This column runs in the Saturday Golf Guide. We’d love to hear what some of your favorite holes are from area courses.

The best responses will be used on an upcoming edition of our Sunday Game Plan section.

You may not realize it, especially if you only play at your home course, but we’re pretty lucky around these parts.

If you’re willing to drive a little bit, you’ll find there are a number of quality courses in the area. The courses are all affordable and are pretty well-kept considering the amount of play they get each year.
As part of a group of hackers known as the PPGA — Pretty Poor Golfers Association — I’ve been fortunate enough to take in what the area has to offer.

Here’s a look at my favorite nine holes near Quincy. There are a few caveats though:

— Each course on my list has just one hole listed;

— These are the courses I’ve played the most since coming to the area in 1997, as a result you won’t see Harry Mussato in Macomb (which I’ve played just once) or Spirit Hollow in Burlington, Iowa (which I’ve been dying to get to);

— All distances listed below are from the middle set of tees;

— Unlike Schuckman, my courses are open to all. No private clubs allowed (sorry, Augusta National.)

Westview, Quincy
No. 16 — Par 4, 406 yards

This is part of a great stretch of finishing holes at the Quincy Park District-run facility on the south side of town. It’s a dogleg left. There are trees to the left and right that can come into play. The hole features a nice, wide fairway, which is rarely hit by my group. There’s a bunker on the right side of the fairway about 220 yards out that can catch some tee shots.

Hit a good tee shot here and you have a shot at the green. However, a bunker protects the left front and there’s a swale on the right side. When you’re lucky enough to get the ball on the green, it’s a tough read, too. If you can make a 4 here, you’re fortunate.

Mosswood Meadows, Monroe City
No. 2 — Par 5, 490 yards

This is a big risk-reward hole. Your tee shot here is over water. If you’re brave enough to carry a lot of the water, you can drive the ball down the fairway and give yourself a chance at making it to the green in two.

However, most duffers will take an iron and safely play the ball to the right side of the fairway, turning it into a three-shot hole to the green.

Even if you play it safe, it’s not an easy hole. You’ll eventually hit an approach shot to an elevated green that’s protected by the bunkers on the left and right. The water from the lake is in play throughout the left side of the fairway.

It’s more of a survival hole than a scoring hole for our group, but it’s challenging nonetheless.

Arrowhead Heights, Camp Point
No. 1 — Par 4, 347 yards

Easily the toughest starting hole around. It’s part of a tough three-hole starting group that’s well protected by trees. If you’re errant to the right or left, your ball will catch some bark.

Hit it straight and you’re in business, but you’ve only won half the battle. A pond protects the front of the green and there are woods behind it. If you don’t take enough club, you could find the water. Take too much club and you could be out of bounds on the back side. It takes a steady hand to make it there in two. Pars are precious.

Norwoods, Hannibal
No. 18 — Par 5, 490 yards

Another par 5 where water comes into play throughout the hole. This time the lake guards the right side of the fairway all the way to the green.

There is plenty of green space to land the ball left of the water, but you can’t help but keep thinking “What if?” when you’re on the tee box. Even on approach shots to the green, all it takes is a little wind gust to help aid your ball into the drink.

This one is reachable in two if you make two perfect shots. The green isn’t easy with everything breaking toward the water.

Deer Run, Hamilton
No. 2 — Par 4, 263 yards

Some people may think this hole it too tricked up, but I like it because you have to think about how you’re going to attack. If you hit a high ball, you can take it over trees that guard the front of the green, but you’d better be accurate or else you could find a bunker or the woods that surround the putting surface.

The best play is to play a long iron or a hybrid about 200 yards into the landing area in front of the green on the right. Let your wedge do the work for you and a birdie could be yours with a little putting magic.

Great River Road, Nauvoo
No. 10 — Par 3, 144 yards

Talk about playing target golf. You’ll hit from an elevated tee down to the green. The hole doesn’t feel like it’s 144 yards away, but you still better use the right club to get there because there isn’t much room to land your ball anywhere else but the putting surface.

