ReaganSports.com

When I originally began ReaganSports, the purpose of the site was to form a network of area correspondents who would be able to cover the subject they wanted. This would benefit both the teams and this web site, bringing people together throughout the area to get a much better picture of what north-central Illinois athletics has to offer.

However, I knew I couldn’t rely on that at first, because I had to have something to bring people in. Therefore, I spent much of the fall and winter covering football and boys basketball like crazy. My goal was to become the source for information on the NCIC, Tri-County and surrounding area, and this winter, I don’t think there was any question which media outlet was most often imitated, and even duplicated at times, but never surpassed in terms of how quickly and accurately information was posted on the site.

When spring came, I had this crazy idea to do the same thing all over again… which, in hindsight, was a downright stupid idea, considering this would be twice the amount of work that went into covering basketball. But, for whatever reason — pride, perhaps — I thought I could do it.

Spring caught me by surprise. Because of a number of distractions, I found myself doing nothing instead of doing everything. With my family’s situation, I’m required to do a lot of outdoor things around the farm during the spring, getting things ready for the season. And, like most of you, I’m not about to sit inside all day when it’s 70 degrees and sunny, whether there’s work to be done or not. Personally, I’d rather be coaching than reporting, even when it’s 33 degrees and sleet is falling on an open dugout.

As the online work piled up and piled up, my eyes were opened. What I’d once seen as an I-can-do-that-with-no-sweat molehill turned into a mountain. At this point, I finally came back to what my original intent was with ReaganSports.

It helped matters that dnicklin and firdog, among others, decided to use this site to cover their favorite teams and players. That served as a reminder to me, as well, and it’s all really brought me back to the basics, in terms of where I believe this site has the most potential. Awliksit sent me a message last week and the conversation I had with him was profound and eye-opening to me. ReaganSports wasn’t supposed to be “Coach covering sports and Hammer chiming in with the occasional column.” It was meant to give teams coverage via a variety of “reporters” throughout the area.

So here’s the idea: I’m giving a shoutout to all the area fans, parents, players and coaches. If you want to cover your team here, you’re very welcome to do so; ReaganSports is offering the space to you — and not just on the message board. In the very near future, I’ll be giving out newsblog permissions ( at http://reagansports.com ) to folks who want to cover their teams on this site’s main page.

It’s impossible for one person to cover this vast an area. I mean, look at the staff of any newspaper that covers this wide of an area, and you’ll probably find a dozen full-time sports employees and just as many part-timers to gather information. So we’re expanding staff to the average Joe. But fear not: when we expand to allow the average Joe to cover his favorite team, there will still be a great amount of prestige to it. There will still be a person’s name required on the article. Those of you who have followed my online ventures over the last few years know that I wouldn’t have it any other way, and you know how much value I place on articles being 100% factual.

I’d also like for this to apply to anyone who wants to write any articles for ReaganSports. Whether you’re an aspiring journalist, a creative writer, passionately opinionated, or just a guy who wants to do some writing in his spare time, the door is open. If you simply want to be a person who posts scores and links, the door is open. If you just want to post area sports pictures, the door is open. If you want to cover anything from DePue girls basketball to Morris football; from Tri-County baseball to NCIC tennis; from area sports history to modern trends to Reaganesque political pieces — the door is open.

Whatever you do, I ask that you take ownership of it and make it yours. Let’s face it: local sports coverage is changing. Local radio stations and newspapers are struggling to make ends meet. I can’t say for sure that this new idea is the wave of the future. I can’t say for sure it’ll even be successful. But I can say that YOUR team is probably not getting the coverage it once did. Ten years ago, local papers and radio stations were covering local teams like summer heat covers blacktop. That’s not the case anymore. It’s a changing media landscape and I believe greater fan participation is one way to make up for that coverage gap.

So, I’m calling on you. Your teams, your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, your friends acquaintances who participate on these teams are calling on you. Give these kids the recognition they deserve. Here at ReaganSports, the door is open.

If you’re interested in doing this, whether it’s in the spring or summer, fall or winter, let me know. Shoot me an e-mail at admin@reagansports.com or send me a PM via the message board. I’m looking forward to allowing other people to have a say-so in deciding what sports and what teams ReaganSports covers.

Streator native, Marquette High School graduate and later Marquette coach Art Rohlman, who made most of his living at DeKalb High School, is retiring from the AD post at Elgin High School this year, according to a story in today’s Elgin Courier (LINK).

The Courier story is laden with quotes of praise for the 59-year-old who, after graduting from Marquette and earning All-State honors in 1967, played for Northern Illinois University and then came back to his alma mater to coach prep hoops before moving north on Route 23. He is enshrined in Marquette’s John Pocivasek Hall of Fame.

After serving as an assistant under head coach Bob Strickland, Rohlman took the reigns at MHS in 1979 and proceeded to win back-to-back regional championships in his only two seasons as head of the Cru. Those titles were sandwiched in the middle of Marquette’s run of a then-state-record 15 consecutive regional plaques from 1973-87.

In 1980, Rolhman moved on to coach at DeKalb until 1986, winning regional titles in ‘83 and ‘84.

Art’s brother Bill still holds the single-season and single-game scoring records at Streator. His brothers Fran and Joe, both deceased, also played basketball at Streator. Joe’s name is on the award given to Streator High School athletes for outstanding sportsmanship and citizenship.

Art’s nephew Dave, Bill’s son, is in his fourth season as head boys basketball coach at DeKalb, where Art served as athletic director for two decades before a controversial reassignment led to his resignation and ensuing hiring at Elgin, where he’s spent the past four years.

In 1990, Art was inducted as a player into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, joining his brother Bill, who had been inducted a year earlier in 1989. Bill was later inducted as a basketball official in 2003.

by Kevin Missel
[e-mail Kevin]

Get a lawyer and a bunch of school administrators together in the same room and this is what happens.

It’s too bad the most recent snowstorm and cold spell couldn’t have come a couple days earlier. Oh, say, on Monday, Jan. 12.

Or, did what happened on Jan. 12 cause the snowstorm and cold spell?

Hmm… could be.

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The two most decorated athletes in the history of Marquette High School will be honored this Friday.

Bob Guyette (class of ‘71) and Guy Hoffman (class of ‘74) will have their jerseys retired at Hall of Fame night at MHS on the night the Marquette boys basketball team hosts Lowpoint-Washburn.

Guyette was the state of Illinois’ “Mr. Basketball” in 1971 when he earned All-American honors and earned his way to the University of Kentucky where he starred for the Wildcats.

After attending Bradley University, Hoffman pitched in the major leagues with Cincinatti, Texas and both the Chicago White Sox and Cubs, his most accomplished season coming in 1987 with Pete Rose’s Reds.

Here are some links to the outstanding coverage of this by the Ottawa Times’ Charlie Ellerbrock:
MHS greats: Guyette’s No. 45 to meet final resting point in Bader Gym
MHS greats: Hoffman’s No. 10 honored

One of the stories in the Tri-County Conference this boys basketball season is that while everyone had a good idea of who the top four teams would be — Peoria Christian, Putnam County, Midland and Roanoke-Benson — nobody had much of a clue coming into the season who would be labeled the “best of the rest.”

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