LOCAL ROUNDUP: Original tourney bracket announced
Jul. 20—DANVILLE — After the 50th anniversary of the Dust Bowl last week, summer basketball fans have more to look forward to this weekend.
The third Original Danville Basketball Tournament will run from Friday through Sunday at Danville Area Community College's Mary Miller Gym.
The first game will be on Friday at 6:15 p.m. as Out Here Hoopin will play A+ Cutz, the second game is at 7:15 p.m. with BAD Habits playing Peoria Redeem and the night ends at 8:15 p.m. with H'Nate taking on Kevin Dixon Law Firm.
The longest day of the tournament will be on Saturday, when La Familia will face the winner of the first game at 10 a.m. with the winners of Game 2 and Game 3 will play at 11 a.m.
At noon, consolation play beings with teams fighting to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament. The final game of that will be on Saturday with the consolation championship set for 8:15 p.m.
The Winners of Game 4 and Game 5 will play each other at 4 p.m. on Saturday to play for a berth in the Championship game.
Championship Sunday will start with an Danville High School exhibition game at 1 p.m., a women's exhibition between Danville and Champaign will start at 2 p.m. and an old-timers game between Danville and Indianapolis legends at 3 p.m. before the title game at 4 p.m.
Jones to lead Illini scouting
CHAMPAIGN — University of Illinois men's basketball coach Brad Underwood hired Kwa Jones as director of recruiting and scouting on Tuesday.
A former graduate manager for the Fighting Illini, Jones returns to Champaign after two years of continued growth in the coaching profession. He spent the recent 2022-23 season as director of operations at Stephen F. Austin, with many duties including travel, meals, team scheduling and planning recruiting visits.
That followed serving as a video coaching associate in 2021-22 with the Sacramento Kings, where he specialized in film and assisted with player development.
Jones spent two years on Underwood's staff as graduate manager during the successful 2020 and 2021 seasons. Illinois went a combined 29-11 in conference play during his tenure, earning a final AP ranking of No. 21 in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign and leading the Big Ten in wins while adding the Big Ten Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in 2021.
"We are thrilled to welcome Kwa back to the Illinois Basketball family" Underwood said. "He is a relationship-driven coach who makes impactful connections with players in every program he has been a part of, and his passion and love for the game of basketball is contagious. Kwa has added to his portfolio since he was last here, with great experiences with the Kings and at SFA. He has earned this opportunity and will be a great asset to us in scouting and recruiting."
Jones is a native of Nacogdoches, Texas. He is a 2019 graduate of the University of Houston, with a bachelor's degree in sports administration. While at Houston, he was an on-court student manager for the Cougars. Jones earned his master's degree in recreation, sport, and tourism from the University of Illinois in 2021.
Illinois to host fan day
CHAMPAIGN — The University of Illinois volleyball team will have a fan day on Aug. 19 at Huff Hall from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
The event is free to the public and it is an opportunity for fans to get a first look at the 2023 Illinois volleyball team.
The event will include food trucks and skill stations with Fighting Illini coaches and student athletes. Fans will also have a chance to get to know the team with player introductions at the end of the Fan Day celebrations.
Due to the construction of the Gies College of Business' new Steve S. Wymer Hall, the lot formerly used for Huff Hall parking (Lot E12) is no longer available to fans. Metered street parking will be available for the event. Parking in the State Farm Center Lot will also be an option for fans in attendance.
Illinois opens the season on August 26 with a match at Northern Illinois. The team's home opener against Valparaiso is slated for August 29 at Huff Hall.
