By Gargoyle sports staff
Posted Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, The OG, sports

Nick Pratt defends against Decatur Christian.
(Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

DECATUR — The Uni varsity took on the Decatur Christian “JV” Friday night and came away with a 66-52 victory at Stephen Decatur Middle School.

Why the quotes around “JV”? Because Decatur Christian no longer has your typical high school basketball program.

Thanks to eight foreign players on its roster, most of whom are Division I prospects, the small religious school has morphed into a national powerhouse virtually overnight. The players who would have been varsity starters in previous years now make up the JV.

Fast start too much for Warriors

Against that squad, junior Mike Renner led the Illineks with 15 points, including one 3-pointer.

With a balanced attack featuring two other players who finished in double figures (juniors Isaac Radnitzer scored 11 and Chumar Williams 10), Uni rolled to a 21-9 lead in the first quarter and a 38-19 advantage at halftime.

Head coach Joel Beesley rested his starters frequently in the second half. Decatur Christian chipped away at Uni's lead, trailing by 10 with 1:25 left in the game. But the Illineks shut out the Warriors the rest of the way to win by 14.

The victory improves Uni's record to 6-9 overall and 2-0 in the East Central Illinois Conference. (Games against Decatur Christian's JV, now 1-8 overall, count as ECIC contests. For more about that, see the section below.)

Junior Austin Rundus barely missed reaching double figures himself, finishing with 9 points. He continued his strong outside shooting with two 3-pointers.

On the boards, six Illineks grabbed at least 4 rebounds each. Radnitzer and junior Ammar Rizwan led the team with 6 rebounds apiece. Rundus, seniors Michael Belmont and Nick Pratt, and junior Frankie McFarland each had 4.

Williams showed strong command of the court as Uni's point guard, racking up 9 assists. Renner contributed 4, and sophomore Alan Kessler added 3.

Defensively, the Illineks fought for the ball on every possession, with Renner and Rizwan recording 3 steals each, and Williams 1.

Uni will host ECIC opponent Normal Calvary Baptist Tuesday at Kenney Gym. JV action is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

The “other” Decatur Christian team

So, if the Illineks faced Decatur Christian's “B team” Friday night, who makes up their A team?

When 27-year-old Alan Huss, a former Creighton University basketball player, took over as the Warriors' head coach last year, he brought in players such as Lucca Staiger of Germany, a 6-foot-6 senior guard who has signed with Iowa State, and Beas Hamga of Cameroon, a 7-foot junior who has committed to Iowa.

Other members of the Warrior varsity include four players from Croatia (among them 6-8 Duro Bjegovic), one from Canada, and another from Cameroon (6-9 Johan Mpondo).

Because Decatur Christian is not a member of the Illinois High School Association, it is exempt from IHSA regulations on the eligibility of foreign students and the recruitment of athletes. The varsity plays a national schedule as an independent. The JV plays as a member of the ECIC.

So far, facing some of the top teams in the country, Decatur Christian has compiled a 9-3 record. Its victories include a 65-63 overtime win against DeMatha at the St. Louis Shootout on Dec. 7, when the fabled Maryland school was ranked No. 3 nationally. Decatur Christian's future opponents include No. 1-ranked Oak Hill Academy on Jan. 22.

The Warriors aren't ranked nationally yet, but that could be because their transformation has happened so quickly.

The national media are catching up, however. This week, Sporting News ran an article about the team: “Let's talk basketball, emigration and prep schools.”

If the Warriors knock off Oak Hill, or even come close, expect more attention to be focused on the little school in Decatur.

VARSITY RECORD: 6-9 overall, 2-0 East Central Illinois Conference
(Games at Kenney Gym are in bold)

Season Preview: A new era begins

Nov. 20: Buckley Christ Lutheran (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 50-44
— leading scorer: Michael Belmont, 12 pts
— story: Uni wins season opener over Buckley Christ Lutheran

Nov. 21: Mahomet-Seymour JV (vs. Uni varsity) (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 58-53
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 18 pts
— story: Illineks defeat Mahomet-Seymour JV in Turkey Tourney

Nov. 24: Bement (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), L 54-46 (OT)
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 13 pts
— story: Illineks fall in overtime

Nov. 25: Martinsville (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney, at A-H), L 51-48
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 24 pts
— story: Illineks go down to the wire again

Dec. 1: Shiloh, W 55-46
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 29 pts
— story: Illineks get back on winning track, defeat Shiloh

Dec. 5: at St. Thomas More, L 54-32
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 7 pts
— story: Illineks suffer tough road loss to crosstown rival

Dec. 9: Fisher, L 53-39
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 21 pts
— story: Renner scores 21 but Uni falls to Fisher

Dec. 12: at Buckley Christ Lutheran, W 79-51 *
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 18 pts
— story: Uni wins conference opener against Buckley Christ Lutheran

Dec. 15: Oakwood, L 74-61
— leading scorer: Michael Belmont, 19 pts
— story: Oakwood denies Uni comeback bid

Dec. 27: Shiloh (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 65-61
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 17 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 27: Salt Fork (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 53-32
— leading scorer: Dan Lilly, 10 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 28: Heritage (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 62-48
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 15 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 28: Atwood-Hammond (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), W 62-51
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 24 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 29: Oakwood (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 52-50
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 17 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Jan. 5: at Decatur Christian (DC's “JV,” as explained in article above), W 66-52 *
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 15 pts
— story: see above

Remaining games: see schedule

*East Central Illinois Conference game