Regional title, 28-win season earn O’Fallon coach third straight IBCA honor
Nick Knolhoff was one of the top girls high school basketball coaches in Southwestern Illinois long before he was hired to take over the O’Fallon Panthers program three years ago.
But in his short time in the Southwestern Conference, Knolhoff has taken his coaching ability to another level. And the Panthers have gone with him.
Since arriving at O’Fallon with a 29-29 coaching mark after two seasons at Althoff, Knolhoff has guided the Panthers to 78 wins and established the program as one of the elite in the St. Louis area.
But the 2019-20 season was the Panthers best to date. By leading O’Fallon to a school record 28 wins and Class 4A regional championship, Knolhoff also earned his third straight Illinois Basketball Coaches Association District Class 4A District 19 Coach of the Year honor.
“I’m not sure I am a better coach per se, but the talent level at a public 4A school (O’Fallon) is a huge jump from a private 2A school (Althoff),” Knolhoff said. “Winning this award goes to all my players. This is all their hard work, buying in to my system and competing at a high level night in and night out. I love my team and they deserve recognition.
“It’s easy to coach girls who love the game of basketball as much as this group does.’’
Led by senior guard Kayla Gordon and a balanced attack which featured four players averaging in double figures, O’Fallon finished second in the SWC behind Edwardsville with an overall mark of 28-6.
But after dropping a pair of league games to the Tigers by a combined 17 points, O’Fallon rallied to defeat Edwardsville 61-58 in the Pekin Sectional. The win was O’Fallon’s first against the perennial state power Tigers since 2003 and broke a 35-game losing streak to its SWC rival.
O’Fallon’s season came to an end three days later when it dropped a 79-67 decision to Lincoln-Way West in the sectional final.
“Beating Edwardsville was a lifetime memory after their domination for so many years,” Knolhoff said. “This team was hungry to win, get better, and they believed in one another. It was amazing to see the camaraderie among the girls and how well they played together. “
While Gordon and two other seniors graduate this spring, O’Fallon does return four starters on what should be another strong squad in the 2020-21 season.
“I’m excited about what the future holds with this group. We graduated three seniors, including a starter and my first two girls off the bench, but we return four starters as well as loads of talent from the JV level that will step in and contribute,” Knolhoff said. “I expect us to compete and go far again next year. We also have a very good freshman group coming in as well and our numbers and interest in our program remains at an all time high.”
A complete list of IBCA coaches of the year will be released in late April.
IBCA cancels all-star games
The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association announced last week it has canceled its all-star games, scheduled for June, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Local players honored as all-stars were:
- South Region Class 3A-4A Boys: Ray’Sean Taylor, Collinsvillle; Luke Cox, Triad; and (Alternate) Cawhan Smith, Collinsville
- South Region Class 1A-2A Boys: Luke Ervie, Freeburg; Javonnie Moore, Madison; Carson Parker, Nashville; Caleb Zurliene, Mater Dei; and (Alternate) Dalton Burgner, Althoff
- South Region Class 3A-4A Girls: Anna Hall, Civic Memorial; Quierra Love, Edwardsville; and Kourtland Tyus, Civic Memorial.
- South Region Class 1A-2A Girls: Shannon Lampe, Mater Dei
IBCA Hall of Fame Dinner postponed
The IBCA Hall of Fame dinner, scheduled for May 2 at Redbird Arena in Normal, has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. A makeup date will be announced.
