Coach Blender Inducted into IBCA Hall of Fame

Share

Former Union, Southern, and West Central High School Basketball Coach Jay Blender is being inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2020. This is an honor that only 24 coaches in Illinois are selected to receive each year. Spanning 35 years of coaching, Blender has posted 401 career high school varsity wins. Having such a long and successful career as a coach, Blender has many local members to thank as influences:

“First of all it would by my two high school coaches. Coach Clifton in Basketball had a big influence on me. He had the gym open a lot, we were able as kids to get in and play, shoot, he influenced me a lot. Then Will Bavery my football coach. We had a lot of success there in the mid-70s. So those two probably were the two that most influenced me to be a coach and be a part of it. In college, having Bill Reichow and Terry Glasgow up at Monmouth College was a big influence as well,” Blender shares.

With a game that is ever changing, Coach Blender always stayed true to his own philosophy:

“First and foremost I always liked to have fun with the kids. I liked to be able to laugh with them and enjoy things. You know, joke around and the joke around. That was number one on my list. Then as the years went on, shot discipline, take good shots. We always wanted a layup first. That was huge for us. Second, would be team defense, something we prided ourselves in and around the area. Team rebounding, we always wanted to win the battle at the boards. Then low turnovers and have a high free throw percentage,” states Blender.

Coach Blender will be honored on Saturday, May 2nd in Bloomington at ISU’s Redbird Area along with the rest of the Class of 2020 being inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Before the Hall of Fame Banquet, the West Central School District is honoring Coach Blender for the outstanding recognition of his accomplishments by hosting a Hall of Fame Recognition Night on Friday, February 14th between the JV and Varsity boy’s game against Mercer County.

Spread the word

Trending Now

Featured News Podcasts

Subscribe to our Community Newsletter

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Prairie Communications, 55 Public Square, Monmouth, IL, 61462, https://977wmoi.com/. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Choose a Category

Continue Reading

Cubs Open Regular Season Against Rangers

The 2024 MLB season is finally here. The Chicago Cubs visit the world champion Texas Rangers for Opening Day at Globe Life Field tonight. The Northsiders are looking to build

Monmouth Residents Escape Fire Unharmed

On Wednesday, March 27th at 6:01 PM, the Monmouth Fire Department was dispatched to a possible structure fire at 301 South B Street in Monmouth. Information from the Warren County

Watch Out for Scams this Tax Season!

As another tax season has arrived, Monmouth Police Department Investigator Josh Kramer reminds taxpayers to be on the lookout for those IRS scam letters: “They will be claiming that you