If your group allows mulligans (the PPGA allows one per nine), it’d be wise to save one for this hole.

Riverview, Canton, Mo.
No. 4 — Par 4, 350 yards

This hole is somewhat like No. 2 at Mosswood Meadows in that you have to hit a tee shot over water. The water here doesn’t come into play nearly as much as it does at Mosswood though. There’s a stream that cuts through the fairway about 100 yards from the green, so you have to be careful not to bomb it too long.

There’s a huge bank on the right hand side of the fairway that helps balls funnel down to the bottom. Using the bank is wise. Hit it correctly and you’ll have a decent shot to an elevated green.
If you’re feeling frisky you can even use the bank again to the left of the green to help you reach any pin placements on the back side of a generously sized green.

Bow Lake, Barry
No. 8 — Par 4, 333 yards

This hole is all about your approach shot to the green. With the fairway running downhill, any straight ball off the tee is going to put you in position to go for an island green.

For some reason, it always seems like the wind is blowing in Barry, so it won’t be easy to get your ball on the carpet. There is a little break as there is a small fringe area around the green the collects a few errant shots.

It’s not like the 17th at Sawgrass, but if you’re coming near the end of your round with something on the line, your legs could get a little wobbly staring down this proposition.

Cedar Crest, Quincy
No. 4 — Par 4, 341 yards

Another thinking man’s hole. About five years ago, you could have bombed away through some small trees and had a decent shot of getting close to the green.

Those trees are grown now, leaving players only one option — going straight. The hole has a dogleg to the right. You have to hit your tee shot straight — go long and right and it could bounce into a pond that sits in the middle of the fairway.

If you can hit the ball straight 200 or so yards, you’ll have about 140 or so yards to a small green. You have to carry the ball all the way to the green to get it there since there is a hard slope from the back to the front of the green all the way down to the water hazard. This isn’t a hole for bombers. You’ll need to work some magic with an iron or two to make a birdie or par here.

Josh Rabe knew he had to do more than just sit around and wait for his physical therapy appointments over the winter. A few hours short of getting his degree from Quincy University, Rabe decided to return to being a student while rehabilitating his injured right shoulder so that he could chase down his goal of returning to the major leagues.

Rabe, who left QU a year early in 2000 after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round of the Major League Entry Draft, wound up taking four classes on-line through Indiana and two more through QU.

Once he gets a 25-page senior thesis written, he’ll have his degree from QU, something he chased longer than he did of reaching the big leagues. It took him 10 years to earn his college degree and only six to work his way up through the Twins’ system and make the big-league club.

Just don’t expect him to show up in a cap and gown.

"Once you’ve been in a big-league uniform, I don’t know if being in a cap and gown would be that exciting," said Rabe, who has signed to play with the Camden RiverSharks of the independent Atlantic League.

"But my mom is happy."

With good reason.

Rabe spent most of his time this winter in St. Louis. He’s kept in baseball shape by working out with the Florissant Valley Community College baseball team, which is coached by his former QU teammate and coach Brian Behrens.

The fact he was unemployed for so long didn’t shock Rabe. Once Twins GM Terry Ryan announced he was stepping down late last season, Rabe saw the writing on the wall.

"I knew it was coming with the Twins," Rabe said. "They were bringing in a new GM and a new staff. Just look at their roster now, they’ve totally revamped it."

Rabe won’t make more than $3,000 a month with Camden. The Atlantic League has been a stop-over for a lot of former major leaguers like Rabe. Last year, more than 30 players from the league went on to sign with major league organizations.

Rabe likes his chances of making a return to the bigs.

"As long as I stay healthy, I should be fine," said Rabe, who had season-ending surgery last June to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

And he’s not to proud to have to work his way back.

"This is the way it goes," he said. "That’s the business side of baseball."

Any other time, I would have seen what happened as Chicago Bulls games used to be required viewing.

Even when the Bulls were really bad — when the likes of Kornell David and Marcus Fizer were soiling the jersey — I usually tuned in. For whatever reason, I’ve always been a big NBA fan. I remember watching games on WGN as a kid when the Bulls’ star player was Reggie Theus in the years before Jordan came to town.

