By Kyle Daubs

Jeff Petersen is the only Trojan player to have earned MVP honors in the Charleston Holiday boys basketball tournament. In 1984, Petersen did so by averaging more than 20 points a game. He was later named player of the year after helping lead the Trojans to 20 wins and scoring 1,197 career points.

In 1990, Mattoon freshman Kevin Trimble, who eventually signed a football and baseball scholarship at the University of Illinois, teamed with Willie High to lead the Green Wave to the tournament championship.

That same season, Charleston’s Derrick Landrus nearly broke Simmons’ points in a tournament by scoring 132. A questionable call in a 65-60 loss to Belleville Althoff in the semifinals kept CHS out of the title game that could have featured a Mattoon-Charleston showdown.

And the Trojans twice won the tournament in 1977 and 1978, guided at the time by coach Steve Hutton.

Unfortunately, CHS did not win again across the next 32 years until the tournament was canceled after the 2010 event due, in part, to low attendance.

Charleston nearly ended a tournament in dry spell in 2002, but fell to Robinson 50-45, losing to the hot hand of Nick Brooks, who eventually played for Butler. CHS made the title game again in 2003 but was blown past by Effingham.

Many fans might remember many of these players and teams, but below is a compilation of all tournament winners with the tournament MVP. This also includes the top 10 players who played in the boys tournament. 

Top Players

Here are the top players to play in the Charleston Holiday tournament. At the bottom of this story, we also list each year’s winner and individual MVP.

10. Rick Scott (Charleston) & Darnall Jones (Olney) – Scott finished all-tournament both years that Charleston won the tournament. He finished as the MVP runner-up in 1978 to Jones, who eventually finished his career with 1,565 points. 

9. Will Triggs & Spencer Stewart (Edwardsville) – The two players helped lead Edwardsville to a stretch of tournament dominance. Steward continued his career at the University of Illinois-Chicago, while Triggs played at the University of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

8. Nick Brooks (Robinson) – Helped lead Robinson to back-to-back tournament championships, including a win over CHS in 2002. Brooks went on to play at Butler. 

7. Jeff Petersen (Charleston) – He was named tournament MVP and became a future IBCA Hall of Fame member. He would have likely been a Division I player had injuries not hampered his career.

6. Neil Plank (Mount Zion) – After helping Mount Zion win a title, he enjoyed a collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin and Illinois State University. 

5. Kyle Wente (St. Anthony) & Bob Zerrusen (Teutopolis) – Wente helped lead St. Anthony to its only tournament title and eventually became a two-time All-Ivy League player at Princeton. Zerrusen led Teutopolis to an undefeated 1986 season capped by a state title. 

4. Derrick Landrus (Charleston) – He was three points from breaking a basketball legend’s tournament points record. Plus, he led the state in points per game at one point during the season. Landrus later played at Eastern Illinois University. 

3. Doug Novsek (Lawrenceville) – A two-time MVP (1981, ’82) who was part of two state championship teams. A prolific outside shooter, fans still remember his game.

2. Uwe Blab (Effingham) – Played four years at Indiana under NCAA Hall of Fame coach Bobby Knight where he helped the Hoosiers win a Big 10 title and reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Blab was drafted with the 17th pick in the first round of the NBA draft, where he played for the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors,and San Antonio Spurs from 1985-90. 

1. Marty Simmons (Lawrenceville) – Nicknamed “Mule” for his ability to carry teams, including the 34-0 state champion team in 1982, Simmons eventually became Blab’s teammate at Indiana. Simmons later transferred to the University of Evansville, where he became the coach in 2007 and amassed 282 victories.

Best tourney game

After reading an article by Nielsen in 2002, I agree that the best game ever played was in 1980. Lawrenceville had two of the best players in the state in Marty Simmons and Doug Novsek. Lawrenceville was battling Effingham in the championship. This game featured a battle between Novsek, who finished with 26 points, and a future NBA center in Effingham’s 7-foot 2-inch center Uwe Blab. Effingham won a close contested 51-49 game.

