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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
From left, Matt Swartz, Mason High and Carter Foran back in August at The News-Gazette office in Champaign. High and Foran will play in the Illinois High School Shrine Game next June in Bloomington.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. The area high school football scene will have 18 seniors in the Illinois High School Shrine Game next June in Bloomington after rosters were revealed Monday.
➜ 2. On the Red team: Matt Allen (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley), Cooper Christensen (Sullivan/Okaw Valley), Carter Foran (Monticello), Ryker Grauer (GCMS), Mason High (Monticello), Evan Parish (Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin), George Rouse (Champaign Central), Maddix Stirrett (Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond) and Matt Suaava (Paxton-Buckley-Loda).
➜ 3. On the Blue team: Robert Boyd-Meents (PBL), Caleb Clutteur (Milford/Cissna Park), Aian Fryman (Sullivan/Okaw Valley), Jameson Remole (Salt Fork), Tate Sigler (LeRoy), Coy Taylor (St. Joseph-Ogden), Dawson Thayer (Clinton), Jacob Tighe (ALAH) and Bo Zeleznik (LeRoy).
Kasparas Jakucionis leads the Illini in scoring, assists and steals.
Numbers game: 16.1
points current co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week Kasparas Jakucionis is averaging this season for the Illinois men’s basketball team. That ranks 10th in the league, with the 6-foot-6, 205-pound Illini guard receiving league-wide accolades on Monday and sharing the Freshman of the Week honor with Rutgers standout and Big Ten leading scorer Dylan Harper.
Kendall Bostic and the Illinois women’s basketball team has its third straight home game when it hosts Southern at noon this Friday at State Farm Center in Champaign.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Illinois vs. Missouri men’s basketball. The Illini get even more of a scouting report on the Tigers before Sunday’s Braggin’ Rights game when Missouri (9-1) hosts Jacksonville State (6-4) on Tuesday night.
➜ 2. Southern at Illinois women’s basketball. The final nonconference game of the season for the Illini (9-2) happens at noon on Friday at State Farm Center in Champaign against the Jaguars (2-9).
➜ 3. Canisius at Loyola Chicago men’s basketball. Former Tuscola standout Jalen Quinn is averaging 7.4 points off the bench for the Ramblers (8-1), who lost for the first time Sunday against San Francisco, but should get a win Wednesday night against the Golden Griffins (0-11).
From left, the Whisman family: Katy, Brevyn and Travis.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Arcola volleyball coach Katy Whisman:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Arcola Purple Riders.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Pat Summitt, Dawn Staley and Mike Krzyzewski.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … not taking practice seriously.