Schuckman: Two area standouts to play in IBCA girls all-star games, while coaching changes continue

QUINCY — Cleaning out the notebook as coaching changes continue to occur …

Illini West’s Reed, Macomb’s Robinson to play in IBCA girls game

A pair of area girls basketball players will go head-to-head during the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-star event June 7 at Pontiac High School.

Illini West forward Reagan Reed will play on the North squad in the Class 1A-2A game, while Macomb guard Kylie Robinson will play for the South squad.

Reed, who has signed with Quincy University, became the all-time leading scorer at Illini West as she finished her career with 1,678 points. She averaged 16.3 points, 7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3 steals per game during her senior season. Robinson, who has signed with Lincoln Land Community College, averaged 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4 steals and 2.8 assists during her senior season.

Both players also will participate in the Muddy River Showcase, scheduled for June 21 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.

Edwardsville’s Herb Martin, who has signed with the Quincy University men’s basketball team, will play in the boys Class 3A-4A all-star game. Martin averaged 20.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists as a senior for the Tigers.

Schmidt to step aside at Liberty

Jared Schmidt is stepping aside as the head cross country and track and field coach at Liberty High School at the end of the school year.

A Liberty native, Schmidt has been at the helm of the boys and girls programs for the past 13 years with considerable success. The Liberty girls cross country team finished third at the Class 1A state tournament in 2016 — the only state trophy won by a girls program in school history.

The Liberty girls track and field team won a Class 1A sectional title in 2019.

During Schmidt’s tenure, Liberty had two relay teams and six individuals win state medals in girls track and field, while two relay teams and four individuals won state medals for the boys track and field team. A pair of Liberty runners — Katelyn Robbins and Cannen Wolf — won state cross country medals under Schmidt’s guidance.

Former QU basketball assistants find new gigs

A trio of former Quincy University men’s basketball assistant coaches have landed new jobs.

Troy Potts has been named an assistant coach at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, while Jay Bradley is taking over as the head coach at Frank Phillips College in Borger, Texas and Jeff Dunlap has joined the staff at Georgia State.

Potts, a graduate of both Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy University, began his college coaching career as a student manager for the Hawks. He became the student director of operations by his third year and then served as a graduate assistant while earning a master’s degree in business administration.

Potts became a full-time assistant coach at QU in 2023 and spent one season in that role. Last season, he served as an assistant coach at Frank Phillips College, where the Plainsmen went 25-9 and qualified for the NJCAA Division I national tournament.

Bradley spent one season as the director of operations for the Hawks during Ryan Hellenthal’s tenure as QU coach. Last season, Bradley reunited with Hellenthal at SIU-Edwardsville, serving as an assistant coach and director of player development. This will be his season head coaching position. He spent three seasons at Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, Kan.

Dunlap served as an assistant coach at QU from 1991-94 during Steve Hawkins’ first stint as head coach. He has served on staffs at Georgia, Alabama, Western Michigan and Cal State-Fullerton, among other places, during his 30-plus years coaching.

Kahoks name new head coach

McKendree assistant coach Hank Mathews has been named the new boys basketball coach at Collinsville High School.

Mathews replaces Darin Lee, who resigned after 16 seasons in charge of one of the winningest programs in the state. Lee’s teams compiled a 295-189 record with eight 20-win seasons, but went 2-8 against Quincy High School. The Kahoks finished 15-17 last season.

Mathews spent the past three seasons at McKendree, a stretch during which the Bearcats won 49 games, including the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament in 2023, and two NCAA Tournament games. Before joining the McKendree staff, he was an assistant coach at Columbia (Mo.) College.

A native of central Illinois, Mathews was a second-team Associated Press all-stater as a senior at Bartonville Limestone, where he helped the Rockets finish third in the Class 3A state tournament. His father, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews, was the Limestone head coach at that time.

Summers steps aside at Keokuk

Zach Summers, a Hamilton native who has coached high school boys basketball in Northeast Missouri and Southeast Iowa for the past 14 seasons, has resigned as the head coach at Keokuk, Iowa. He will remain as the school’s athletic director.

The Chiefs enjoyed back-to-back 17-win seasons in the final two of Summers’ eight years on the bench. He won 189 career games between Keokuk and Knox County, where he led the Eagles to a state quarterfinal appearance in 2016.