The East St Louis Flyers track and field and football teams have brought state championships back to the City of Champions in the past seven months.
With the return of 6’11 University of Illinois recruit Jeremiah Tillmon to the Flyers line-up in 2016, many in the street patrol would like Flyers’ basketball head coach Phillip Gilbert to duplicate what Flyer coaches Barry Malloyd and Darren Sunkett did in their respective sports. That is, to win a state championship!
The Flyers have a 6-3 record heading into next week’s prestigious Prairie Farms Holiday Classic at Collinsville High. The Edwardsville Tigers led by A.J. Epenesa drew the No. 1 seed in this year’s tourney, followed by No. 2 seed Belleville Althoff and Saint Louis University recruit Jordan Goodwin. East St. Louis is the No. 3 seed, followed by legendary coach Lawrence Thomas and No. 4 seed Springfield Southeast Spartans.
This year’s field is as loaded as ever. Other teams in the classic are: Quincy, Decatur Eisenhower, Decatur MacArthur, Hazelwood East, University of Illinois recruit Javon Pickett and the Belleville East Lancers, Riverview Gardens, Granite City, McCluer North, Oakville, Urbana and the tournament host Collinsville Kahoks.
The Collinsville tournament usually is one the most well-attended and competitive tournaments in the Metro East during the holiday season. In addition, some of the most well- known coaches from around the country will be in and out throughout the three-day affair.
Phillip Gilbert’s Flyers have a lot to prove heading into this year’s tournament after been eliminated in the second round by the Lincoln Railsplitters last year.
East St. Louis has played in the Collinsville classic since 1998, but almost played in the auxiliary gym for the first time ever in this prestigious tournament last season with their performance. With the return of Tillmon, guards Reyoundus Estes, Arthur Carter and the rest of the band, the Flyers look to go deep into this year’s bracket.
East Side will open play on Wednesday, December 28 against Riverview Gardens at 4 p.m. Belleville Althoff will play at 8 p.m. against Hazelwood East. If the bracket holds true to form, Tillmon and Goodwin would get it on Thursday, December 29 at 8 p.m.
It would be one of the most anticipated match-ups of the year and a sure sell-out between Althoff and East St. Louis. In addition, it will be the first of two match-ups for sure, as both teams are scheduled to play January 7 in the Highland Shootout.
Belleville Althoff also will be in the Illinois High School Association class 4-A Regional tournament this year. So we could easily see the two teams battling through March Madness.
But first things first for the flyers, who haven’t won the tournament since 2012, when they were led by All -Tournament team players Johnny McCray and Deshawn Munson, in a 60-52 win over the Quincy Blue Devils.
This year’s tournament won’t be easy for Phillip Gilbert’s Flyers, and an early slip just might have the street patrol fired up after such a great football run.
