Area Coaches Named To IBCA Hall of Fame

Area coaches inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame were, left to right, Ron Reed, Rod Wiethop, Kent Niebrugge, Doug Smith and Jeff Schafer.

Area coaches finally got to attend the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame banquet.

Last year's banquet was postponed so those coaches were honored along with coaches named in 2021.

Former Effingham High School boys basketball coach Ron Reed was named in the 2021 class. Reed coached the Hearts from 2003-04 season through the 2016-17 season. His 15 year total at EHS was 268 wins and 154 losses. Reed also coached at North Clay, Lawrenceville and Harrisburg. He finished his coaching career with a total of 488 victories and 307 losses in 29 years.

Another Effingham coach entered in the 2020 Hall of Fame class is girls basketball coach Jeff Schafer. He has been the head girls coach for 23 years and has a 421-228 record over the course of his tenture. He has led the Hearts to 12 20-win seasons. His squads have won eight regional championships and three sectional titles.

Also from Effingham is Rod Wiethop who has coached 26 years and is the eighth-grade boys basketball coach at Effingham Junior HIgh School. He has a 411-201 career record. He also coached one year as a junior varsity coach in Kentucky and as a junior high girls coach at Carmi Junior HIgh. He entered the 2020 class.

From Teutopolis is Kent Niebrugge and Doug Smith. NIebrugge was named to the Hall of Fame for coaching junior high boys basketball at T-town Junior High.

Niebrugge has been coaching the eighth-grade squad for 21 seasons and has won 415 games with a winning percentage of .787. He and his squads have three state championships and two second places finishes to their credit. He also put together 10 20-win seasons. He was eighth-grade girls coach four years and also coach the freshmen/sophomore boys teams. He entered with in 2021.

Smith has contributed greatly to the Teutopolis HIgh School programs serving as a volunteer and a coach. Since 1987, he has kept the varsity basketball scorebook. He has also been a volunteer in the Teuopolis Park District basketball program for 19 years and for four years has been the KC Hoop Shoot organizer and has served as the Letterman's Club president.

Carolyn Wendte is the successful Coach-Herrick/Beecher City High School girls basketball coach. She was inducted in 2020 and at that point had a career record of 425 victories and 330 losses. She has steered her teams to four regional championships and three sectional crowns. Her 2011-12 team placed second at State while her 2009-10 and 2012-13 squads took fourth palce at state. She has also racked up more than 500 victories as a junior high basketball coach.

Coaches entering the IBCA Hall of Fame were, left to right, Carolyn Wendte and Rod Wiethop .