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Friday, April 13, 2007 1:13 AM CDT
Chicago Vocational to join Charleston tourney
BY BRIAN NIELSEN Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
Chicago Vocational is the latest “final addition” for the 2007 Charleston Boys’ Basketball Holiday Tournament field.
And Charleston Athletics Director Jerry Calandrilla has the signed contract so is thinking this one will stick.
After Highland said it planned to come next season only to learn it could not get out of its contract at the Centralia Holiday Tourney and Jacksonville agreed to take Highland’s place only to later say it was bound to the Pontiac tourney, Chicago Vocational is signed and delivered for both the boys’ and girls’ tournaments at Charleston.
The school that has produced stars like former Michigan ‘Fab 5’ member and current Houston Rocket Juwan Howard comes from the Chicago Public League and with its current listed enrollment of 2,030 would be the Charleston tourney’s second largest school after Edwardsville’s 2,422.
“I think it’s a great addition,” Charleston coach Trevor Doughty said. “It’s a strong team. We were one team short. For one reason or another, the other teams couldn’t get out of a commitment. It will be interesting having a team from Chicago. I don’t know how long it’s been or if we have. It’s a good addition and we’re very fortunate.”
Already set as new teams in the boys’ tourney were Cumberland and Tolono Unity bringing small school flavor and Canton, which has been Class AA in the two-class system which is doubling next year.
The past season’s champion Teutopolis, third-place finisher Olney and fourth place Chrisman as well as Lawrenceville are leaving the tourney.
In the girls’ tourney, Chicago Vocational is replacing Martinsville, which after two seasons at Charleston has decided to look elsewhere for its 2007-08 season with high expectations.
No one seems to know yet whether Charleston will have one, two or no super-sectionals next basketball season when the IHSA has four classes in basketball.
Scott Johnson, an IHSA executive director, said Tuesday super-sectionals are to again be played now with Elite Eight teams trying to make the four different final fours to play in Peoria.
Cites have not been determined.
Also up in the air is how a three-class state track meet is to work at Charleston. Two classes meant for a long day of preliminaries. I can hardly guess how three classes are going to work.
Mattoon’s Ryan Snowden is going for a school record this weekend as he takes a 22-game hitting streak into Illinois’ 3 p.m. Big Ten Conference baseball game today at Northwestern.
Today he could tie Illinois’ school record of 23 held by Tom Sinak.
If Snowden gets a hit today he could break the record in the first game of Saturday’s 1 p.m. doubleheader at Northwestern.
Amazingly, even with this outstanding streak, Snowden has just the third best average among Mattoon’s three products playing for the Illini this season.
Mattoon has the second, third and fourth leading hitters on the Illini list topped by Canadian Lars Davis’ 462.
Kyle Hudson ranks fourth in the Big Ten with his .423 average and tops Illinois with a .506 on-base percentage. The sophomore center fielder has stolen 10 bases in 11 attempts.
Reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Ryan Hastings is batting .395 including three home runs and four doubles. The senior second baseman’s .476 average through six Big Ten games, 10-for-21, is the best among the Illini.
In the clutch Hastings has been even better with a .457 average with runners on base, .500 with runners on base and two outs and .563 with runners in scoring position and two outs.
Eleven of his 17 RBIs have come with two outs.
Snowden is batting .371 including eight doubles that rank second on the team.
He too has picked it up in Big Ten play as the senior left fielder’s .440 average, 11-for-25, is second among the Illini behind Hastings.
Illinois is 11-13 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten.
Its next home game is not until April 24 when Eastern Illinois is to visit in a 6:05 p.m. non-conference game.
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