The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) will culminate a year of statewide celebration with several special events at the 2007 boys basketball tournaments, the 100th of the historic series that began in 1908. The Class A tournament will be held March 9-10 at the Peoria Civic Center and the Class AA tournament will follow on March 16-17.
Several of the events will spotlight the team of 100 Legends that was announced last April. In addition, the IHSA’s “Ball of Fame” will be raffled off, and there will plenty of opportunities to purchase 100 Years of Madness, the commemorative history of the tournament, and have it signed by its authors and members of the Legends team. Finally, the results of the Relive the Madness! video voting will be revealed, with the most memorable clips from tournament history played on IHSATV and the arena’s video screen.
The tournament will also mark the debut of the Civic Center’s newly expanded Exhibition Hall, which annually houses the March Madness Experience.
Many members of the 100 Legends team will be in attendance at the 2007 state tournaments. (A list of those Legends scheduled to appear follows this announcement.) In general, Legends who gained fame in the Class A tournament will attend the first weekend in Peoria. The remaining Legends will attend the Class AA event.
The Legends’ schedule for each weekend is as follows:
Fridays (March 9 and 16)
Saturdays (March 10 and 17)
100 Years of Madness, the new book celebrating the IHSA boys’ basketball tournament centennial, will be available for purchase at several points in the arena, including a special station in the March Madness Experience Hall. The book features an article, statistical summary, and championship-team photograph of every state tournament since 1908, plus 16 feature articles and hundreds of action photos.
The co-authors of the book – Scott Johnson, Curt Herron, Pat Heston, Jeff Lampe, and Bob Leavitt – will visit the station in the March Madness Experience Hall periodically throughout both weekends. Fans who are interested in obtaining autographs or just saying hello can visit anytime during the tournaments.
The IHSA Ball of Fame, signed by members of the 100 Legends team, will be on display in the March Madness Experience Hall during both weekends in Peoria.
Throughout the 2006-07 basketball season, the Ball of Fame has toured the state from Hebron to Lawrenceville and from Chicago to Quincy, gathering autographs at every stop. By the end of the Class AA tournament, the ball will contain about 60 signatures, representing nearly all the living members of the 100 Legends team. Fans who are interested in owning the Ball of Fame will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets at the state tournament. One lucky winner will be selected at the conclusion of the Class AA finals. The winner need not be present to win.
The winners of the Relive the Madness! video voting will be revealed at the Class A tournament on March 9-10. Votes have been pouring in since November, when dozens of video clips – dating back to the 1952 state tournament – were posted online. The countdown to the favorite clip will take place simultaneously on the IHSATV broadcast and on the video scoreboard in Carver Arena.
The following Legends are scheduled to appear at the 2007 tournaments in Peoria. Legends marked by an asterisk (*) are deceased and will be represented by family members.
Class A Weekend (Mar. 9-10) |
Class AA Weekend (Mar. 16-17) |
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Dusty Bensko |
Bill Heisler |
Jeff Baker |
Gordon Kerkman |