Monday, November 23, 2009 9:38 AM CST
Sullivan's Black helps Eureka take on EIU
By MIKE MONAHAN/Staff Writer
CHARLESTON – The last time Craig Black, a member of the 2007 Journal Gazette/Times-Courier All-Area boys’ basketball team, played at Eastern Illinois University’s Lantz Arena, was his senior year in the Charleston Holiday Tournament.
Saturday he returned as a member of Eureka College’s basketball team. The Division III school was playing a non-conference game against Division I Eastern Illinois.
Black, who has seen his playing time increase at Eureka since last year, is a 6-foot-2 junior guard. He played 11 minutes in the first half and 10 in the second half of the Red Devils’ 93-64 loss to Eastern Illinois Saturday at Lantz Arena.
“What I really like about Craig is he just brings it and plays hard every day,” said Eureka coach Chip Wilde, who is in his second year.
Eureka, a school of 770, took on the Panthers for the first time since 1948 and led Eastern 30-26 with five minutes, 10 seconds left in the opening half before the Panthers outscored the Red Devils 19-2 to take a 45-32 lead into the locker room.
Dan Bolsen, who played for the Arthur-Lovington football team and is a 2009 Lovington graduate, is also on the team. He is a 6-3 freshman guard/forward. He played the final 2:22, scoring three points.
As a sophomore Black played in 22 of 25 games averaging seven minutes per contest. He was 12-of-30 from the field and averaged 0.5 rebounds and 1.5 points per game. In the first game this season Black played 24 minutes in a 91-90 win over Rockford College, scoring two points.
Black is currently the first guard off the bench for the Red Devils, who are to travel to Monmouth Wednesday with a 1-1 record.
“I would have to say my defense is the biggest area of improvement from last year to this year,” said Black, who averaged 10.4 points his senior under Scott Bales at Sullivan on a 9-16 team. “My role on this team is playing defense. We have guys on the team who can score so I have to go out and play defense.”
Black entered the game with 10:55 left in the first half and guarded Jeremy Granger, a 6-1 sophomore, who didn’t score. Black forced one turnover from Granger and also guarded Jay Smith, a 6-2 senior, who finished with 16 points. He also fouled 6-8 freshman Shaun Pratl, who was going in for a layup.
“Even with the big kid underneath he kind of shook loose and Craig made sure he didn’t give a layup up,” said Wilde. “He always sticks his nose in there and that is what I like about Craig Black.”
Pratl made one-of-two free throws to tie the game at 32 with 4:31 left in the opening half in front of 667 fans.
“I played about seven games here (Lantz Arena during the Charleston Holiday Tournament),” said Black. “It was definitely fun coming back and playing here especially since this is so close to home; just seeing everyone, family and friends. It was a lot of fun. It was a good experience playing against a Division I team, but like coach always told us we are here to compete. In the first half we came out and competed a little bit, but they just wore us down in the second half.”
Black joins several other Sullivan graduates who have played at Eureka including 1993 graduate Stote Reeder, who went on to score 1,234 points; Chet Reeder, a 2000 graduate and current assistant coach at Sullivan, who was in attendance; and Craig Negangard, a 2000 Sullivan graduate, who went on to score over 1,000 points and is a member of the Eureka Hall of Fame along with Reeder.
“He has really improved over the past years,” said Wilde. “He has a mid-range game and he has always been a pretty good shooter. He has always been a very aggressive defender, but he is getting more things added to his game. He is pull-up jumper and he is doing some different things; passing and rebounding and things like that. He is developing into more of an all-around player as opposed to a catch and shoot guy and a defender.”
Black has three former opponents, including Bolsen, on the team. The other two are Jordan Kindred of Chrisman, a team that beat Sullivan 65-54 at Lantz Arena in 2006. The other former opponent is Kameron Bell of Clinton.
“We talk about when we played against each other all of the time,” said Black of Bell. “I remember my junior year (Bell’s senior year) we had a close game there. They beat us (75-72, Jan. 14, 2006) it was real close. I am glad I don’t have to guard Kameron. He is a good player.”
Former Arcola coach Karl Parrish, who also coached Bell at Clinton was in attendance. He is the athletics director at Clinton.
“The goal right now is for us to make the top four in the conference (St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) and that gets you into the conference tournament and anything can happen there. We will try and get two wins there and make the NCAA tournament.”
As for playing a Division I team Wilde said, “First of all, we had a great crowd and it was awesome to see all of the support from down in this area. We have a couple of kids from the area that are good players and it has been good for us. The first thing that always comes to mind is recruiting.”
As for Bolsen (who is 28 pounds lighter than last year), a second team all-state Illinois Basketball Coaches Association pick, “It (his first collegiate basket which occurred with 1:43 left from inside the free throw lane) was a simple motion play that anybody can run, but I got it and I thought if there is a chance I am backing my player down. He is a lot bigger than me (6-6 senior Zavier Sanders), but I got a pump fake in the air and was lucky enough to get an and one (fouled on the shot and he made his free throw) in there. You don’t usually pump your fist when you are down 30, but when it is your first points; I was really excited.”
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
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