Experience and longevity on the one hand. Youth and energy on the other hand.
Don Davidson, athletic director at Parkview Christian in Yorkville and a fixture in high school basketball in the Fox Valley area for 50 years, made the decision to give up coaching duties and retain duties as the school’s boys and girls athletic director. He had successful coaching stints at Yorkville High School, 1971-1976, and at Aurora Christian, 1976-2008.
The Parkview Christian School Board approved Davidson’s recommendation to hire Russell Lanehart, the captain of the school’s team through his 2016 graduation.
Davidson, youthful in his middle 70s, said of Lanehart, “Russell loves the game of basketball, has a great passion for it, was an outstanding captain of his team, and played with amazing intensity, and I know that he’ll demand that same dedication of our boys in the basketball program. Most importantly, he will establish a program that will be honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ, his players will play as if they were playing for the Lord: Great effort, play within the rules, no bad attitudes, team players, and he will seek to help enhance the spiritual life of the boys even more than he developes them as basketball players.”
Parkview Christian is in the Northeastern Athletic Conference along with Mooseheart, IMSA (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy) in Aurora, Wesminster Christian, and Harvest Christian, the latter two in Elgin.
Davidson decided to give up coaching because in addition to athletic director, he taught several classes. Last season he said, “It is time for a younger person to be the coach and relate to the younger players. I have grandchildren to watch when they play and it is difficult because they live a long distance away.”
Lanehart is in his third year of four n an apprentice program with the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 461. He is married to Cassie and they have one son, Elias.
Davidson led Aurora Christian to two final four finishes in Illinois High School Association (IHSA) in the 1990s. Aurora Christian finished in fourth place in the 1990 State tournament and in second place in 1995. Davidson is a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches (IBCA) Hall of Fame.
• The Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team added three players to the 2020-2021 team: Tavon Jones, Linen, N.J. and Odessa College; Zool Kueth, Gallatin, Tenn and Pratt (Kan.) Community College; and Adong Makuoi, Edmntn, Alberta, Canada.
• J.J. McCarthy of Nazareth Academy in LaGrnage Park, who will enroll in a prep school in Floriday for one year prior to taking a scholarship to the University of Michigan, reflected poise as a quarterback, with an accurate arm, and sense of making the right play at the right time.
• Following up on last week’s column on Ron Hicks, former West Aurora High School basketball star who played at the college level and in Europe professionally for 12 years and, at the age of 62 last week met an untimely death with complications from COVID-19 and heart and respiratory problems. We had the incorrect score of the West Aurora and Morgan Park State championship game in 1976, by one point for each team. It was Morgan Park 45, West Aurora, 44.