But what’s happened to my team this season has disgusted me. The team is unwatchable right now. The team got off to a terrible start while everyone wondered when Kobe Bryant was going to be traded to the team. Unfortunately, it never happened. Eventually, Scott Skiles got canned for the team’s terrible play.

Players have acted out, including Joakim Noah, Chris Duhon and now Andres Nocioni, my favorite Bull. Seems Noch blew up at interim coach Jim Boylan on Saturday night and got sent to the showers early. I didn’t realize what had happened to my hero until I saw a wire story about the incident on Monday. That’s how out of the loop I am with this team right now. I just don’t care, which is a first.

In between all of the troubles with Noah, Duhon and Nocioni, the team shipped off the mistake that was Ben Wallace to Cleveland for a few players who just don’t look right in Bulls unis — Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. Neither is going to help the Bulls get back to being a championship contender any year soon.

Worst of all, the goofy looking Gooden is stealing minutes from Nocioni, which has bummed me out. Nocioni, a gold medal winner with Argentina in the 2004 Olympics, can barely get any minutes on a lousy Bulls team. Color me depressed.

The season can’t get over soon enough. The team has an outside shot to get back to the playoffs and sits just two games behind Atlanta for the coveted eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That carries with it the right to be swept out of the first round by Boston and the right to zero ping pong balls in the NBA Draft lottery.

Hopefully, the organization cleans house. Start with GM John Paxson, who is entirely to blame for this circus. He failed to get the Bulls involved in the Kevin Garnett trade talks. He also missed the boat on Bryant. His draft picks as of late haven’t been the best either. I loved Pax the player, but am starting to loathe Pax the GM.

The Bulls need to find a real coach, get rid of the all-shoot, no-D Ben Gordon, and get rid of the other dead weight on the roster.

And give Noch some more playing time. Then maybe I’ll watch again.

Word of Cody Stoneburner’s departure from the Quincy University men’s basketball team came as no big shock to those who follow the team.

Stoneburner didn’t play in any of the Hawks’ final nine games this season. Though the first three of those games in that streak were because of illness, the last six came as the result of a coaches decision not to play the 6-foot-10 center from North Shelby.

Stoneburner looked good in the preseason exhibition games in early November, playing with some much-needed confidence, but he couldn’t carry that over to the regular season. His junior year stats — 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game — were the best of his QU career, but still far below what was expected from a player who was being wooed by Division I schools after being named the Herald-Whig’s Player of the Year in 2005 on the heels of leading North Shelby to a Class 1 state title.

If the final run of games on the bench this season wasn’t hint enough minutes would be hard to come by in his senior season, all Stoneburner had to do was look at what QU has in the post next winter and figure out his spot on the depth chart. At the 4-5 spot, QU should have Justin Brock, Austin Chapital, Jeff Wilson, Andrew Kueker and Tyler Thompson. All figure to be higher on the depth chart than Stoneburner.

His final QU stats will read as such: Three years, 60 games, 14 starts, 2.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game.

He’ll finish his career across the river at Hannibal-LaGrange, which is scheduled to play at Quincy again next season. Maybe the NAIA ranks is where Stoneburner should have been in the first place. He had his best games against NAIA teams. He set a career high with five blocks in a win over HLG this season. As a freshman, he set a career-best with 13 points in a narrow win at Culver-Stockton.

In nine games against NAIA schools, Stoneburner averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game and made five starts. He played 15 percent of his QU career against NAIA schools, but compiled 37.3 percent of his career points, 35.2 percent of his career rebounds and 40 percent of his career blocks in those games.

He should move right into the starting center spot at HLG. He’ll be one of the biggest players in the American Midwest Conference as well. None of the AMC’s eight teams had a player taller than 6-9 on its roster this season.

HLG coach Jason Durst told the Hannibal Courier-Post he’s excited to have Stoneburner in the mix.

Hopefully, Stoneburner will have the type of senior season he wants with the Trojans.

