Behind surging Panthers, younger of the Brothers Muniz takes his shot at top of SWC
Led by two-time Illinois’ Mr. Basketball EJ Liddell and coached by Joe Muniz, the Belleville West Maroons put a fitting end to one of the great two-year runs in IHSA history last March by repeating their Class 4A state title at Carver Arena in Peoria.
And while his O’Fallon Panthers dropped three games to the state champs by a combined 75 points, nobody was happier for his older brother’s accomplishment than Panthers’ head coach Brian Muniz
“It was great to watch it happen. If I can’t win it (state), than I wanted him (Joe) to win it,’’ Muniz said. “I knew how much time he had put into it and how hard he had worked at it. He had paid his dues and it was awesome to see him succeed.’’
With Joe Muniz having resigned and currently the assistant athletic director at Belleville West, the younger of the Muniz brothers has been stacking a few blocks on what could well become a family tradition of winning.
His is a lineup dominated by sophomores and juniors, but the Panthers head into the Bank of O’Fallon Shootout this week ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Class 4A state poll with an 18-4 record. They ended Collinsville’s season-long 22 game winning streak with a 55-41 win last week and are tied with the Kahoks for the Southwestern Conference lead with a 6-1 record.
Collinsville (23-1) is ranked third in the AP Class 4A poll. Led by all-state guard Ray’Sean Taylor, their place among the state’s elite was expected. O’Fallon’s emergence comes as a surprise to most.
“We are having a good year. Our guys have grown up a little bit and we kind of have a little different look with some bigger players. It’s just been a lot of fun,’’ Muniz said. “We had a feeling we would be better this year. You know its tough to compete in the Southwestern Conference with freshmen and sophomores, but we relied on those guys last season.
“The last couple of years when the SWC has been so good we’ve had to fight, scratch and claw for every win we got.’’
The battle-tested Panthers are still fighting and clawing this year, but the wins are coming with much more frequency.
Heralded 6-6 junior Shaun Riley III leads a balanced O’Fallon attack, scoring just under 13 points per game. He has the ability to break loose for 25 points on any given night.
But juniors Drew Tebbe (9.5 ppg.) and Mason Blakemore (7.6) along with sophomores Dawson Algee (9.1) and Caleb Burton ( 8.5 ) have also had big nights this year.
“Last year we had to play our best just to stay in games. This year we’ve been able to win a few games when we haven’t played that well,’’ Muniz said. “I think some of that comes from maturity. But we’re also bigger and stronger this year.’’
In addition to the win over Collinsville, O’Fallon recorded a huge win when it beat defending Class 3A state champion East St. Louis on the Flyers home court last week. Two weeks ago, O’Fallon won the Kirkwood, Missouri Tournament.
O’Fallon will be pushed again this weekend at its own shootout. The Panthers will take on Belleville West in a SWC game at 7 p.m. Friday, then St. Louis Chaminade at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
O’Fallon defeated West 59-47 earlier this season. While there will be no Muniz brothers matchup this season, big brother Joe still is keeping an eye on how Brian is doing.
And like Brian did for him, Joe Muniz wants his brother to win against every team except Belleville West.
“I think Brian does a great job with his team and program. I feel his teams are always well prepared to play and they always play hard,’’ Joe Muniz said “ We have the same beliefs and core values of how our programs should be run.
“I also believe we both have different personalities on how we get those points across to our kids. There are many times I wish I had his demeanor. He is a little bit more laid back than me, but he gets his points across to his team with great effectiveness.”
6TH ANNUAL BANK OF O’FALLON SHOOTOUT
at O’Fallon High School
Friday, Feb. 7
Mascoutah vs. Springfield Southeast, 5:30 p.m.
O’Fallon vs. Belleville West, 7 p.m.
Pinckneyville vs. Bloomington Central Catholic, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb 8
Mehlville, Mo. vs. Chicago Curie, 4 p.m.
O’Fallon vs. Chaminade Prep, 5:30 p.m.
Marion, Ark. vs. Chicago Whitney Young, 7 p.m.
Collinsville vs. Chicago Simeon, 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are still available at the Bank of O’Fallon and will also be sold at the gate. Tickets are $7 for Friday and $10 for Saturday. A two-day pass, good for all seven games, will be available for $15.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 9:58 AM.
