U-46 Blue Stars worthy of state championship
Elgin Area School District U-46 Blue Stars basketball coach Mike LaPrairie recalls a conversation he had with his players early in the season.
“It was nice that they told me, ‘This is what we want to do,’ ” he says.
“This” referred to winning a Special Olympics Illinois gold medal in basketball. The team went undefeated during the 2010-2011 season until it faced Homewood-Flossmoor in the gold-medal game a year ago. The Blue Stars, comprised of cognitively disabled student-athletes from around the district, lost and took second in the state.
LaPrairie had a direct response to the team’s stated goal.
“I told them this is the effort you need to put in,” he says.
And the Blue Stars put in the effort and then some. The team once again brought an unbeaten record into the state tournament in Bloomington over the weekend, but this time walked away with the gold.
The Blue Stars scored a 53-35 win over the Princeton Tigers in the semifinals and then notched a hard-fought 49-42 victory against the Cahokia Comanches to secure the state title in the High School Division 7 bracket.
“They responded and really got excited about this,” LaPrairie says, referring to the entire season. “These kids worked their tails off. I can’t tell you how proud I am of them. It really worked out well.”
The Blue Stars took command early in the semifinal win over Princeton in a game that saw contributions from all players on the roster. Each Blue Stars player scored at least one basket in the game.
“The first game, we got out on the other team pretty well,” LaPrairie explains. “Everybody got in the game and got a basket. Everybody showed a good effort toward the other team and displayed real good sportsmanship.”
The Blue Stars then found themselves in a battle against Cahokia in the championship contest.
“The second game was tough,” LaPrairie says. “We fought through some struggles early and were able to pull it out. I was very proud of what they did in that game.”
The team received key contributions from Haywood Hughes and Eugene James in particular.
“We got ourselves in a little foul trouble, but the whole team kept fighting,” LaPrairie says. “Haywood and Eugene showed spirited effort. Eugene really deserves recognition. He gave us some spirited play. Other players like Ellen (Moess), Iaan (Rivera) and Max (Berk) really helped us. The whole team came together.”
LaPrairie was impressed with how team took things to the next level when it counted the most.
“Our kids responded,” he says. “Take nothing away from the other teams and the other coaches, but our kids played well. Everybody should be proud.”
U-46 Special Olympics director Maureen Lue notes it’s the second Special Olympics state title the program has won — the first was in soccer years ago. The district’s Special Olympics program currently fields basketball, track and field and bowling teams.
Lue did not make the trip Downstate, but was kept in the loop.
“I was getting texts every two minutes,” she laughs. “That second game was a real nail-biter. They had a great time. It’s time to order the shirts that say state champions.”
Blue Stars team members include Berk, David Donley, Rivera, Jordan Stokes, Emily Zaideman, Hughes, Eric Gomez, David Gomez, James, Raheem Wade, Eric Mescher, Moess and Angelica Sanchez.
LaPrairie was assisted on the court by coach Brian Tepper. Coaches Pat Keating and Nick Arvanitakis were in charge of the logistics of the state trip.
LaPrairie was fairly certain his players would let their respective schools know about their great accomplishment.
“I’m sure they will go to school with their gold medals,” he says. “They deserve it.”