With March Madness just hours away, here’s a look at my NCAA Tournament bracket. I’ve asked Goldberg and Schuckman to do the same, so please check out theirs, too.

Feel free to ridicule us (or praise us) when all the fun is over in a few weeks. If you’re stuck filling out your bracket and don’t know which way to go, feel free to use our guidance. (We’ll take just 10 percent of any winnings.)

Also, if you want to get in on a free bracket contest. Check out the Whig’s March Mayhem game. There are some great prizes involved.

To take a better look at the bracket. Just click on it and it will come up much bigger in another window.

Here are a few things I’m looking forward to once the balls start to bounce on Thursday morning:

My Final Four: UCLA (for some reason I’m in love with Pac-10 teams this year and they have experience), Pittsburgh (remember how hot this team was at the start of the season, I think the Panthers have come full circle and are ready to do some damage), Georgetown (I’m a mark for Roy Hibbert), and North Carolina (as much as I’m a mark for Hibbert, I’m gaga over Tyler Hansbrough).

Don’t be surprised if …: Davidson becomes this year’s George Mason. I have them getting beat in the second round to Georgetown, but the game is in North Carolina. Davidson played UNC and Duke tough this season. I like USC on the other side of that bracket, so an Elite Eight appearance isn’t out of the question if Davidson can beat Georgetown.

My long-shot special: Remember when Mizzou made a run in the NCAAs as a 12 seed a few years back. I have Baylor, as a No. 11 seed, getting through the first weekend. If a sad Illinois team can beat Purdue in postseason play, certainly a decent Baylor team can beat the Boilermakers. Then I have the Bears slipping past Xavier before being bounded by Duke.

Enjoy the games!!

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The slipper finally fell off Cinderella’s foot Saturday night at Weiser Gym as the seventh-seeded Quincy University women’s basketball team bowed out of the NCAA Division II Tournament with a 79-73 loss to third-seeded Missouri Science & Technology.

The Lady Hawks led 38-30 at the half, but a 19-5 run by the Miners to start the second half helped S&T win the rubber match of the series between the schools this season. Quincy had beaten S&T earlier this season at Pepsi Arena, while the Miners won the rematch in Rolla 12 days later.

Quincy ends its surprising season with a 20-10 record and a spot among the final 32 teams in the NCAA Division II ranks. Not bad for a team picked 10th in its league whose goal at the beginning of the season was to make its conference tournament.

Three stars

1. Jessica Keller

After being left off the list last night, the junior from Belle, Mo., put on another outstanding performance. She finished with 24 points, six rebounds and four steals. She finishes the season with the single-season school scoring record for average (20.5). Keller also set a single-season steals record with 103. Her assist total of 148 is the third-highest single-season total in QU history.

2. Alex Roznowski

She has really come on strong at the end of the season. She had two more key 3-point bombs tonight and finished with 12 points and five rebounds off the bench. Roznowski found a nice groove coming off the bench. She’s just one more weapon that coach JD Gravina will be able to use next season.

3. Chism McEntire

Mention her name to any Lady Hawk and they’re liable to smack you in the mouth. She’s the main reason why the Lady Hawks won’t be playing in Monday’s 7 p.m. regional title game at Weiser Gym. The S&T senior shooting guard hit big 3-pointer after big 3-pointer, taking the wind out of the Lady Hawks’ sails time and again. Her final dagger with just over five minutes to play right after a big 3-pointer by Janette Burgin cut the lead to one was too much for QU to overcome.

