Article Options

Shawnee's first basketball team to reunite Saturday

BY SHANNON WOODWORTH, Shawnee Community College Public Affairs

Thursday, October 16, 2008 9:50 AM CDT

ULLIN — On Oct. 18, Shawnee Community College’s first basketball team will reunite for the first time since its 1973 sectional championship season.

Coach Tom Jones will join the players during a luncheon held at the college in conjunction with a gymnasium-naming ceremony.

“This (reunion) is going to be special,” Jones said. “This team set a standard like no other at Shawnee College. This was a team made up of all Southern Illinois players, who played with grit and heart like you couldn’t believe. It will be a great honor to be with this team again.”

The gymnasium will be named in honor of one of those players – Ed Smith, a 6’2” forward, who graduated from Shawnee High School in 1972 and from the College in 1974.

Dr. Larry Peterson, the college’s president, announced the gymnasium would be called the “Edward M. Smith Center.”

“Ed Smith was not only a great player on this first team, but he has been a great friend and benefactor of Shawnee Community College for many, many years,” Peterson said.

Jones, who will speak during a private luncheon with players on Oct. 18, said Shawnee Community College picked the right person to honor.

“I am so proud of Ed Smith,” Jones said. “He has done well, and accomplished so much with his life. They made the right pick. This will be a great tribute for him.”

Smith said he is “humbled” by the honor.

“I was not the best player on the team, but we had such a close-knit group that we all became personal friends,” Smith said. “We exceeded expectations, and we did it with a lot of camaraderie. We knew we were ambassadors for the College, and we all still feel that way as we live our lives.”

Smith said to have the gymnasium bear his name is a “dream come true. I am still pinching myself.”

Smith credited his success as a labor leader to the lessons he learned as a student and an athlete at Shawnee Community College.

Shawnee Community College won a sectional title despite not having a gymnasium, and practicing at a tiny grade school gym in Grand Chain. The team played its “home” games at various high schools within the college district.

Olney Junior College, led by Roger Morningstar, halted SCC’s quest for a state junior college championship. Morningstar led Kansas University to the NCAA Final Four the next year.

The dedication ceremony is open to the public and begins at 2 p.m.