This week the Illinois General Assembly passed House Resolution 319 to honor the KC blue Devils Men’s Basketball Team for their outstanding season. A portion of the resolution reads:
WHEREAS, Fourteen young men represented the Kaskaskia College men’s basketball team, the Blue Devils, at the 2019 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament in what some would call a “Cinderella season” that ended in Hutchinson, Kansas; and
WHEREAS, The 20-10 regular season record earned the Blue Devils a #5 seed in the Region 24 tournament and matched them in the first game against #4 seed Olney Central College, a team that had defeated Kaskaskia College only once during the regular season; the game ultimately ended in a 94-91 Kaskaskia College victory; and
WHEREAS, The 14 member team demonstrated poise and maturity on the national stage, as they kept coming back time after time and did not quit; the team members represent 11 home towns in Illinois, including Champaign, Chicago, Grayslake, Joliet, Salem, Patoka, East St. Louis, Centralia, Okawville, Milford, and Cahokia, with four members being from the Kaskaskia College District; other players came from Missouri, Florida, and New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, Coach Brian Hancock was recognized as Coach of the Year in the Region 24 Tournament and the District 16 Tournament; he was recognized by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Men’s Collegiate as the Co-Coach of the Year;
WHEREAS, The Blue Devils were supported by the Odin Pee Wee basketball players, which consisted of a group of 3rd and 4th grade basketball players; the Odin Pee Wee basketball players that parents and families began following the Blue Devils after the team volunteered to coach and referee the 3rd and 4th All-Star basketball tournament on February 24, 2019;
WHEREAS, The Blue Devils are Parker Dortch, Quin Nottingham, Stone Parker, Jamal Thomas, Ryan Saunders, Dawson Linder, Garrett Belcher, Jordan Maines, Jalen Williams, Shane Ganz, Ifeoluwa Shoyoye, Jacob Thompson, La-Quiem Walker, and Thomas Bell; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, we congratulate the men who composed the Kaskaskia College men’s basketball team, the Blue Devils, and Coach Hancock and Assistant Coach Sparks on an outstanding season, as the Blue Devils won the hearts of many fans who cheered them on until the very end.”
You may read the House Resolution in its entirety at the Illinois General Assembly website by clicking HERE.