HR1010 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1010 LRB098 20903 MST 58530 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor and congratulate Ryan Boatright on his athletic accomplishments while enrolled at East Aurora High School and the University of Connecticut; and

WHEREAS, On December 27, 1992, Mike McAllister and Tanesha Boatright gave birth to Ryan Jamar Boatright; he has 3 siblings; Michael, Dasia, and Deahjay; and

WHEREAS, Ryan Boatright grew up in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, where he developed an early passion for the game of basketball and he quickly began to make a name for himself in the sport; and

WHEREAS, While in the 8th Grade, at the age of 13, Ryan Boatright made news by verbally committing early to play college basketball; just a few days later, he committed to continue to his basketball playing at East Aurora High School; and

WHEREAS, At East Aurora High School, Ryan Boatright continued to improve his game and prove to all the recruiters and critics that he truly was a rising star in the game of basketball; and

WHEREAS, During his years at East Aurora High School, Ryan Boatright received numerous accolades including Max Preps All-American, First-Team All-State selection as a senior, ESPNChicago.com Player of the Year, and the highly coveted honor of being named Illinois Co-Mr. Basketball in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Throughout Ryan Boatright's senior season at East Aurora High School, he averaged 31.2 points per game and recorded more than 40 points in 7 games, including games with 55 points and 63 points respectively; and

WHEREAS, Ryan Boatright was ranked coming out of high school as the 42nd best player overall in the country and the 9th best point guard in the class of 2011 by Rivals.com; and

WHEREAS, During the course of Ryan Boatright's high school career, he fell in love with the University of Connecticut's campus while on a recruiting trip, and officially chose the school as his college choice where he would continue his already impressive basketball career; and

WHEREAS, In Ryan Boatright's freshman season at UCONN, he played in 25 games for the Huskies during the 2011-2012 season and averaged 10.4 points and 4.0 assists per game; and

WHEREAS, During Ryan Boatright's sophomore season he began to take on more of a leadership role on the team and started all 30 games that he played in for the Huskies, averaging 15.4 points per game, which ranked 10th in the Big East Conference, and averaged 4.4 assists per game, which ranked 9th in the conference; and

WHEREAS, During the 2013-14 season, Ryan Boatright started in 38 of the 40 Huskies games including all 6 of the Huskies 2014 Men's Tournament games, while averaging 12.1 points per game and 3.4 assists per game throughout the course of the season; and

WHEREAS, During the 2014 Men's Tournament, Ryan Boatright played a vital role in the success of the Huskies' tournament run accounting for 14 points in the National Championship game and was a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line when the stakes were the highest; and

WHEREAS, On April 8, 2014, Ryan Boatright and the University of Connecticut Men's Basketball team defeated the University of Kentucky to win the 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Ryan Boatright on his astounding accomplishments in the sport of basketball while playing at East Aurora High School and at the University of Connecticut; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Ryan Boatright and East Aurora High School as a symbol of our respect and esteem.