Illinois High School Association member schools have approved nine proposals, one of which limits who can participate in a team’s practice.
IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman said Thursday “the only people who can participate in practice are students in the school in addition to approved coaching and faculty members.”
This means that a high school coach can no longer, for instance, go to the local college or university and bring in a softball or baseball pitcher. Some girls basketball coaches bring in male students and faculty members to give their teams more difficult competition. That’s still allowed, Hickman said, as long as those students and faculty members are from within the school.
“The quality of a team ought not to be based on who you can bring into practices from outside the school,” he said.
Other key proposals passed:
– Schools receiving transfer students will enforce any period of ineligibility imposed or that would have been imposed upon the student by the school from which the student transfers.
– Schools voted to reduce the amount of time for non-school competition by student-athletes. The old bylaw allowed students to compete in non-school competition until the day before their school’s first contest. The new bylaw reduces that amount of time to five days following the school’s first practice or tryout.
– Students will be allowed to compete in three all-star contests in basketball, football, soccer and volleyball after completing their high school eligibility in the respective sports. The old rule limited them to one.
– In boys and girls basketball, schools are no longer restricted to playing non-varsity games after the date of the first varsity contest. They may now play non-varsity games before the first varsity contest.
St. Viator’s Lauren Griebel made an oral commitment to Navy’s soccer team earlier this week. That’s not unusual, except that the 5-foot-10-inch Griebel was at Annapolis to consider joining the Midshipmen’s women’s basketball team.
“I just stopped by the soccer office and asked, `Are you still recruiting for soccer this year?'” They told her yes and Griebel later gave Navy coach Carin Gabarra her `yes.’ “It’s totally unorthodox,” said Griebel, whose sister Danielle also plays soccer for the two-time defending state Class A champions. “Everyone asks, `Why do you want to do this.'”
She has a nine-year commitment (four years of school, five years as an officer) that begins next summer with seven weeks of basic training. “I just can’t imagine going anywhere else,” said Griebel, who scored 12 goals for the Lions’ soccer team last spring and is averaging eight points a game for St. Viator’s basketball team.
Alan Sutton.
Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber received an oral commitment from Peoria Richwoods junior Jamar Smith on Wednesday, Richwoods coach Mike Ellis said. Smith is a 6-3 guard averaging 19 points, five rebounds and three assists for Richwoods. Earlier this week Weber received a commitment junior David Palmer, a 6-7 forward from Antioch, Tenn.
Marlen Garcia.
The Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association will induct eight coaches into its Hall of Fame at its 40th annual clinic Saturday at Oak Park-River Forest High School. The Class of 2004 is made up of Robin Taft of Rochester, Jody Gitelis of Barrington, Gene Jones of Metamora, the late Bud Swanson of Glenbard North, Ken Klipp of Bishop McNamara, Larry Bassett of York, Art Paul of Bolingbrook and Paul Olsen of Augustana. The clinic, which has a walk-up fee of $65, starts with registration from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. A rules interpretation meeting and officials workshop is included in the activities. Among the clinicians are Illinois women’s coach Gary Winkler, 1980 Olympic coach Jim Santos, Eastern Illinois men’s coach Tom Akers, Gary Haupert of Thornwood, Jim Frye and Dean Carlson of Sandburg, Tony Holler of Harrisburg and Jim Flynn of the IHSA.
Glenbard North is back–back in Illinois and back to reality.
The Panthers took fourth last weekend in The Clash, a 32-team dual meet wrestling tournament in Rochester, Minn. Glenbard North, which will compete in Saturday’s Leyden Invitational, passed up the Al Dvorak Invitational at Dundee-Crown to compete in the tournament, which was won by Apple Valley (Minn).
“They talked us into getting into the tournament two years ago,” said Glenbard North coach Mark Hahn, whose team won The Clash last year. “We said we were already in the best tournament in Illinois. But they guarantee everyone six matches. At the Dvorak, your best kids get five or six matches, but some of your others are two and out. It’s a good change of pace.”
The Panthers reached the championship bracket with wins over Omaha Gross, Rochester Mayo and Stewartville (Minn). on the first day. In the medal matches the next day, Glenbard North lost to Apple Valley 45-11, then lost to Simley (Minn.) 30-25 and then was defeated by Wasatch (Utah) 41-11.
“The second day, reality set it,” said Hahn, whose team is 14-4 in duals.
Senior Joe Gomez went 6-0 and made the all-tournament team. Freshman Brian O’Connor was 5-1 at 119, his only loss coming to No. 1 nationally ranked Charlie Falck of Apple Valley.
Montini 160-pounder Simon Fowler, a state qualifier last season as a sophomore, has left the school.
“He has moved to Pennsylvania,” said Montini coach Mike Bukovsky whose team is wrestling in the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna, Wis., this weekend. “I’m not sure what school he is going to or what his plan is, but they notified us and withdrew from school. He is officially gone.”
Reid Hanley.
Waubonsie Valley’s Chris Schenck is considering colleges where he will continue his swimming career. The butterfly and 200 freestyle runner-up at the 2003 state meet has N.C. State, Tennessee, Clemson and Eastern Michigan on his list, and plans to apply to Southern Cal. Schenck has earned six state-meet medals the last two seasons.
Dave Surico.
De La Salle has named Jessica Andrasko its new boys volleyball coach. Andrasko is a former men’s volleyball head coach at Bowling Green State University, and most recently has served an assistant coach for De La Salle’s boys and girls teams. Previously she spent three years as head boys volleyball coach at Latin School and was girls head coach for two. During her playing career, she was a four-year starter on Bowling Green’s women’s team and set a single-season record for aces (79) as a junior.
Jack McCarthy.
