MWL1 Peoria Chiefs

Chiefs Third Annual Illni Night Set for August 15

Published on August 4, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


PEORIA, IL- The Peoria Chiefs will welcome University of Illinois head men's basketball coach Bruce Weber along with assistant coach Wayne McClain to O'Brien Field on Friday, August 15 for the third annual Illini Night, when the Chiefs play host to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at 6:30 PM.

Both coaches will be made available to the media during their visit to O'Brien Field with the press conference time coming at a later date. The duo will sign autographs and throw out a first pitch as well. The Chiefs players will again be wearing blue Illini-themed jerseys during the contest. The jerseys will be auctioned off during and after the game with all proceeds going to the Louis & Dawn Weber Student Manager Enrichment Fund at the University of Illinois. There will also be a spectacular fireworks show following the contest courtesy of CEFCU and a Pitch-in for Charity courtesy of Aquatech Pools & Spas and Little Caesar's with the proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Weber, who has made trips to O'Brien Field during each of the last two years, enters his sixth season at the helm of the men's basketball program at Illinois. During his tenure with the Illini, Weber has turned the program into the 10th-winningest college basketball program in the nation with 128 wins over the last five seasons. Despite a disappointing 16-19 finish in 2008, Illinois still made noise in the Big 10 Tournament. Weber's squad became the first number 10 seed in tournament history to advance to the conference title game by winning three straight games in three days. Illinois defeated Penn State, #17 Purdue and Minnesota before being eliminated by the Wisconsin Badgers in the championship round. With last year's tournament run, Weber has compiled a 10-4 mark in Big 10 post-season play. Weber's time with the university was highlighted by a memorable run during the 2005 campaign. The Illini ran off a remarkable 29 straight wins to begin the season and finished the year with only one loss in the regular season. Illinois won the Big 10 outright for the second year in a row with a 15-1 mark in conference play. They also made the school's first final four appearance in 16 seasons and first appearance in the National Championship game in the program's history. Illinois finished as the National Runner-up after a 75-70 loss to North Carolina in the title game. Weber became the first coach in Big 10 history to win outright titles in his first two years with a team, and he also earned National Coach of the Year honors in 2005. Weber has also had four players selected in the NBA Draft during his time as head coach, including Deron Williams (3rd overall), Luther Head (24th overall), James Augustine (41st overall) and Dee Brown (46th overall). William's selection as the third overall pick made him the highest-drafted player in school history. McClain, a Peoria native, spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach at Peoria Manual High School before taking over the head coaching spot in 1995. He was part of four consecutive State Championships, one as an assistant coach and three as the head coach. He joined the Illinois staff in 2002. McClain was named by USA Today as the National High School Coach of the Year following the 1997 season. McClain's son Sergio, who went onto play for the University of Illinois, was a key member of the 1997 championship team at Peoria Manual. In addition to Sergio, Wayne has been very instrumental in the Peoria to Champaign pipeline for top-notch basketball talent over the last decade. Since the 1997 season, Peoria has sent McClain along with his Manual teammates Frank Williams & Marcus Griffin, Central's Jerrance Howard, a current Illini assistant coach, Notre Dame's Brian Randle, and Richwoods' Jamar Smith & Billy Cole to the Champaign campus.

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