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Wednesday, November 28, 2007 11:08 PM CST
Former Trojan Strong wins tourney title
By BRIAN NIELSEN Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
Todd Strong could be considered a nuisance to someone.
No one has had to bother with making room in a trophy case for basketball at Highland this millennium.
Until now.
In his second season as Highland’s head basketball coach, the 1992 Charleston graduate Strong guided the Bulldogs to a 4-0 record and championship of the Murphysboro Invitational.
Strong was told this was Highland’s first basketball trophy or plaque since a 1996 regional championship.
“According to our (athletics director), we hadn’t won a game in the (Centralia) Holiday Tournament and this was the first time we’ve won anything in a Thanksgiving tournament. It’s a good start. We’ve got a long way to go.”
Strong considered this a surprise considering his team’s competition and the fact that two of Highland’s top athletes – the combo of quarterback Travis Becherer and receiver Jake Odorizzi who have beaten Charleston the past two football seasons – decided not to play basketball this season concentrating on other sports.
“We beat a good Granite City team,” Strong said. “(Breese) Mater Dei was 20-5 last year. Murphysboro won a regional last year. I didn’t think we’d go 4-0. I would have told you 2-2 would have been good. We had the chance to lose to Mater Dei and they missed at the end. We lost so many of those kind last year maybe this will help our kids’ confidence.
“Two of our athletes didn’t come out so we didn’t have as much depth. Our motto is to try and get better every day. We don’t have a legitimate big kid. We’re trying to do it with hard work.”
Strong went 11-17 last season in his first year as Highland’s head coach, marking the 10th straight losing season for the program.
The Charleston native is hoping to bring his team home to the Charleston Holiday Tournament soon. In fact, that was the plan a year ago before learning Highland could not get out a contract at Centralia, where the Bulldogs have not won a game in 15 years.
“I’m hoping we can get there next year,” Strong said. “Oh-for-30 just isn’t a good place to be.”
After one year in the Peoria Woodruff Roundball Classic, Mattoon is to play closer at home next year at the Effingham St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.
“It’s a lot less travel,” Mattoon’s first-year coach Brooks Inman said. “.”
Of course, the Peoria Woodruff tournament was not all bad for the Green Wave, which defeated Chicago Schurz Saturday to end a 30-game losing streak.
Brooks’ home debut is set Friday night when Danville is to visit in Mattoon’s Big 12 Conference opener.
After three years away, Effingham St. Anthony plans to return to the Charleston Boys’ Basketball Holiday Tournament at least for the 2008 season.
St. Anthony is still considering starting its own holiday tournament at its outstanding high school facility starting in 2009.
The Bulldogs annually brought one of the biggest crowds to Charleston and won the 1998 championship but two years ago moved to the Breese Mater Dei tournament.
Competition was good at Breese but many did not like the long trip and when Matt Britton took over as St. Anthony’s coach this year things went into motion with Britton bringing his team back to Eastern Illinois’ Lantz Arena where he was the point guard and third scorer behind Kyle Hill and Henry Domercant for the Panthers’ 2001 NCAA tournament team.
St. Anthony to replace Chicago Vocational in next year’s Charleston tournament.
This is welcome news for Charleston, which this year has lost tradition-rich Teutopolis, Olney and Lawrenceville to the new Pinckneyville Holiday Tournament.
“Any time you get the Effingham or St. Anthony crowd back you take it,” Charleston Athletics Director Jerry Calandrilla said. “I hear they may start their own tournament. Obviously, I hope they don’t and stay in our tournament.”
Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856. Contact Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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