For over four decades, the Holiday Classic has been a showcase of great talent and unbelievable basketball in Bloomington-Normal.
The 2024 tournament will be the 45th anniversary for one of the nation’s largest, coed high school holiday basketball tournaments. It will also be the 27th year of hosting a girls’ tournament.
Explore the Classic’s History[Hide][Show]
Records, results and more
In The Beginning…
The Classic was originated in 1975 and was first called the Illinois State Classic. Normal Community High School was crowned the first boys champion by defeating Chicago Brother Rice, 60-51. Over the next 10 years (through 1985), Lincoln would play in the championship game four times (winning twice) and Galesburg would win four championships, including three straight titles from 1981-83. In the beginning, the Classic field consisted of a combination of 16 Class A (small school) and Class AA (large school) teams, from all over the state including all four intercity schools. The Classic took a break from 1986 through 1989, but came back in 1990 and was known as the University High Classic. Sherrard was crowned the champ in 1990, and two years later Gridley became the first Class A school to slay the giants and walk away as champion of the Holiday Classic.
In 1995, the Classic turned down the road that would eventually lead it to the event as it is known today. A community volunteer group, spear-headed by current tournament president Dan Highland, took over all duties and responsibilities for the tournament. This group, then known as the Classic Organizing Group, Inc. (COG), consisted of volunteers and leaders from all aspects of the Bloomington-Normal community. The tournament was renamed the Bloomington-Normal Holiday Classic, and later took on Converse as its title sponsor in 1996 and 1997.
Major changes implemented at the time included increasing the field to 32 participating boys’ teams and breaking it into two 16-team sections (Class A and Class AA to mirror the IHSA state tournament). All teams would be guaranteed three games, and those teams which won all three games would come back on the fourth and final day to determine a champion in each class in the morning. The night session would consist of the two losing teams playing against each other for an overall third place trophy, while the two champs went head to head for the title of Grand Champion.
Rockford Boylan won the first Grand Championship game in 1995, defeating Bloomington Central Catholic 74-63. The next year saw Manito Midwest Central, led by Ryan Knuppel, become the second Class A team to win the Classic by defeating Boylan, 64-58, in one of the most exciting games in tournament history.
The Classic also took on a different twist in 1995 by hosting an 8-team girl’s shootout. This shootout evolved into a 14-team tournament in 1997, and soon became a full-fledged 32-team tournament, mirroring the boys tournament format. Galesburg was the first girls Grand Champion in 1997, by overcoming a 17-point deficit and winning a 77-74 thriller over Class A Mendota on a last second three-pointer by Jaque Howard. Galesburg won the first three Grand Championships (1997, 98 & 99) and had a winning streak of 16 games, before being defeated by Urbana in 2000. That same year, Rock Island Alleman became the only Class A team, and the only team other than Galesburg, to win the girls Grand Championship.
Partnering With A Good Neighbor
In 1999, the Classic got a big shot in the arm with the announcement of State Farm® as its Title Sponsor. The State Farm Holiday Classic, as it is known today, was able to implement a variety of enhancements thanks to this support, and still continues to find new ways to be the best tournament in the nation. By now the event was starting to gain national recognition, and that included adding teams from across the country to its tournament field. After testing the waters with a team from Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1996, the Classic has seen teams participate from Washington, D.C.; Kentucky; Tennessee; Ohio; Indiana; Florida; Mesa, AZ; Missouri; Pittsburgh, PA; and New Orleans, LA.
In 2001, the COG, now known as the Classic Tournament, Inc., experimented with eliminating the cross-over Grand Championship game and crowning two girls’ champions, one in each class. The experiment worked so well that the same idea was implemented into the boys’ tournament in 2002. By this time, the Grand Championship game had become somewhat anti-climactic for the fans and teams alike, as many times the Class AA teams were too overpowering for the smaller schools. With the new system in place, all teams are now guaranteed four games and championship night has been revived to the point where near capacity Shirk Center crowds are able to witness four consecutive championship games.
