Ultimate B18 Gold (far court) finished 13th in the 18 Open division at the 50th AAU Boys National Championships in Orlando, Florida, behind 6-7 outside hitter Tyler Tharpe (Whitney Young), who is headed to Ohio State in the fall. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe boys’ club season ended a little over a week ago, but the start of another season is just around the corner.So, what did we learn from the past year?There are strong rising senior and junior classes in Illinois, but the time lost to COVID has sig...
Presenting the Sports Performance VBC Illprepvb.com Coaches Hall of Fame Class of ’23
Legendary coach Larry Sample guided Jacksonville to an IHSA Class AA championship, the first won by a downstate school in the big-school class, in 1988, then later coached (Chatham) Glenwood for three years before retiring following the 2008 season. (Photo courtesy of the Springfield State Journal-Register). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorFive years ago, Illprepvb.com was approached to collaborate on the creation of an Illinois High School Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame.Unfortunately, at the time, nothing ever came of that phone call...
The boys from Illinois come up empty at AAU national tournament in Orlando
Kyle Saurer and his SPVB B18 Elite teammates were Illinois' lone representatives in the 18 Open quarterfinals at the AAU Boys Junior National Tournament in Orlando, Florida, but the crew from Oakhurst Avenue lost in the round of eight to Vanguard 18 Gold Webb. (Files photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorORLANDO, Florida – And then there was one.When the sun set on central Florida late Monday, only four teams from Illinois had advanced to the quarterfinals of their respective Open divisions at the 2023 AAU Boys Junior...