Rosters set for 12th annual hoops series

By Emily Tropp and Matt Trowbridge

Boys

Seniors from 10 different area small schools will try to end a nine-year losing streak in the boys half of this year’s Rising Stars Classic.

The Classic pits the top seniors from area high school basketball teams in a battle of big-school-vs.-small-school for both boys and girls.

The large school boys have won the event in 10 of its 11 years, including a 120-114 victory last year. The teams for the 12th annual event were selected Tuesday, and the games will be April 19 at Hononegah.

Eight media members from the Rockford Register Star, WIFR-23, WREX-13 and WTVO-17 selected the teams and coaches. The doubleheader event benefits Access Services of Northern Illinois.

Byron and Eastland each had two players selected to the small school boys team — Travis Bond and Jim Feimster for Byron, and Justin Witt and Jared Shellhause for Eastland.

Other small school all-stars are Heath Hoffman (Winnebago), Chris Anderson (West Carroll), Jon Crozier (Pecatonica), Brad Lighthall (Lutheran), Dustin Broshous (Stockton), Curt Daughenbaugh (Dakota), Troy Stocker (Forreston) and Jamison Wiersema (Milledgeville).

Eastland coach Tony Dunlap was selected as the head coach after leading his team to its first ever sectional title last week.

Genoa-Kingston’s Corey Jenkins, whose team won its first Big Northern West Conference title this season, was named assistant coach.

The small schools’ only win came in 1997, when they beat the large schools 89-87 at Harlem.

Three seniors from Boylan made the large-school team — Michael Edwards, Zach Opheim and Stephon Valentine. Rochelle and East each had two players selected — Greg Appleton and Lance Shirley for East, and Jerry Moffitt and Matt Nordman for Rochelle.

Other large-school players are Keenen Knowles (Auburn), Nate Gillette (Hononegah), Zak Fullerton (Freeport), Ryan Shelton (Harlem) and Jon Umoren (DeKalb).

East’s Roy Sackmaster and Belvidere’s Aaron Pearson were selected as head coach and assistant coach, respectively. Alternates for each team were also selected in case one of the starters could not attend.

Players are chosen based on coaches’ nominations and statistics submitted to the Rockford Register Star. Seniors from 13 different counties were eligible.

Girls

Just when John Nolan thought he was out, we’re pulling him back in.

The legendary Byron girls basketball coach, who retired with 545 career wins earlier this month, has been selected to coach the small-school girls team in this year’s Rising Stars Classic. His all-star team, just like his Byron teams, will be led by unanimous first-team all-state guard Megan Considine, who scored more than 2,000 career points at Byron.  “I’d like to coach her in her last game,” Nolan said. “And this is always a fun time.”

The coaches and 12-player all-senior teams were chosen by eight media members from the Rockford Register Star, WIFR-23, WREX-13 and WTVO-17. Three alternates were also chosen. The 12th annual game will be April 19 at Hononegah.

The small-school girls have won two of the last four games against the large-school stars and are 4-7 overall.

The big-school girls are coached this year by first-year Auburn coach Zay Hoover, who led the Knights to their first winning NIC-10 season in 15 years.

Last year, the Class AA girls won in a rout, 103-71, powered by a pair of all-state centers and Courtney Weibel, the nation’s all-time leading 3-point shooter.

This year, it’s the Class 1A-2A team with the all-staters. Class 1A first-teamer Emily McLain gives the small schools an all-state backcourt.

The small schools are perfectly diverse, with 12 seniors from 12 different schools.

Freeport Aquin’s Cara Jelinek and Lanark Eastland’s Stephanie Randecker are two other high-scoring guards. Small-school forwards and centers are: Lani Kasten (Forreston), Renee Deuth (Polo), Katelynn Schneider (Winnebago), Holly Wiersema (Christian Life), Emily Luedke (Lutheran), Kristy Bourquin (Warren), Ashley Mulholland (North Boone) and Nia Calbreath (West Carroll).

Wisconsin recruit Jamie Russell of Rock Falls, a first-team all-stater in Class 3A, headlines the large-school team, along with NIC-10 scoring leader Virginia Trotter (Jefferson) and NIC-10 MVP Courtney Shelton (Hononegah). Whitney Carroll was also chosen from Hononegah, making the Indians and Harlem (Ashley Pillow and Brittany Bantner) the only team with two players picked.

Other Class 3A and 4A girls are: Nicole Newton (Rochelle), Audrianna Blake (Auburn), Theresa Cecchetti (Dixon), Michelle McDonald (Johnsburg), Danielle Smith (Cary-Grove) and Kelsey Martin (Harvard).

The assistant coaches are Polo’s Cliff Bardell in Class 1A-2A and Hononegah’s Tim Bukoski for the big schools

.Assistant Sports Editor Matt Trowbridge can be reached at 815-987-1383 or mtrowbridge@rrstar.com.

Staff reporter Emily Tropp can be reached at 815-987-1385 or etropp@rrstar.com.