For many years, the Holiday Classic format aligned with the Illinois High School Association’s enrollment classifications, predominantly playing every one of our 64 teams in a similar field (Class 1A-2A or Class 3A-4A) with a level of competition they would face come state tournament time. But with the constant changing of classifications in recent years and the large number of teams that sit “on the bubble” when it comes to being classified as either Class 2A or 3A, the tournament found it easiest to now play the smallest 16 teams per enrollment in the Small School Bracket, and the largest 16 teams in the Large School Bracket. This is why you may see a number of teams technically classified as 3A playing in a Small School bracket during the Holiday Classic.
Memorable Moments
Over the years the Classic has seen its share of great individual and team performances, along with many notable occurrences.
The Classic Gives Back
With the Classic becoming more successful, it looked for ways to give back the community and increase its philanthropic efforts. In 2002, local Special Olympics basketball teams were given the chance to participate in a one-day shootout at the Shirk Center on Championship Day of the tournament. These teams then had the chance to participate in an 8 minute exhibition during halftime of the championship games that night on the Shirk Center floor. This effort proved to be very popular among the full-house crowd in attendance, as well as the players who experienced this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The shootout has continued each year, and in 2005 it was renamed the Ron Knisley Memorial Special Olympics shootout after the long-time committee member and huge Classic supporter, who was also Director of Sports and Competition for Special Olympics Illinois.
In 2006, the first recipients of the Holiday Classic Foundation Scholarships were awarded in an effort to give back to graduating seniors who participated in the Holiday Classic and were extending their educational careers at four-year universities or colleges. To date, the Classic Foundation has awarded $67,000 in scholarships to deserving student-athletes.
All of these changes and enhancements over the years have led hundreds of thousands of fans to discover what we know today as “The Best Basketball This Side Of March!”
The Best Of The Best
Over the years the Holiday Classic has seen its share of great individual players that have gone on to achieve success in sports after their high school careers were over. Here is just a sample of those great players:
NBA
- Keita Bates-Diop (Normal U-High) – Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs
- Brian Cook (Lincoln) – Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers
- Eddy Curry (South Holland Thornwood) – Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, New York Knicks
- Kevin Duckworth (Dolton Thornridge) – Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Bullets, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs
- Tyler Hall (Rock Island) – New York Knicks
- Melvin McCants (Chicago Mt. Carmel) – Los Angeles Lakers
- Chasson Randle (Rock Island) – Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards
WNBA
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – Minnesota Lynx
- Latoya Bond (Urbana) – Indiana Fever, Sacramento Monarchs, Charlotte Sting
- Zahna Medley (Springfield) – San Antonio Stars
- Kayla Pedersen (Mesa [AZ] Red Mountain) – Tulsa Shock, Connecticut Sun
- Angelina Williams (Chicago Washington ) – Detroit Shock, Phoenix Mercury
European Professional Leagues
- Anthony Beane, Jr. (Normal Community) of the Basketball Club Ventspils in the Latvian Basketball League
- Brian Cook (Lincoln) played with the Chiba Jets in Japan
- Eddy Curry (South Holland Thornwood) played with the Chinese League’s Zhejiang Golden Bulls team
- Ron Curry (Normal Community) played in France, Spain, Australia, Israel, Turkey and Argentina.
