April 18, 2006

Champaign, Ill. - The Illini men's and women's basketball programs took the court Wednesday, April 12 at Huff Hall in front of more than 800 fans, joining together with the successful men's and women's wheelchair basketball teams on the Illinois campus for a fundraiser entitled the "Ultimate Basketball Challenge." Proceeds from the game will benefit the wheelchair teams and Coaches vs. Cancer.

All 11 non-seniors from the Illini men's team as well as all 11 non-seniors from the Illini women's team participated in the event, in addition to seven players from the men's wheelchair team and nine players from the women's wheelchair team. The rosters were split into two teams - Orange and Blue - with each team made up of players from all four squads. Also participating in the event were Illini men's head coach Bruce Weber and his staff, women's head coach Theresa Grentz and her staff, and Mike Frogley, head coach of the wheelchair teams, along with his staff..

The game was split into two, 20-minute halves with a running clock and was played under wheelchair basketball rules. The Orange squad defeated the Blue (see complete rosters below) by the score of 41-34. Complete lineup changes occurred every five minutes throughout the game. The entire first half and the last 10 minutes of the game featured mixed lineups from all four teams. The first five minutes of the second half included only players from Weber and Grentz's teams, while the second five minutes consisted of only players from the wheelchair teams.

There was also a 3-point shootout at halftime. Josh George won the men's competition, defeating Jamar Smith 5-3 (best of 10), while Lori Bjork won the women's contest, defeating Jen Ruddell 4-3 (also best of 10). In the king of the hill showdown, George defeated Bjork in overtime, 2-1 (best of 5).

It took some time for the Illini men's and women's teams to adjust, and as witnessed by the crowd, some never quite got the hang of it. But the enthusiasm and festive atmosphere was apparent throughout the evening by the countless cheers, smiles, laughs and support from players, coaches and fans alike.

The Illini men's and women's players left Huff Hall with even more respect for their counterparts on and off the basketball court.

"I've watched our wheelchair teams play before and I've always been amazed at how good they are, but after trying it for the first time myself, I have an entirely new level of appreciation for their skills," said Brian Randle, a sophomore on Weber's Illini men's squad. "Their fundamentals are amazing; they play so fast and their mobility is unbelievable. It's really inspiring to see how they've dealt with adversity and I have all the respect and admiration in the world for them."

Orange Roster               Blue Roster
Marcus Arnold               Warren Carter
Calvin Brock                Chester Frazier
C.J. Jackson                Chris Hicks
Brian Randle                Rich McBride
Jamar Smith                 Trent Meacham
Stephanie Chelleen          Shaun Pruitt
Danyel Crutcher             Victoria Arndt
Chelsea Gordon              Lori Bjork
Danielle Gratton            Megan Nyquist
Erin McCarthy               Lacey Simpson
Audrey Tabon                Erin Wigley
Drew Dokos                  Steve Serio
Josh George                 Brian Sheehan
Denny Muha                  Paul Ward
Lars Spenger                Shelley Chaplin
Sarah Castle                Emily Hoskins
Carlee Hoffman              Yuko Kubota
Mina Mojtahedi              Amanda McGrory
Kathleen O'Kelly-Kennedy    Jen Ruddell