By Troy Hayes
MaxPreps.com
Tolono Unity’s boys basketball team needed a lift when it faced perennial power Teutopolis recently and it got it from a most expected place – senior star Zebo Zebe – as well as from the Rockets’ supporting cast.
With Zebe, a candidate for the country’s all-name team, drawing double teams from the Teutopolis defenders, teammates Kyler McFall (16 points), Austin Perry (10) and Dylan Sturgeon (nine) all had big nights. Together, they made the Wooden Shoes pay for focusing on Zebe.
As a junior, Zebe averaged 19 points. Through the Rockets' first three games this season, Zebe is averaging 26 points, and Brown said his work in the offseason has contributed to his hot start.
"He worked his tail off in the weight room, and in high school, he's got college strength already," Unity coach Jarrett Brown told the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. "And just his knowledge, understanding the second level of defense. He can beat the guy guarding him. We talked to him about it for a long time, and when they give help, trust your teammates can make plays, and when they don't, make plays for yourself."
Deck the Halls
Edwardsville coach Mike Waldo, who is just two wins shy of 500 for his career, and the 1994 and 2000 Okawville girls state championship teams are among the Metro-East representatives being inducted into the Illinois High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, according to the Belleville News-Democrat.
Waldo's career record stands at 498-199 with 81 of his wins coming at Marquette High School in Alton.
"I'm honored that they considered me worthy of being in the Hall of Fame," Waldo told the BND. "I'm very thankful for that. Most anything you do, the main thing is the day-to-day feeling of accomplishment and the enjoyment you get from doing it. I'm thankful to be in the Hall of Fame, but I enjoy the day-to-day work and being with the kids."
Also entering the Hall from the Metro-East area are Keith McFarland, who played for Triad High School and starred for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1973-75; Toni Wallace, who helped East St. Louis Lincoln High place second in the Class AA Girls State Tournament in 1982; and Cathy Snipes, who scored 2,673 points from 1982-85 at Alton High School.
Soon to be Feted
Scott Davis will talk all day about his Champaign Central boys basketball team, but when it comes to getting recognition himself, Davis shuts down like a frightened turtle.
Recently, when his Maroons won at Danville, Davis became the second-winningest basketball coach in the history of the program that dates back more than 100 years.
After a win against Urbana a few days later, Davis’ career record of 274-155 surpassed the total of Les Moyer, whose teams were 272-124 between 1923 and 1938. Davis has a way to go to pass his former boss, Lee Cabutti, who went 434-335 in nearly 50 years as head coach. Davis is in his 17th year at the helm.
An Early Spring Signing
Granite City High junior Jake DePew, one of the top-rated catchers in the Midwest, has given a verbal commitment to play baseball at the University of Louisville.
DePew still has plenty of time before his first chance to sign a letter of intent next November, but he doesn't expect to be changing his mind.
Also in the recruiting mix were Mississippi, Missouri State, Illinois, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Western Kentucky, Stanford and Michigan, among others.
"There's been some people that have told him that he's the best catcher in the 2010 class in the country, so that's a nice thing to hear," said his father, Granite City High baseball coach Daren DePew said. "I think he is, definitely. We've done a lot of traveling this summer and he's one of the best we've seen in the country."
Troy Hayes covers central and southern Illinois for MaxPreps. He can be reached at sportsgopher@yahoo.com.