DOBservations

The Lady Hawks might not have won the game, but they won the race to Weiser Gym on Saturday afternoon. It just so happened that the QU bus pulled up right next to the S&T bus at a stop light on the way to the gym. Players from both teams egged each other on and the bus drivers had a friendly "race." After getting dusted off the line, QU’s bus driver, Eddie, came back to beat the S&T driver to the arena. … The QU players had a lot more friends and family members in the stands on Saturday night. Some even brought signs. Alex Roznowski’s family brought a sign with "Splashdown" on one side and raised it after every Lady Hawks 3-pointer. They must dig the signature 3-point call of WGEM’s Broc Hampsmire, who has announced a majority of the Lady Hawks’ games this season. … Two additions to earlier DOBservations from the week. The bear the team received from head coach JD Gravina and assistant Brittany Carper is named "Buckets." Also Gravina is engaged to South Shelby’s Meredith Rash. I had only called Rash his girlfriend earlier in the week. Sadly, I’ll never write for People Magazine. By the way, Rash was able to see all of her mother’s games with the South Shelby girls basketball team at the Class 3 state tournament in Columbia as well as all of her fiance’s games at the region tournament. … I’ll have a follow-up column on the Lady Hawks’ incredible season in Wednesday’s Herald-Whig,

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – They did it the hard way on Friday afternoon at Drury University’s Weiser Gym, but the seventh-seeded Quincy University women’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament with an 82-73 victory over second-seeded Hillsdale.

QU (20-9) was up 20 points with just under 13 minutes to play and let more than half of that lead go before rebounding to push the lead back to 14 points with 7:30 left. A second 14-2 run by Hillsdale (23-5) pulled the Chargers within 69-67 but the Lady Hawks had one last kick left in them to pull away for the victory and a spot opposite Missouri Science & Technology in Saturday’s semifinals.

Three stars

1. QU’s bench

More specifically Alex Roznowski, Michaela Young and Courtney Shuman. All made big plays down the stretch. Roznowski made four 3-pointers on the day. Young had two huge conventional three-point plays, including one that gave the Lady Hawks a 72-67 lead with just under four minutes to play. Shuman made just her third 3-pointer of the season with less than two minutes to play that helped seal the win. The trio combined to score 25 points (Roznowski 12, Young 10 and Shuman 3 with seven rebounds). Hillsdale’s bench did not score.

2. JD Gravina

For a rookie coach in his first NCAA Tournament game, Gravina did what was necessary to calm his team in the midst of Hillsdale’s second-half surge. His shoot-first, ask-questions later philosophy on offense works for this team, which is just one upset from the Sweet 16.

3. Katie Cezat

Hillsdale’s 6-foot junior center lived up to the advanced billing. She finished with 33 points and 15 rebounds, carrying the Chargers for much of the game. Her shot can’t be blocked and her long arms help her rebound. She’s the Great Lakes Region Player of the Year for good reason. She’s leading all of Division II in scoring and is third in rebounding. I’d love to see her play a Pop-A-Shot game at a county fair, she’d win everything in sight. Neither Jessica Keller nor Lindsey Stellflue wanted anything to do with Cezat in a game of HORSE. I don’t blame them.

DOBservations

You can take the guy out of Quincy, but you can’t take the Quincy out of the guy. During an ice cream social for the eight teams at the tournament on Thursday night, former QU Athletic Director Pat Atwell slipped up. He said to the crowd that he was happy being the AD at Quincy before quickly correcting himself. The QU players gave him a big cheer before he was able to move on with the rest of his speech. … Gravina has everyone beat when it comes to sideline style. He busted out a cream-colored suit with a peach dress shirt and a peach, baby blue and white tie. "I saw the tie on a mannequin at the store and had them take it off so I could buy it," Gravina said. … The team has a special friend on its bench for the tournament. Gravina and his assistant, Brittany Carper, bought a bear dressed in a WNBA outfit at a Build-A-Bear workshop and gave it to the team before the trip. The bear sat at the end of the bench and even wore the proper credential around its neck to allow it access to the floor. … You’ll read about how the Lady Hawks warmed up for the game in Saturday’s paper. The QU players decided to play tag before the game. Michaela Young fessed up to being the worst tag player on the team.

The news of Justin Brock’s decision to leave Eastern Illinois University to finish his career at Quincy University is a blessing for the Hawks.

In Brock, the Hawks get a 6-foot-8 post player who is a much different player than the one area fans watched dominate the scene when he was prepping at Liberty High School. He said Wednesday night that two years of strength and conditioning at EIU has turned him into a more muscular player than he was in high school.

