Viator’s Aboona keeps his shooting touch at Washington University
Former St. Viator High School sharpshooter Alan Aboona hasn’t lost a step in his college career.
Or his touch from the perimeter.
While scoring a game-high 35 points, the junior guard set a Univeristy Athletic Association single-game record with 10 three-pointers, including the game-winner with nine seconds left to lead the No. 12-ranked Washington University (St. Louis) men’s basketball team to an 86-84 win at Emory University.
Aboona hit his first nine 3-pointers of the game and finished 10-of-11 from beyond the arc to break the previous UAA single-game record for three-pointers of nine set in 2000, 2001 and 2012.
His nine 3-pointers in a row also broke the Washington record for consecutive 3-pointers of seven set during the 1993-94 season.
Emory built a 13-point lead (77-64) with 8:33 remaining in the second half. The Bears answered with a 15-1 run, including a pair of 3-pointers and a 3-point play by Aboona, over the next 4:39 to take their first lead of the game.
Emory scored the next 4 points to regain the lead, 84-83, with 20 seconds left.
After Emory called timeout, Washington pushed the ball up the court and Aboona made a step-back 3 with nine seconds left to give the Bears the lead back, 86-84. Emory drove down the court and took the potential game-tying shot from the baseline, but it hit off the side of the backboard to seal the win for the Bears.
Aboona was 12-of-16 from the field to go with his 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
His 35 points was the highest individual scoring performance for the Washington since 2007.
Aboona’s 10 three-pointers were the second most in a game this season in NCAA Division III
Wheeling Hall of Fame
The Wheeling High School Athletic Hall of Fame will hold festivities on Friday, Jan. 25, to induct its Class of 2013.
Mike Jendreas, Dr. Tom Shirley and Gail Miloch Huster are gaining entry and the ceremony will be held at approximately 8:15 p.m. at halftime of the boys basketball game against Buffalo Grove.
A Hall of Fame reception will be held in the cafeteria after the game.
Here is a look at three newest members.
Gail Miloch Huster: Huster was one of the first great female athletes at Wheeling, serving as a four-year, three sport standout (tennis, cross country, basketball and track and field). In the fall of 1975, she was a member of the first girls cross country team in the history of Wheeling. In 1975 and 1976, Huster was the MSL girls cross country champion, and in 1976 she finished second at the state cross country meet.
Huster was also part of the 1976 team that won the mythical state meet. She excelled as a member of the Wheeling track and field team as a four-time MSL champion in the 880-meter and mile run. She was a four-time IHSA state qualifier in both events.
In 1976, she was an all-state runner with a fifth-place finish in the 880, and in 1977 she was all-state with a fifth-place finish in the mile.
Huster also earned multiple varsity letters in basketball, and was a key member of the team that ended Fremd’s 50-game winning streak.
In 1977, she was voted the most outstanding female athlete at the high school.
Mike Jendreas: An outstanding gymnast from 1990-1993, Jendreas was a four-year varsity letter winner and holds the school record in the all-around event. He also excelled on the pommel horse and horizontal bar. In 1992, he was the IHSA regional champion in the all-around.
At the 1993 state gym meet, Jendreas was all-state in the pommel horse with a fifth-place finish and he was the state champ in the horizontal bar.
Dr. Tom Shirley: In his 25 years as a principal at Wheeling (1965-1990), Dr. Shirley was instrumental in the growth and development of the school’s athletic program. Through his leadership, Wheeling became a key member of the Mid-Suburban League. His focus and dedication for athletics helped Wheeling hire excellent coaches, have great facilities, and achieve much success. During his tenure, Wheeling won multiple IHSA state championships along with numerous regionals, sectionals and MSL championships. Both the girls’ and boys’ programs prospered and grew under his leadership under Dr. Shirley, who passed away in December of 2012.
Men’s basketball
Sophomore point guard Javon McDonald (Schaumburg) is in the midst of a stellar season for the Washington and Lee’s men’s basketball team.
In the Generals’ 68-67 loss to Lynchburg, McDonald recorded a season-high 25 points. He was 6-of-9 from beyond the 3-point line.
A letter winner as a freshman, McDonald has started all 12 games for the Generals this season and leads the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game, a total which also ranks sixth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
The 5-foot-9 guard shoots 47.4 percent (27-57) from three-point range and averages 2.4 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game.
Men’s soccer
Carthage College’s senior midfielder/forward Billy Hamilton (St. Viator) has been named all-academic for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Hamilton played in all 20 games for the Red Men, made 17 starts and scored 4 goals with 4 assists.
A double major in graphic design and public relations with a 3.89 cumulative grade-point average, he was named Capital One/CoSIDA academic All-District 6 this past fall.
Hamilton has been named to the Carthage dean’s list three times and is a three-semester member of the Carthage athletic director’s honor roll.
Ÿ The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) has honored Oakton Community College sophomore defender Bobak Khalili (Schaumburg) to its 2012 Junior College Men Scholar All-America Team. Khalili, a liberal arts major, boasted a 3.80 GPA last semester. He also was part of the men’s soccer program at Oakton that finished the 2012 season with a 14-4-1 record along with an appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) men’s Division I national tournament.
Women’s basketball
Sophomore Alyssa Saklak led Millikin with 16 points in an 83-57 loss to Carthage in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener. Saklak also scored 10 points in a 62-54 loss to North Park.
La Russa at IHSBCA clinic
The Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association announced that former Major League Baseball manager Tony La Russa will head up an all-star line-up of speakers for the organization’s clinic held at the Westin Hotel in Lombard on Jan. 25 and 26.
La Russa, whose 2,728 career wins ranks third all-time behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw, brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to the clinic. During his managerial tenure, La Russa captured six division championships, including one with the White Sox in 1983. He also won three World Series titles (Oakland A’s in 1989 and two with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and 2011).
La Russa plans to speak on his experiences as a coach and then open up the floor for an extended question and answer session on Saturday.
He also has a book out called One Last Strike: Fifty Years in Baseball, Ten and a Half Games Back, and One Final Championship Season in which he chronicles his strategies implemented during game six of the 2011 World Series.
In addition to La Russa, clinic director Chuck Gandolfi has secured a stellar group of speakers, including Perry Roth from Alabama-Birmingham, Bob Morgan from Indiana, and the coaching staff from Illinois-Chicago.
Roth, who has been the hitting coach for UAB for the past five seasons, will be speaking both on Friday and Saturday about how to effectively organize batting practice. Under Roth’s tutelage, the Blazers’ offense has flourished and they have set school records in both runs scored and doubles.
On Saturday, former Indiana head coach Bob Morgan will be speaking on practice organization, specifically pregame and practice infield and outfield drills. Morgan, who retired in 2005, won over 1,000 games at IU. He is one of only 30 Division I baseball coaches to achieve such a milestone.
The University of Illinois-Chicago coaching staff of Mike Dee and Sean McDermott will be presenting on Saturday as well. Dee, the head coach of the Flames for the past 15 seasons who has guided his teams to 10 of the last 13 Horizon League crowns, will take on the subject of pitching, while his assistant, McDermott, will be speaking on individual and team infield defense.
For a complete lineup of speakers for the clinic, please visit the IHSBCA website at www.ihigh.com/ihsbca/
Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.