- Rachel Galligan (Blm. Central Catholic) played with Club Baloncesto Conquero in Spain
- Carl Golston (Chicago Phillips) played in New Zealand, Italy and Spain
- Brittany Johnson (East Richland) 0f the 2013 Israel Elitzer Ramla
- Damir Krupalija (Rockford Boylan) of the 2002-03 Polish National Champions Anwil Wloclawek, and 2003-04 Belgian National Champions Spirou Charleroi
- Olivia Lett (Pana) of the Spain League’s Universitario de Ferrol team
- Alex Peacock (Normal Community) played for Vitoria SC in Spain
- Kayla Pedersen (Mesa Red Mountain, AZ) of the Austrailian Women’s National Basketball League Dandenong Rangers
- Brian Randle (Peoria Notre Dame) has played with a number of teams from Germany, Israel and Jerusalem
- Chasson Randle (Rock Island) of the Czech Republic-based CEZ Nymburk
- Blake Schilb (Rantoul) of the French League’s Elan Chalon team
- Ali Schwagmeyer (Camp Pt. Central/Augusta SE) played for teams in Germany, Australia and Spain
- Tyler Seibring (Normal Community) played for Real Canoe and Vitoria SC in Spain
- Chante Stonewall (Normal U-High) played for Mondeville in France
Harlem Globetrotter
- Curley “Boo” Johnson (Peoria Central)
Illinois Mr. Basketball
- Brian Cook (Lincoln) – 1999
- Eddy Curry (Thornwood) – 2001
- Chasson Randle (Rock Island) – 2011
- Mark Smith (Edwardsville) – 2017
Illinois Ms. Basketball
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – 2019
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – 2018
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – 2017
- Brittany Johnson (Olney East Richland) – 2007
Gatorade Player of the Year
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – 2019
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – 2018
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – 2017
- Brian Cook (Lincoln) – 1999
- Eddy Curry (South Holland Thornwood) – 2001
- Brittany Johnson (Olney East Richland) – 2007
- Chasson Randle (Rock Island) – 2011
- Rayvonte Rice (Champaign Centennial) – 2010
- Mike Robinson (Peoria Richwoods) – 1996
- Maddie Scherr (Union Ryle) – 2020 for Kentucky
- Maddie Scherr (Union Ryle) – 2019 for Kentucky
- Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest) – 2009
McDonald’s High School All-Americans
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – 2019
- Brian Cook (Lincoln) – 1999
- Eddy Curry (Thornwood) – 2001
- Tori McCoy (Champaign St. Thomas More) – 2016
- Kayla Pedersen (Mesa Red Mountain, AZ) – 2007
- Anaya Peoples (Danville Schlarman) – 2019
- Mike Robinson (Peoria Richwoods) – 1996
- Maddie Scherr (Union (KY) Ryle) – 2020
- Chuck Verderber (Lincoln)- 1978
Naismith National Player of the Year Award
- Tori McCoy (Champaign St. Thomas More) – 2016 finalist
USAToday Player of the Year Award
- Brea Beal (Rock Island) – 2019 for Illinois
- Maddie Scherr (Union (KY) Ryle) – 2019 for Kentucky
Wendy’s High School Heisman Trophy
- Kelly Curran (Blm Central Catholic) – 2009 finalist
- Rebekah Ehresman (El Paso-Gridley) – 2013 finalist
NCAA Final Four
- 1997 – John Baines (Normal U-High), Korey Coon (East Peoria) and Nathan Hubbard (Normal U-High) lead Illinois Wesleyan University to the D-III Men’s National Championship title
- 2000 – Mark Vershaw (East Peoria) lead University of Wisconsin to the Final Four
- 2005 – Brian Randle (Peoria Notre Dame) was a redshirt freshman on the University of Illinois team that reached the D-I championship game
- 2008-12 – Kayla Pedersen (Mesa Red Mountain, AZ) lead Stanford University to four consecutive Final Four appearances
- 2009-11 – Emily Hanley (Normal Community) and Amanda Clifton (Rock Island Alleman) helped lead Illinois State University to three straight WNIT Final Four appearances from 2009-11
- 2011 & 2012 – Brittany Hasselbring (Kankakee Bishop Mac), Olivia Lett (Pana), Karen Solari (Park Ridge Maine South), Annie Brown (Normal West), Katy Seibring (Normal Community), Haley Kitchell (Taylor Ridge Rockridge) and Jordan Steinbrueck (Normal U-High) lead Illinois Wesleyan University to the 2012 D-III Women’s National Championship after taking them to the 2011 D-III Women’s Final Four (fourth place)
- 2012 & 2015 – Chasson Randle (Rock Island) lead the Stanford Cardinal to the NIT Tournament Championship
- 2013 – Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest) and Max Bielfeldt (Peoria Notre Dame) helped lead the Michigan Wolverines to the D-I Championship Game and Final Four in Atlanta
- 2018 – Jake Baughman (Blm. Central Catholic) was on the Loyola University-Chicago men’s D-I Final Four team that played in San Antonio
- 2019 – Jake Wolfe (Aurora Christian) helped lead Lipscomb University to the men’s NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden.
