Freshman righthander Jake Herron took the loss in the opener, allowing three of the four runs in the first inning. He went eight innings altogether, scattering nine hits while striking out seven and walking three.

The Vols pulled within a run in the eighth on a two-run single by Tanner Scott and put the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth, but couldn’t deliver the big hit.

Scott paced a 10-hit attack with two safeties. Zach Ditto also collected two hits.

In the nightcap, Logan wasted a good pitching performance by freshman Ryan Dunne, who struck out 12. Dunne allowed only two runs on four hits through the first five innings before tiring in the sixth.

Lincoln Trail starter Damon Olds was even better, checking the Vols on one hit in seven innings of work, fanning eight. Culver Plant had the lone Vols hit, a seventh-inning single.

Vols head coach Jerry Halstead was complimentary of the Statesmen.

“I thought their pitching was outstanding today,” he said. “They kind of showed every weakness we had at the plate.”

Halstead said his team has much room for improvement.

“There’s a reason why we’re only 16-14 overall,” he said. “You have to come to the park ready to play every day. You can’t fall behind the hitters and walk people. You can’t have wild pitches and passed balls. You can’t fall behind three games in a row and win consistently. Amazingly, we’re still in the hunt for a conference title. We have to forget about what happened today and get right back at it this week.”

Logan returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Shawnee.

I Chronicles 12:8

How do you describe your teammates and opponents who compete greatly?  You might say things like, “He runs like a ….”  “She’s as strong as an ….”  “That guy is a ….”  You may have dropped in words like, gazelle, ox or animal in those blanks.  The Bible talks about some warriors so fierce that they looked like lions.

We read about these men in the book of First Chronicles at chapter 12 and verse 8, “Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert.  They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear.  Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.”

I want those guys on my team!  Imagine having teammates whose courage makes them look like lions.  How great would it be to have the athletic grace and speed of gazelles to carry into competition?  That’s how these men are described.

As you prepare to compete today, show the strength of a Clydesdale.  Run like a deer.  Focus as sharply as an eagle and soar over your opponents.  Give your absolute best effort today and leave the description of your performance to the media.

Ephesians 6:6

Here’s a heart check – do you do what pleases your coaches all the time or only when they are watching?  Do you do the right thing just to win their favor or because it’s right?  Today’s scripture continues the heart check.

At chapter 6 and verse 6 of the book of Ephesians we read, “Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.”  Paul is rather direct with these people about their work ethic.

I often watch teams closely during practice and as they warm up prior to competitions.  I always see players who give a great effort when the coach is watching, but as soon as the coach’s head is turned, some of those players immediately start cutting corners and cheating on drills.  Their hearts are not fully with their coaches or their teammates.  They fail the heart check.

My challenge to you is to give the same effort when no one is watching as you do when the head coach is right beside you.  That is called integrity.  A whole heart will lead you to do the right thing whether anyone is watching or not.

As you prepare to compete today, give a whole-hearted effort to the pursuit of a great team victory.  When you compete with integrity you don’t waste any time looking over your shoulder.

By John Lock
SIUSalukis.com

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Southern Illinois women’s basketball team lost to Evansville on Sunday afternoon at the Ford Center, 67-31. Southern’s offense went silent in the second half, allowing Evansville to turn a four-point game at halftime into a 36-point blowout.

“We couldn’t get any offensive execution,” head coach Cindy Stein said. “We tried zone plays; we tried specials; we tried man-to-man plays. We just could not get any continuity with our team.”

The teams played a back-and-forth first half, with neither team leading by more than five points throughout the half. Just as it appeared Southern (4-21, 2-12 MVC) would draw within two at halftime, Evansville ran the floor in three seconds to get a layup at the first-half buzzer. SIU trailed the Aces 27-23 at the break.

But, in what has become a familiar refrain, the Saluki offense went silent in the second half. Southern scored just eight points in the second half on 2-for-22 shooting and had a program-low 31 points for the game.

SIU’s defense played well at times, including two four-minute stretches without allowing an Evansville point. In the first half, Southern’s defense held the Aces to 37 percent shooting and 1-for-8 from the 3-point line. Southern forced Sara Dickey, the second-leading scorer in the MVC, to take 18 shots to get 18 points.

“Defensively, we did the things in the first half that we wanted to,” Stein said. “Unfortunately, our frustrations on the offensive end in the second half led to a lot of issues on offense.”

Evansville used a full-court press for all 40 minutes. SIU committed 26 turnovers and had more turnovers than its opponent for a seventh straight game. Every player except Jordyn Courier committed at least one turnover. Courier led the Salukis with 11 points and recorded her 100th career 3-pointer early in the game, which ranks seventh in school history.

When SIU broke the press, Evansville’s 2-3 zone shut down the Salukis in the halfcourt. After a flurry of touches in the opening minutes, Dyana Pierre only attempted three shots over the final 35 minutes. SIU, who is the worst 3-point shooting team in the MVC at 22 percent, shot 17 3-pointers for the game, making only three.

Hannah Shores led the team in rebounding, securing a career-high seven boards. Azia Washington had five points and five rebounds in the game’s first eight minutes but was limited to 17 minutes because of foul trouble.

The team returns home on Thursday to face Missouri State and will honorSidney Goins and Jordyn Courier for Senior Day on Saturday against Wichita State.

P R I D E

Proverbs 13:10

Do you have any teammates who you’d call arrogant, boastful or proud?  Might others describe you in that way?  How should we view ourselves with respect to others on our team?  The Holy Scripture has some advice.

In the book of Proverbs at chapter 13 and verse 10 it is written, “Through pride comes nothing but strife, but with those who receive counsel is wisdom.”

Pride in our abilities, our intelligence, our looks, or whatever else leads us to boasting seems to have the same result… strife.  This kind of boastful pride only serves to divide our team and to hurt our relationships with teammates and coaches.  This is different than confidence, pride calls attention to itself and puts others down as inferior.

Wisdom calls us to not set ourselves up as greater than others, but to receive the wise advice of our friends, family, coaches and teammates.  To have a unified team and to enjoy success as a team, we will each have to put down our individual pride and work together with our teammates.

In your prayer time, ask the Lord to expose your areas of pride.  Ask Him to change those and to make you a person of humility and wisdom.

These daily devotions have been converted into a new FREE phone app which will work on Droid based devices as well as iPhones and iPads.  It contains the daily sports devotions from “Heart of a Champion,” the discussion guide for using it with groups, a link to my Sport Chaplain blog, a button linking to numerous sports ministry resources, a button linking to sports ministries around the planet, a bio page on me and a link to my twitter page.  You can connect to the app via your mobile device’s browser at this address: http://sportdevos.touchstoneapps.com/app/#page-home