Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
INA, Ill. (June 22, 2017) – Ryan Luckett (LPH out of Louisville, Ky.) signed on to join the Rend Lake College Baseball Warrior ranks this week. Luckett, right, was joined by his brother and RLC alumni, Devin Luckett, left, and Tyler O’Daniel, RLC head baseball coach, back. (Reece Rutland – Rend Lake College Sports Information Director.
Communities from around the district sent their aspiring cagers to take part in the Rend Lake College Boys’ Basketball Camp this week. Campers who participated are listed alphabetically: Jace Barnard (Bluford), David Barnes (Mt. Vernon), Colton Berk (Woodlawn), Karvieon Black (Mt. Vernon), Liam Brandon (Mt. Vernon), Korbyn Breeze (Bonnie), Lane Burnett (Opdyke), Wyatt Evans (Mt. Vernon), Tryton Fassett (Waltonville), Andrew Fernberg (Mt. Vernon), Timothy Hamilton (Christopher), Jarrett Johnson (Opdyke), Tyrez Jones (Mt. Vernon), Tony Kistner (Scheller), Jackson Legrand (Woodlawn), Caleb McCoy (Benton), Trevor Millenbine (Dahlgren), Trey Mygatt (Bonnie), Nazavion Nesbit (Mt. Vernon), Maddox Ort (Mt. Vernon), Jadon Rankin (Mt. Vernon), Seager Sanchez (Benton), Laniyah Shelby (Mt. Vernon), Logan Stowers (Benton), Scotty Summers (Thompsonville), Jalen Welch (McLeansboro), Zaydun Withrow (Opdyke). The camp was taught by RLC Assistant Men’s Basketball Coaches Same Ficker, left, and De’Marius Dabney, right. Click on the image for a larger view. (Reece Rutland – Rend Lake College Sports Information)
Reece Rutland – Rend Lake College Sports Information Director
– Former Lady Warrior basketball standout Rebecca Harris will be coming back to Ina after a decade of professional playing and coaching. She will be returning to Waugh Gymnasium to become the new head coach of a program she once helped anchor.
A graduate of Mascoutah High School, Harris found a home at Rend Lake as part of the Lady Warrior Basketball team from 2004-06.
New Lady Warrior basketball head coach Rebecca Harris got reacquainted with Hummer Gymnasium by heading up the RLC girls’ basketball camp this week. Harris, far right, was pleased with the camp’s turnout and those that participated. Click on the image for a larger view.
(Reece Rutland/RLC Sports Information Director)
At RLC, Harris found success. As a Lady Warrior, she was third in the nation as a sophomore with 23.6 points per game and ninth in assists at 5.6 (in addition to 5.6 rebounds and two steals per outing) while hitting .495 from the floor, .390 from beyond the 3-point arc and .750 from the free throw stripe. Her teams won 19 games both seasons and she earned All-America Honorable Mention distinctions. She was inducted into the RLC Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2013.
When I was in high school, I wasn’t getting the division one looks I really wanted. I had my sights set on one or two schools. My grades also weren’t the best. It was a good lesson to learn. I know first-hand now the importance of keeping up in school, and I tell everyone now to hit the books early,” she explained.
“For me, it was nice to find there were options out there like Rend Lake. It was a great fit. I came to campus, went on a visit. I was just sold on it.”
Following her time in Ina, Harris was recruited by the University of Illinois.
As a Fighting Illini, Harris started 25 games as a senior in 2007-08 for a 20-15 club that was a surprise finalist in the Big Ten Conference Tournament and advanced to the third round of the post-season Women’s National Invitational Tournament. She averaged 10.1 ppg, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists and netted 78.8 per cent of her free throws (89-113).
Following school, Harris went oversees to play professionally, logging a decade of professional basketball in a number of different countries, including stints in the Czech Republic, Greece and Poland.
“I spent most of my time oversees playing in Poland. I played for two different teams over there for four years. One team I played for was a Euro League team. That was a highlight. You got to just play against the best of the best, every country. One night you’re in Turkey. The next night you’re in Russia. I really enjoyed that.”
Harris grew up as a “military brat,” so traveling the world playing basketball wasn’t too far from the world she grew up in, spending the first 14 years of her life in various countries.
“I grew up in Germany, Japan and the Philippines. We moved around quite a bit. We reached Illinois right around the time I was going to hit high school. My parents knew that basketball was going to be a way of life for me. So, they wanted to make sure I had the right opportunities to maximize that,” Harris said.
Here in the states, Harris has kept up a professional basketball presence, playing for the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League’s St. Louis Surge. She has notched two national championships with the team, and has enjoyed the opportunity to play in front of family members and people who followed her locally.