- 2021 – Morgan Van Hyfte (Annawan) helped her Central Missouri Jennies to the women’s NCAA D-2 Final Four in Columbus, OH.
- 2021 – Brea Beal (Rock Island) and the South Carolina Gamecocks went to the women’s NCAA D-1 Final Four in San Antonio.
- 2021 – Lauren Schwartz (Union (KY) Ryle) and the Rice Owls won the WNIT Championship.
- 2022 – Mallory Oloffson (Normal Community) and her Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks played in the NCAA D-III National Championship game in Pittsburgh, PA.
- 2022 – Brea Beal (Rock Island) and the South Carolina Gamecocks went to the women’s NCAA D-1 Final Four in Minneapolis.
- 2023 – Brea Beal (Rock Island) and the South Carolina Gamecocks went to the women’s NCAA D-1 Final Four in Dallas.
- 2023 – Sydney Affolter (Chicago Marist) and the Iowa Hawkeyes went to the women’s NCAA D-1 Final Four in Dallas.
Illinois’ all-time prep basketball career scoring leader
- Brittany Johnson (Olney East Richland) became Illinois’ all-time prep career scorer (male or female) on Dec. 28, 2006 during the second round of the State Farm Holiday Classic. She played four seasons for The Ohio State University women’s basketball team.
Illinois’ all-time prep football career rushing leader
- James Robinson (Rockford Lutheran) became the IHSA’s career rushing leader on Oct. 9, 2015 in a game vs. Byron.
Super Bowl Champion
- Michael Hoomanawanui (Bloomington Central Catholic) – St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, helped the 2015 New England Patriots win the Super Bowl
NFL
- AJ Epenesa (Edwardsville) – Buffalo Bills
- Wes Lunt (Rochester) – Minnesota Vikings
- James Robinson (Rockford Lutheran) – Jacksonville Jaguars
- Nate Wieting (Rockford Lutheran) – Cleveland Browns
BSC National Championship
- Tommy Rees (Lake Forest) helped lead the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the 2013 national championship college football game vs. Alabama.
European Professional Football
- Chris Markey (New Orleans Jesuit) – Zurich Renegades (Swiss League Offensive MVP)
World Series Champion
- Kevin Seitzer (Lincoln) Kansas City Royals (1987 All-Star team, runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year), Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s, Cleveland Indians. Won a World Series championship in 2021 as the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves.
Major League Baseball
- Jake Junis (Rock Falls) – Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants
- Zach McAllister (Chillicothe IVC) – Cleveland Indians (helped Indians to the 2016 World Series), Detroit Tigers
- Kevin Roberson (Decatur Eisenhower) Chicago Cubs, New York Mets
Minor League Baseball
- Tyson Blaser (Taylor Ridge Rockridge) – New York Yankees’ minor league system
- Robbie Minor (Rock Falls) – New York Yankees’ minor league system, Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League.
- Jordan Parr (Chillicothe IVC) – Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system
- Josh Parr (Chillicothe IVC) – Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system
- John Rave (Bloomington Central Catholic) – Kansas City Royals minor league system
Olympians
- Ogonna Nnamani (Normal U-High) member of the 2004 and 2008 United States Olympic women’s volleyball team
- Blake Schlib (Rantoul) member of the Czech Republic 2021 Olympic basketball team
Professional Soccer
- Ashlee Pistorius (Normal U-High) – Honda Sports Award winner as the nation’s top collegiate soccer player at Texas A&M, Boston Renegades of the USL W-League
- Ella Masar (Urbana) – Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash