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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Fourteen young men represented the Kaskaskia
3College men's basketball team, the Blue Devils, at the 2019
4National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national
5tournament in what some would call a "Cinderella season" that
6ended in Hutchinson, Kansas; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The 20-10 regular season record earned the Blue
8Devils a #5 seed in the Region 24 tournament and matched them
9in the first game against #4 seed Olney Central College, a team
10that had defeated Kaskaskia College only once during the
11regular season; the game ultimately ended in a 94-91 Kaskaskia
12College victory; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The second opponent the Blue Devils faced was the
14#1 seed Vincennes University, the Trailblazers, and with one
15second left, a missed lay-up was tipped in to give the Blue
16Devils a 78-76 victory over the Trailblazers; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The Blue Devils met Wabash Valley College in the
18championship game, and there were ten lead changes and nine
19ties before the game ended with a 68-66 Kaskaskia College
20victory; this was the third victory in a row over a nationally
21ranked team in which all three games were won by a total of
22just seven points; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Blue Devils secured an automatic bid for the
2NJCAA national tournament by being District 16 and Region 24
3champions; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In preparation for the national tournament, the
5Blue Devils practiced two days at SIU Carbondale and stopped on
6the drive to Hutchinson to practice at Kansas State University
7in Manhattan, Kansas; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Kaskaskia College opened the tournament as the #20
9seed and faced #13 Sheridan College from Wyoming; Sheridan
10finished the regular season as the #11 nationally-ranked team
11with a 31-3 record; the two teams faced off on Monday, March
1213th at 6:30 pm, the game started fast and finished strong,
13ending with a 92-80 Blue Devils victory; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Kaskaskia College's next game was played on
15Wednesday, March 20th at noon against Coffeyville Community
16College, Kansas, which finished the season as the #3
17nationally-ranked team; the Blue Devils trailed 76-73 with 4.4
18seconds left and executed a play with an open look at the top
19of the key; the attempted shot was half way down and spun out
20as time expired; that buzzer brought an end to a well fought
21season, and Kaskaskia College finished the season at 24-11 with
22a Sweet 16 showing at the national tournament; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Notable games throughout the season include the
2December 9th overtime against Vincennes University; although
3it ended in a 98-92 loss, this game played a key role in
4preparing the Blue Devils for what lay ahead of them in the
5remainder of the season; the team learned more about themselves
6and what it would take to become champions as they moved
7through the remainder of the schedule; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Their resolve showed as they handily defeated
9Shawnee Community College by a score of 91-71, and they
10finished the regular season with a 20-10 record; this was a
11critical win as the Blue Devils earned the #5 seed in the
12regional playoff and got a bye on Monday, March 4th; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Highlights of this season include, defeating
14three nationally ranked teams in the regional tournament to
15secure an NJCAA bid, defeating the 11th ranked team at the
16national tournament, being ranked first in the NJCAA Tournament
17in assists per game at 22, having a 11-7 record in the Great
18Rivers Athletic Conference, and ranking 5th in the Region 24
19Tournament; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The Blue Devils scored over 100 or more points in
21five games, December 1 against Lake Land College with a 104-94
22victory, December 6 against Lincoln College with a 102-77

 

 

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1victory, January 5 against Olney Central College with a 103-98
2victory, January 26 against Southeastern Illinois College with
3a 112-64 victory, and February 16 against Lincoln Trail College
4with a 101-86 victory; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The 14 member team demonstrated poise and maturity
6on the national stage, as they kept coming back time after time
7and did not quit; the team members represent 11 home towns in
8Illinois, including Champaign, Chicago, Grayslake, Joliet,
9Salem, Patoka, East St. Louis, Centralia, Okawville, Milford,
10and Cahokia, with four members being from the Kaskaskia College
11District; other players came from Missouri, Florida, and New
12Jersey; and
 
13    WHEREAS, All players on the team played exceptionally well;
14Thomas Bell was recognized for his performance and chosen to be
15an All-Region and All-Conference player; Parker Dortch was
16recognized for his performance and chosen to be an
17All-Conference and All-Region player and the MVP in the
18Regional Tournament; Quin Nottingham was recognized for his
19performance and chosen to be an All-Conference player; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Coach Brian Hancock was recognized as Coach of the
21Year in the Region 24 Tournament and the District 16
22Tournament; he was recognized by the Illinois Basketball
23Coaches Association (IBCA) Men's Collegiate as the Co-Coach of

 

 

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1the Year; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The Blue Devils were supported by the Odin Pee Wee
3basketball players, which consisted of a group of 3rd and 4th
4grade basketball players; the Odin Pee Wee basketball players
5parents and families began following the Blue Devils after the
6team volunteered to coach and referee the 3rd and 4th All-Star
7basketball tournament on February 24, 2019; the Odin team and
8their families cheered the Blue Devils on to their regional
9tournament victory and were in the front row of the gym
10cheering the team on in the national tournament; a mother of an
11Odin Pee Wee basketball player stated "For Parker Dortch to
12invest his time to make my children and many children feel
13special is a phenomenal feeling as a mother. Parker is a true
14inspiration for our youth. He is a wonderful role model.
15Kaskaskia College truly has an extraordinary athlete and
16student who is truly a special person"; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The Blue Devils are Parker Dortch, Quin
18Nottingham, Stone Parker, Jamal Thomas, Ryan Saunders, Dawson
19Linder, Garrett Belcher, Jordan Maines, Jalen Williams, Shane
20Ganz, Ifeoluwa Shoyoye, Jacob Thompson, La-Quiem Walker, and
21Thomas Bell; therefore, be it
 
22    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
23HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that

 

 

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1we congratulate the men who composed the Kaskaskia College
2men's basketball team, the Blue Devils, and Coach Hancock and
3Assistant Coach Sparks on an outstanding season, as the Blue
4Devils won the hearts of many fans who cheered them on until
5the very end; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
7presented to Coach Brian Hancock, Assistant Coach Dan Sparks,
8and all 14 members of the Kaskaskia College basketball team.