Her journey into coaching has been another homecoming of sorts. She just wrapped up a stint of being the head coach at her high school alma mater of Mascoutah. She developed a passion for coaching when she took a break from playing professionally to coach at Chipola College in Florida.
Harris said her coaching style is intense and upbeat.
“I like to go fast. I like to go hard. I want my players to be in the other team’s face all the time on the defensive side of the ball. We won’t get tired. Conditioning is a big thing for me. I want all my players to be able to put 40 minutes in if necessary,” she expressed.
The new Lady Warrior coach said it’s an interesting experience to be coming back to coach another program that she once played for.
“It’s kind of funny at this point. Luckily I feel familiar with these roots. It lets me relate and share my story with these players. It also helps me show them what’s possible. We can have success as a team, and they can have success as players. I know, because I did. It also makes me come in with the attitude of ‘this is my house,’ and I want to make sure we get back to what it used to be,” Harris expressed.
RLC Athletic Director Tim Wills is also excited to have a former Warrior back on campus.
“We are extremely happy to have Rebecca Harris as our new Head Women’s Basketball coach. Rebecca was an outstanding player here at RLC and went on to experience success at the division-one level and professionally after leaving RLC. We are always happy to welcome back one of our own to lead one of our programs,” Wills said.
“We feel like having former student-athletes return to lead our programs provides our current and future student-athletes with a great example of what is possible through hard work on the court and in the classroom. We currently have our Men’s Basketball and Baseball programs being led by former student-athletes as well. We know that Coach Harris will be a great addition to our Athletic program and our college community. She will be a hard worker and will help to elevate our women’s basketball program to the level we want it to be.”
So, how is she going to make that happen? The new head coach is already busy laying the groundwork for next season.
“Right now, we are in the middle of recruiting. We are looking at some good players. We are hoping to get a few key players that can help us. I’m also focused on looking at our current roster and incoming freshmen that we will have as walk-ons and physical presences. I think the possibilities are there. I’m looking forward to when we can first get in the gym and get things going,” Harris explained.
by Reece Rutland – Rend Lake College Public Information
BRASELTON, GA – The fourth and final round of the 2017 NJCAA National Championship at Chateau Elan Resort in Braselton, Ga. saw the Rend Lake College Lady Warrior Golf Team post a team score of +43 327, just six strokes off the blistering pace they set Wednesday in round three.
With a team total of 1328, the Lady Warriors leave Georgia with a seventh place finish out of a pack of 18 teams participating in the national championship.
Lady Warrior play was highlighted by Marion DeBove (Belloy–en-France), who led RLC scoring throughout the tournament. She finished round 4 with a +3 74, good enough to finish play in 11th place overall, out of a field of 119. Shelby Johnson (Greenwood, Ind.) shot a 79 of the day and wrapped up her national play tied for 30th. Alex Brue (Chanderville) put up a strong third round, shooting a 94 and finishing tied for 61st. Macey Mooneyham (Herrin) shot an 88 and wrapped up her national trip tied for 66 overall, and Taylor Aldridge (Eldorado) scored 86 to put her tied for 82nd.
Reece Rutland – Rend Lake College Public Information
INA, Ill. (April 24, 2017) – The Rend Lake College Lady Warrior Golf Team notched another NJCAA Region 24 crown on Monday as they defeated Kaskaskia College and John A. Logan College handily at Weibring Golf Club in Normal.
As a team, the Lady Warriors posted a two-day final of 671 (334, 327) to KC’s 764 (384, 380) and JALC’s 785 (397, 388) to take the region by a 93 strokes.
Marion Debove (Belloy-en-France) took top honors with a 158, shaving 10 strokes off her opening round 84 to post a Monday afternoon 74. Alexandra Brue (Chanderville) placed second with a 164. Macey Mooneyham (Herrin) finished third with a 174, and Shelby Johnson (Greenwood, Ind.) took fourth with a 175. Those finished earned RLC four of the five spots on the 2017 All-Region Team.
“We played much better today. We put ourselves in better positon and executed really well,” head coach Cindy Corn stated.
The team now advances to the NJCAA National Championship at Chateau Elan Golf Club in Duluth, Ga. The two-day tournament begins play on Monday, May 15.
by Reece Rutland RLC Public Information
It was a night full of laughs and tears as three more plaques were placed on the wall of the Rend Lake College Aquatics Center lobby following the 18th Annual induction ceremony for the RLC Sports Hall of Fame. This year’s batch joins the ranks of 45 individual athletes and 14 teams to receive the honor.
In total, 20 were enshrined during last Saturday’s event. Those honored included RLC golf standout Danielle Kaufman of the 2003-05 women’s golf team, prolific baseball coach Rich Campbell (1992-2001) and the iconic 1983-84 Warrior men’s basketball team.
Kaufman was the first to receive the nod, as her former coach and friend Cindy Corn took the podium to honor an athlete that battled tremendous pain on her way to becoming one of the most successful golfers in RLC’s history.