However, in 1981 and 1982, Lawrenceville won tournament titles and Simmons shared tournament MVP honors with Novsek in 1981. The following season, 1982, Simmons won tournament MVP on route to a season in which he led Lawrenceville to their second straight IHSA state title. Simmons finished as the holiday tournament record holder in points scored (135) and career points (351). Simmons was named Illinois 1983 Mr. Basketball that season. Simmons used to hold the record for points scored in a game (45) until Donnell Bivens scored 48 points in a contest. Lawrenceville brought competitive teams during the late 1970s and 1980s. Led by coach Ron Felling, the Indians won four state titles during his 16-year run as head coach that featured a 358-77 career record.

In 1984, Petersen became the only CHS player to ever win tournament MVP. He did so by averaging over 20 points a game. In 1990, a cross-town rivalry brought one of the best athletes that Coles County ever saw in freshman Kevin Trimble. Trimble eventually signed a football and baseball scholarship at the University of Illinois. The freshman paired with the likes of Willie High to win the tournament for Mattoon. That same season, Charleston’s Derrick Landrus nearly broke Simmons’ points in a tournament by scoring 132 points. A questionable call in a 65-60 loss to Belleville Althoff in the semi-finals kept CHS out of the title game that could have featured a Mattoon-Charleston showdown.

In 2000, Jon Tipton helped Mount Zion win its only championship with a last-second shot to win, 58-57.

Charleston nearly ended a tournament in dry spell in 2002, but fell to Robinson 50-45, losing to the hot hand of Nick Brooks, who eventually played for Butler. CHS made the title game again in 2003 but was blown past by Effingham.

A stretch of tournament dominance followed that year, the main reason why some believe the tournament disbanded. Class 4A Edwardsville won five of the next six tournaments convincingly. Their only blemish was when Teutopolis won in 2006 thanks to 28 points from tournament MVP Jason Runde. Since ending the tournament in 2010, Charleston boys’ basketball teams have played in the Taylorville and Effingham Holiday tournaments. 

Tournament Winners & MVPS

YEAR WINNERMVP
1975Chicago St. IgnatiusJeff Carter
1976Chicago St. IgnatiusCurtis Evans
1977CharlestonMark Fitt (Mattoon)
1978CharlestonDarnall Jones (Olney)
1979LawrencevilleWarren Wendling (Olney)
1980EffinghamDoug Novsek & Uwe Blab (Effingham)
1981LawrencevilleMarty Simmons & Doug Novsek
1982LawrencevilleMarty Simmons
1983TaylorvilleJens Kujawa
1984Murray, KentuckyJeff Petersen (Charleston)
1985TeutopolisBob Zerrusen
1986Belleville AlthoffKevin Schwarz
1987Belleville AlthoffCorey Cox
1988Belleville AlthoffB.C. Penny
1989EffinghamBrian Foster (Fairfield)
1990MattoonWillie High
1991JerseyvilleKiley Gwaltney (Fairfield)
1992Belleville AlthoffMike Rodgers (Olney)
1993TeutopolisMatt Fitzsimmons (Belleville Althoff)
1994FairfieldKip Walters
1995ParisJosh Virostko
1996EdwardsvilleJim Doughterty
1997EdwardsvilleJon Harris
1998Effingham St. AnthonyKyle Wente
1999TeutopolisJohnny King
2000Mount ZionNeil Plank
2001RobinsonNick Brooks
2002RobinsonNick Brooks
2003EffinghamAaron Leonard
2004EdwardsvilleNick Arth
2005EdwardsvilleSpencer Stewart
2006TeutopolisJason Runde
2007EdwardsvilleAnthony Campbell
2008EdwardsvilleWill Triggs
2009EdwardsvilleWill Triggs
2010GalesburgBrandon Thompson