Payne earns place in IBCA Hall
Sometimes a trip to the mailbox brings wonderful news.
Burlington Central coach Chris Payne enjoyed such a moment Saturday when he received a letter from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association informing him of his election to the IBCA Hall of Fame as a player.
"When I opened the letter and read it I was honored to be chosen," Payne said. "I looked at some of the other guys who are in it and it's quite an honor to be in there alongside so many great names from the past.
"It's never anything I ever thought about. It seems like such a long time ago that I played now. It's just a reward. I worked pretty hard in high school because I wanted to be a good player. This is the reward for all of that."
Payne starred for three seasons at downstate Amboy before he transferred to St. Edward for his senior season.
He helped that talented St. Edward team reach the Class A quarterfinals in Champaign for the third time in school history by scoring 41 points in an 85-73 supersectional victory over Princeton at Northern Illinois University's Chick Evans Fieldhouse on March 10, 1992.
Payne scored 22 points in St. Edward's 74-60 loss to eventual champion Findlay in the quarterfinal game at Assembly Hall, a vivid memory he ranks at the top of his high school experience.
"I wish every player could experience that once," said Payne, who coached Mt. Carroll to a second-place finish in the 2003 Class A state tournament before coming to Burlington. "It was a lot of fun. Playing at the Assembly Hall as a high school kid was a little overwhelming at first. You're used to playing in high school gyms and when you step out on that floor and look around, you have to make sure you don't get caught up in the atmosphere and stay focused.
"It was an experience I won't forget."
Triple doubles:ŒElgin heads a list of four area teams with three players averaging double-digit points.
The Maroons, however, are the only team with a duo averaging better than 20 points per game.
Armani Williams is showing no outward effects of the reconstructive surgery performed on his knee seven months ago. He and fellow senior guard Jeremy Granger are each averaging 20.2 points apiece through five games.
Elgin center/forward D'Angelo Stewart is scoring at a clip of 11 points per game.
Three other teams have three players with scoring averages of more than 10 points: Burlington Central, South Elgin and St. Edward.
Burlington Central senior guard Mike McCurdy is the area points leader by a wide margin. He has been scoring at a clip of 29.3 points per game, exactly 6 points better than Hampshire senior forward T.J. Burzak.
Central senior forward Jason Wagner contributes 15.3 points per game and guard Jake McNutt 10.8.
St. Edward junior forward Steve Martin leads a balanced offense with 14.6 points per game. Senior guard Brett Manning is averaging 14.3 and junior guard Josh Dix 12.3.
"Last year Brett was really our only go-to guy," St. Edward coach Keith Chuipek said. "When teams defended him tough, the younger kids weren't ready to step up in pressure situations.
"Now, Steve and Josh are more involved, they have more confidence and are both a little bit older. They went through their growing pains and now it's time to play."
South Elgin is led by senior guards Adam Hodge (16.4) and Josh Glenn (11.2) and senior center Dan Lopez (10.2).
Cramming:ŒThe Bartlett Hawks (2-3) have been learning on the job this season as first-year coach Jim Wolfsmith, who wasn't hired until September, attempts to incorporate his methods and schemes on the fly.
"I'm definitely feeling like we're still learning stuff that other teams put in all summer long or knew from previous years," Wolfsmith said this week. "With the learning curve we're not quite to the same level with everyone else as far as how well we know what we know.
"I give the guys a lot of credit, though. They've been going up against some really tough teams while at the same time they were learning my system."
The Hawks opened the season 2-1 before losing to two teams ranked in the Daily Herald Top 20: Waubonsie Valley (No. 13) and No. 3 Wheaton North.
That's better: With three sophomores in the lineup last season, St. Edward lost its first seven games en route to a 7-20 finish.
But outside shooter Josh Dix and forwards Steve Martin (6-3) and Riley Coleman (6-2) are all juniors now. They've teamed with seniors Brett Manning (6-1) and John Sheehan (6-5) and the rest of the Green Wave to forge a 4-0 start to the season.
The Wave won three games against small-school competition to win the inaugural Westminster Christian Thanksgiving Tournament.
St. Edward followed that win with a 60-41 victory over Luther South.
"It feels a heck of a lot better being 4-0 than 0-7," said St. Edward second-year coach Keith Chuipek. "I think part of the reason we've been successful is that the guys roles are better defined this season."
The improved Green Wave faces a tall test tonight when undefeated Aurora Central Catholic (6-0) travels to Elgin for the Suburban Catholic Conference opener.
"They're humongous," Chuipek said of the Chargers. "They go 6-6, 6-4, 6-5 across. We haven't really been tested yet, so this help us see where we're at."