Former RLC golfer and hall of famer Danielle “Ace” Kaufman (All photos by Reece Rutland, RLC pubic information)
“I’ve never worked so hard to recruit someone,” Corn joked to those gathered. “Danielle is my best friend. She is a tremendous athlete. We are very fortunate that she decided to come here. She has the most beautiful smile and the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Goose” as she was known to her teammates and coach, Kaufman’s links success was almost cut short when it was discovered that she suffered from compartment syndrome in her legs, making it extremely painful to compete. Corn had to write a letter on her player’s behalf to request that Kaufman be allowed to utilize a cart to finish up her freshman season of play.
Kaufman’s accomplishments include recording just the second hole-in-one in the history of the National Junior College Athletic Association Women’s Golf Championships en route to Second-Team All-American honors as a freshmen. She also claimed Region XXIV Medalist distinction during the 03-04 season while battling her leg pain.
After off-season surgery, she was Region runner-up by two strokes as a sophomore behind an All-American teammate and helped Coach Corn’s more balanced entry to a No. 4 showing in the Nationals, an improvement by one position and the best showing ever for a program with a dozen Top Ten performances. Kaufman was 20th in the nation. Her 2004-05 Lady Warriors earned induction into the RLC Sports Hall in 2014.
She also holds the honor of setting the Rend Lake Golf Course’s Women’s records with a 68 from the Gold Tees (5,922).
Following her career at RLC, Kaufman signed with SIUE, later playing for SIUC. Professionally, she returned to RLC. Kaufman now serves as the RLC softball assistant coach and held a stint as the women’s golf team’s assistant coach (2009-12). She also manages the RLC Golf Outlet at the MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon.
For her part, Kaufman was quick to turn the attention back to her coach.
“I’m sorry, I want to take a moment to recognize Cindy. She’s retiring this year. She deserves so much credit. She has always been there for me. I couldn’t ask for a better friend or a better coach. Playing here was amazing,” Kaufman expressed.
She also took the time to highlight the importance her family held, thanking her family and giving them the credit for her start in the sport.
RLC hall of fame baseball coach Rich “Soup” Campbell
Saturday night’s second inductee was a man tasked with keeping RLC’s history of stellar baseball play on track, and Rich “Soup” Campbell did not disappoint.
Campbell set himself apart from a cavalcade of successful Warrior coaches by being the only head coach to guide the baseball team to a pair of Region XXIV Championships and three Sectional titles. He boasts a 302-225 (.573) overall record covering nine seasons (1992-01).
RLC Athletic Director Tim Wills recalled starting in 1992 alongside Campbell. “We were both newbies that year. He was a great friend and a great coach,” Wills said. “The thing that always stuck out to me about Soup was the work ethic. He did everything he could all the time to get the program where he wanted it. He took care of the details. That baseball field was always pristine. You could count on it, and he knew down to the penny what his budget was for the season.”
With a program that ran like clockwork and a distinctive leadership style, Campbell did more than fill the shoes of Warrior coaches past. In fact, retired RLC Director of Marketing and Public Information and Sports Information Director Bob Kelley couldn’t help but remind Soup that he would have been the winningest coach in college history if he had just stuck around one more year.
As an example of that coaching style, Campbell shared a story with those gathered about a standout player for him arriving to practice a minute and a half late. It didn’t matter that this particular player was a star and an excellent student, his coach made him run sprints for 30 minutes.
“I lived for moments like that,” Campbell expressed. “It was such a great chance to teach a variety of lessons. I got to show that no one was above the rules. It proved to my other players that everyone was held to the same standard. I wasn’t always loved in the moment, but I get calls from guys now saying ‘I didn’t see it back then, but thanks for being tough.’”
He also thanked those close to him and said the baseball teams of 1997 and 1999 will always hold a special place in his heart.
“I will be forever grateful to my teams and this institution. These memories are embedded in my soul permanently.”
The final inductee of the night was known just as much for their comradery as their success.
Members of the 1983-84 RLC Warrior Basketball team possessed a chemistry that was still evident in 2017.
Nine team records were theirs when they left town. A 10th belonged to nine of those same players as freshmen.
Members of the 1983-84 Warrior Basektball Team. FROM LEFT: Jeff Cochren, Todd Stoermer, Dean Merder, Myron Hawkins, Jamie Raley, Coach Mitch Haskins, Travis Helm, Robby Jones, Jeff Wilkinson, Tim Wills, Kevin Riggan, Derrick Leonard and Mark Kerley.
Mitch Haskins coached a team-record 22 wins out of this close-knit group their first campaign and a 25-7 mark the next, his third at the helm. Eight of their 20 losses in two seasons were to teams which advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Finals in Hutchinson, Kan. Their three conference setbacks in 1983-84 were by a total of five points.
