CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois University men’s basketball coach Barry Hinson announced Monday that sophomore forward Dantiel Daniels intends to transfer at the end of the semester. Hinson said Daniels will be released from his scholarship, pending satisfactory academic progress.

Dantiel Daniels will leave SIU at the end of this semester.

Daniels averaged 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds and made the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team in 2012. His production dipped to 7.7 points and 3.2 rebounds last season, due in part to injuries that caused him to miss all or part of five games. Despite the injuries, Daniels finished second in 2013 in field goal percentage in the MVC, converting .609 from the field. He also departs SIU ranked third in school history in blocked shots per game at 1.31.

“Dantiel has always represented SIU in a first-class manner and was a pleasure to coach,” Hinson said. “We appreciate his contributions to Saluki Basketball during the last two seasons and wish him the best in his basketball career.”

Daniels missed most of the preseason last fall with a groin injury, but returned in time to be a significant contributor during the non-conference season, in which SIU built a 7-4 record. He scored a career-high 23 points against UC Davis and had 20 points versus New Orleans. The 6-foot-5 lefty suffered a high-ankle sprain in the conference opener at Missouri State, missed the next three games, and averaged just 5.6 points in conference play.

“I want to thank Coach Hinson, the coaching staff, my teammates and Saluki fans for supporting me during my career at SIU,” Daniels said. “I feel the Saluki Basketball program has a bright future under Coach Hinson’s leadership.”

By Tom Wheeler

As a long time track coach at Christopher I was always hunting for someone to “carry the mail.” This position was the last runner on a relay and it was not always our fastest runner. It was the one that “carried” his team, not losing ground, giving 100 percent on every step.

For the first time in ages, I was called on to “carry the mail.” Let me explain!

Jim Muir, left, and T.J. Wheeler cover the Friday night semi-final game from Danville – the game before Tom Wheeler is called on to “carry the mail.”

My Coach/Boss Jim Muir gave me a call last Saturday afternoon and said “I’m sick and you and TJ will have to do Rend Lake’s national championship game on WQRL radio.” Now let me throw some facts at you, Jim had broadcast for 21 years and have NEVER missed a game, never a contest of any kind. He says it’s his “Bill Muir” (his Dad) characteristic – you have a job to do so do it. Another fact was that Jim and TJ had did all three first round games including when the Warrior’s came from 23 points down to beat South Suburban on Wednesday night it was decided TJ would do the weekend games as well.  (Not too superstitious I might add). So I was along for the “ride” and to enjoy Coach Randy House’s run to a National Championship.

Down deep I really expected Jim to pull a ‘Willis Reed’ and come limping in the gym two minute before game time with oxygen in one hand and a barf bucket in the other and broadcast the game of his life for everyone back home. But he later told me he couldn’t hold his head off the pillow let alone get to the game.

One year while coaching at RLC with Mitch Haskins we were playing in a tournament in Springfield and Mitch called me into his room and said I would have to coach the two games that day because he was ill. I felt comfortable about ‘carrying the mail” that Saturday. When our church asked me to deliver the message last year, I said OK because I had time to practice and prepare. BUT, you don’t totally prepare to broadcast a basketball game, you just do it!

Now I have been very fortunate to work with some legends of radio during my short “basketball color” career, Clark Lance, Travis Severin, Gary Martin, Mike Murphy, Mike Reis, Scott Hudson and now Muir. They were all generous and let me rattle on and tell my stories and I have to admit these coaching decisions are a lot easier 20 seconds after the action. So the talking wasn’t the problem, but it is different when you are the lead duck.

So my son and I get our equipment hooked up, thanks to Jim’s instructions and help from a couple Danville radio men. Now nerves set in, we had to get in contact with the station back in Benton to get on the air but when we called there was no one there. Now the third place game was over and I caught myself sweating more than usual. So we panic and call Jim at the hotel, he doesn’t sound too good but said “don’t worry” he will check and find out what’s going on. We finally talk to the station, everything was hooked up right and we are ready to get on the air.

Once the game starts we were both so excited for Rend Lake that we let the “moment” take over. As they prepare to do the National Anthem I remember Jim always takes a 90 seconds break. I say “let’s take a 90 cent break and then we will be back to the action” How was I to know that some elderly veterans were marching the flag out, which took longer than 90 seconds. So with everyone at attention and the place as quiet as a church mouse the radio came back to us and still no anthem. I quietly, or so I thought, said “let’s take another 90 second break.”

If I got tongue tied I would just ask TJ a question, he has NO trouble talking basketball. If I was doing a Christopher-Zeigler Royalton game where I knew the players I would have felt a little easier. But Rend Lake has so many inter changeable parts who all play the same; it was hard to keep up with them.

