Wilson Sporting Goods, Co., in collaboration with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), announced today it has named eight Illinois high school basketball teams to its “Legion of Champions” program. The Legion of Champions program, started in late 2014, is designed to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of high school athletes and coaches who pursue performance excellence during game-time and in their local communities.
The first eight basketball teams to be inducted into the Wilson Legion of Champions Class of 2015 are:
Boy’s High School Teams
- Brimfield High School
- Uplift Community High School (Chicago)
- St. Joseph High School (Westchester)
- Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire)
Girl’s High School Teams
- Central A&M High School (Moweaqua)
- Bishop McNamara (Kankakee)
- Morton High School
- Benet Academy (Lisle)
To honor commendable off-the-court performances, Wilson and IHSA gave special recognition to the Jersey Community High School Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Program for their efforts in raising funds for Jonny Wade, a local student diagnosed with brain cancer, and his family. To further raise awareness of brain cancer, Jersey student athletes wore grey, the national observance color for brain cancer, uniforms during a school game and encouraged fans to wear grey clothing to that same game, creating a “grey-out” in Jonny’s honor. In February, Jersey athletes held a fundraising campaign for the school’s Special Olympics team. Donated funds will be used to cover the team’s travel, meal and uniform expenses throughout the year.
“Wilson is proud to welcome these tremendous basketball players and coaches into our Legion of Champions program,” said Mike Kuehne, General Manager of Wilson Basketball. “To us, performance excellence means two things: the hard work that is done in practice, training and on the court, and the equally hard work that is done to support and further your community. Championing personal achievement and team success is a symbol of our decades in the game of basketball. “
As a member of the Legion of Champions, each high school basketball team will receive a custom designed uniform for their school. All players on each team will receive this uniform.
“Earlier this year, IHSA and Wilson inducted the inaugural eight teams in this program from football program. This basketball class builds on our efforts to acknowledge the personal and team achievements of our schools across the state,” said Marty Hickman, Executive Director of the IHSA. “We are especially proud of the Jersey High School teams’ for the compassion and camaraderie they demonstrated in a family’s time of need.”
Follow Wilson Basketball and IHSA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to learn more about the Legion of Champions program and the Class of 2015.