In addition to the standard for wins and winning percentage (.781), the 1983-84 Hall-of-Fame Gang established new marks for consecutive wins (nine); free throws made (587), attempted (790) and percentage (.743); greatest average point differential per game (16.0); greatest margin of victory (74 vs. Earle C. Clements Job Corps Center, 108-34), and greatest margin of victory over community college opponent (57 vs. Oakton, 97-40).
An equally impressive average defensive yield of 63.3 points per game was just 1.0 higher than the record set by their 1982-83 predecessors.
All nine sophomores who grew close together for two years on the Ina campus, plus one late addition, accepted offers to continue their playing careers following their departure from the Juco (Junior College) ranks, the most from one class in 50 seasons of Warrior basketball.
“Talk about a team that stood together, played together and had each other’s backs,” said Haskins as he reminisced about the team. “I had never seen a tighter-knit group. It was a very balanced team. We had a lot of players make contributions. I’ve said it before, but a team is like a pyramid. It has to have a solid base. We had guys step up in practice to push our starters and lots of depth.”
The RLC Sports Hall of Fame is located in the Aquatics Center lobby and is open to the public. For more information on Kaufman, Campbell, the 1983-84 Basketball team, the 2017 Sports Hall of Fame Induction, and all things athletic at The Lake, visit www.rlc.edu/athletics.
INA, IL- Sam Troyer, Warrior infielder from Goshen IN, committed to play baseball at University of Evansville on Tuesday. On the season, Troyer is averaging .246 with two homeruns, 12 RBIs, 35 runs and 31 stolen bases. (Reece Rutland / RLC Public Information)
Thomas Donley- SIU Sports Information department
CARBONDALE, IL – Cameron Walter has become a key member of Saluki Football’s ground attack. So there’s a touch of irony to find out that the senior running back grew up dreaming of flying the skies. That dream recently became a reality.
Walter earned his pilot’s license in his second year at SIU. The criminal justice major said his father, Darryl Walter, influenced his love of flying.
“It was always a dream of mine,” Walter said. “My dad used to take me to air shows when I was a kid, and that’s where I fell in love with it.”
Like some of the aerial acrobatics Walter witnessed as a child, Walter’s career as a Saluki has seen its ups and downs. He joined the team as a walk-on. His big opportunity came during his redshirt freshman year in 2014, when injuries in the backfield thrust him into a starting role at Missouri State. He rushed for 210 yards on 37 carries and earned The Sports Network National Freshman of the Week honors.
The Greenville, Ill. native hoped to build on that performance in 2015, but his season-opening 34-yard performance at Indiana was the pinnacle of his season, as he earned just 38 more yards the rest of the year.
“It sets you back and makes you humble,” Walter said. “It teaches you to stick with what got you to that point, and it makes you hungry.”
Walter began 2016 so low on the depth chart that his primary contribution was special teams work, until his first touches of the season came in the Salukis’ third game. In the fourth quarter of a 50-17 blowout of Murray State, he ran the ball five times for 64 yards.
Walter had a breakout performance in Game Six, a 31-28 loss at Illinois State, in which he was the team’s leading rusher with 72 yards. Walter made his first start of the year the following week against Indiana State.
Despite the hurdles he faced early in the year, Walter ended the season as SIU’s leading rusher with 335 yards, giving him 730 for his career. Not bad for a guy who had to try-out for the team..
“He exemplifies what you want in a football player,” coach Nick Hill said. “He waited his turn… He came to work every single day. He’s just a workhorse. He does the things that you’re supposed to do, and I’ve learned in my short time in the business that those guys are the guys that will play for you and win you games. He’s a steady player and a steady guy.”
Heading into his senior season, the 5-foot-8 Walter is considered the leader of the Salukis’ backfield, that includes talented backs such as Daquan Isom and Jonathan Mixon.
“Younger guys can look at him and see you’ve got to do your work,” Hill said. “He’s a leader for us because he goes out there, and young guys can see that buying in to special teams is important. It just proves that if you do things right and buy into what we’re trying to do in this culture, then things pay off.”
While Walter is on the smaller side physically, he brings a big personality to the Salukis. He loves to make people laugh, such as when he jokes about the size he was predicted to reach as a child.
“I was supposed to be 6’4 and I wear size 13 shoes…but I’m still waiting to grow into them,” he laughed.
CARTERVILLE, IL (WSIL-TV. Please Click link to read the full story. Here is an excerpt) News 3 Sports Director Darren Kinnard is recovering from injuries he received in a wreck Friday evening. It occurred on Crenshaw Road east of Energy. The driver who struck Darren’s vehicle was identified as 27-year old Jason Stacy of Energy. Police arrested Stacy.