Everyone has a “Bucket list” and mine did not include broadcasting a National Championship basketball game with my son TJ, but I am smart enough to realize that it was one of the greatest nights of my life and one that I will never forget.

It helped that the Warrior’s came out red hot and proved to all 16 teams from all areas of the United States that they truly were the best team in the nation. I might not have carried the mail but the warriors definitely did.

Logan Media Services

OLNEY –Jessica Hirsch of Du Quoin belted a single, double and her first collegiate home run, drove in two runs and stole a base while Heather Johnson accounted for two hits and two RBIs as the John A. Logan College softball team defeated Olney, 6-4, in the second game of a doubleheader to salvage a split,Thursday.

The host Knights won the opener, 7-5.

With the split, the Volunteers move to 3-3 in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference and are 10-6 overall. The Knights move to 4-6 in the league and 12-10 overall.

Logan scored two runs in the first inning, one in the second and three in the sixth to secure the second-game victory. Sophomore Sarah DaRosa of Carterville was the winning pitcher. She allowed four runs on seven hits in her seven innings of work and withstood a three-run uprising in the seventh inning. DaRosa also struck out two and walked one.

Kirsten Price added two hits and a run scored for the offense. Taylor Price and Kortney Crawford had one hit apiece.

In the first game, the Vols plated two runs in the first and three in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as Olney squeaked out the win.

Johnson was pitcher of record for Logan. The freshman surrendered seven runs on 10 hits. She also struggled with her command of the strike zone, walking six, while striking out only four.

Taylor Price paced the offense in this one with two hits, including a triple, two runs scored and three runs batted in. Hirsch collected two more hits for a total of five on the day. She also scored two runs. Crawford accounted for one hit.

“The overall effort was very good today, especially the second game. It was good to finally get a road win,” said Vols assistant coach Angie Jilek. “Hirsch killed the ball and Ana Duda’s defense in centerfield was simply phenomenal. She made a couple of racing catches, tracking down balls hit to the gap and to the fence.”

Logan is scheduled to host a doubleheader with Lincoln Trail College of Robinson today beginning at noon.

BY JOHN D. HOMAN

Logan Media Services

CARTERVILLE – Sophomore lefty Wes Mason pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and sophomore second baseman J.C. Davis banged out three hits Thursday to lead the John A. Logan College baseball team to a 5-2 home win over Southeastern Illinois College.

Wes Mason moves to 3-0 with win over SIC.

With the win, the Vols improve to 4-2 in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference and 16-13 overall. SIC falls to 6-13 overall, 2-7 in the league.

The visiting Falcons took a 1-0 lead over Mason and the Vols in the top of the fourth inning on a two-out single off the bat of John Jones, who drove in Taylor Morris. Morris had walked, stolen second and advanced to third on an error by the catcher.

That would be the only run Mason would allow, however, as the Mount Vernon native struck out six and walked only one in picking up his third win of the spring.

“The main thing I tried to improve upon today was not walking so many people and I think I accomplished that,” Mason said. “I worked on establishing my fastball more for strikes. Other than that, I don’t think I did much different than either of my last couple of starts. I’m just trying to repeat what I’ve been doing week after week.”

The Vols tallied three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 3-1 lead. Freshman Matt Woolwine, who would later reinjure his hamstring, led off with a double. DeJohn Suber singled him to third. Davis followed with an RBI single. Suber was thrown out at third on the play. Zac Mishler then singled and Anthony Bayus singled to load the bases.

Tanner Scott came up with a base hit, plating Davis and Mishler. Bayus was thrown out at third for the second out. Derek Repking then flied out to left to end the inning.

The Falcons pulled to within one at 3-2 in the eighth off Vols’ freshman reliever John Hondlik. Collin Book walked and came around to score on a hit by Nick Borders. Borders next raced from first to third on an errant pickoff attempt, but Vols’ sophomore third baseman Keelin Rasch saved the day when he stretched high to snag a line drive off the bat of Logan Leverette.

The Vols tacked on two insurance tallies in the bottom of the eighth as Rasch and Davis singled in runs. Sophomore righthander Anthony Spangler worked an uneventful ninth to pick up his second save of the spring.

Logan head coach Jerry Halstead was pleased with the win.

“Wes has been good in the conference his last three outings,” he said. “I didn’t think he had his best stuff today, but he got ahead in the counts and made some good pitches.”

Halstead said Rasch’s web gem was indeed the play of the day.

“I thought that was a game-changer. The young man (Leverette) barreled it up and probably hit it as hard as he could hit it, and fortunately for us, Keelin got off the ground to make the catch with the tying run on third. That may have changed the whole scenario of the ballgame.”

Halstead said he was also happy with the way Davis swung the bat.

“He had three hits and drove in a couple of big runs for us,” the coach said.

The Vols are scheduled to play a doubleheader at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, at noon today, weather permitting.