"I was pretty out of shape in high school," Brock said.

A 6-8, 250-pounder in high school, Brock says he’s shed 10 pounds and picked up more muscle mass as result of EIU’s weight program. He’s eager to get back into basketball shape and help the Hawks next season.

Originally denied his release by Eastern coach Mike Miller, Brock was able to secure it in the middle of the week and met with QU coach Marty Bell on Wednesday. NCAA rules forbid Bell from commenting on Brock until Brock’s accepted as a QU student, which should come some time this spring. Brock has no ill feelings toward his old school, where he will finish out the spring semester.

"The coaches there wanted me to get back from spring break and think it over," Brock said. "But I wanted to get things moving. I’m glad we’ve got it over with. I appreciate everything the coaches (at Eastern) have done for me."

Brock is the fifth player to join the Hawks’ 2008 recruiting class. There’s no doubt fans at Pepsi Arena will need their programs to keep everyone straight at the beginning of the season. Here’s a look at what the Hawks’ 2008-09 roster looks like today (subject to change since you never know when someone might change their mind):

Seniors

Austin Chapital: Was fantastic at times this season and has the type of game that drives opponents crazy. At 6-8, you have to guard him closely on the perimeter or else he’ll throw up his smooth left-handed 3-point shot. He can also finish around the basket, too.

Joe Starnes: In 36 career games, Starnes has scored 27 points. Those numbers are comparable to those put up by Drake’s Adam Emmenecker had through his first three seasons before becoming the Missouri Valley Conference’s Player of the Year as a senior. I’m not saying that Starnes is going to make a Emmenecker-like rise to win the GLVC’s POY. With no experienced point guard returning for QU, Starnes could play a bigger role as a senior. Bell likes that Starnes, who saw expanded minutes this season, goes in and runs the system, even during garbage time.

Juniors

Mookie Pierre: One of two newcomers in the junior class for QU. He’s been a lot of places, spending each of his junior college years at different schools – the last at Riverside (Calif.) Community College. He’s from Maryland and had signed with Division I Marshall out of Riverside until he didn’t meet some academic standards at Marshall. He’s been on campus since January and practicing with the Hawks. That paid huge dividends for Wilson this year. Expect the same from Pierre, a 6-5 swingman who can play anywhere from the point to small forward spots.

Billy Baptist: He’ll be on the Hawks’ roster soon enough after paying his own freight during the spring semester. Unlike Pierre and freshman Tyler Burke, Baptist, a 6-5 swingman, didn’t practice with the team in the second semester. The Kankakee product has some impressive credentials. He was the Region 24 Player of the Year last season at Illinois Central College and signed with Division I Illinois-Chicago. He never played for the Flames after running into some off-court issues. He’s cut from the same cloth on the court as departing senior Andre Muse.

Sophomores

Justin Brock: The thought of him playing alongside Josh Edmonds for three years will have Hawk fans drooling with anticipation. He’s a big body the team needs and the fact he’s here for three years is an added bonus. He’ll likely be in the Hawks’ opening night lineup up front with Chapital and Wilson.

Josh Edmonds: Expect him to break out as a scorer next season. He’s got a smooth stroke and can hit the mid-range jumper (a lost art) as effectively as he can knock down a 3-pointer. He didn’t have to create his own shot much this season, which will be something to watch. Bell used him in a lot of late-game situations as a plebe so that tells you how much Bell thinks of Edmonds’ basketball IQ.

Andrew Kueker: The 6-8 native of Sweet Springs, Mo., is a bit of a wild card in the Hawks’ equation. Bell loves Kueker’s enthusiasm. He came in touted as a big man that could face the basket and hit the 3-pointer, something he struggled with this season. However, Kueker made some nice plays in some big spots in the Hawks’ season-ending loss at Drury. That may be a sign of things to come. With the front court loaded with talent, Kueker will have to fight for minutes.

Jesse Repay: Walk-on only saw time in blowouts this season. Expect more of the same next year if he returns. And if you ever see him without a basketball in his hands, let me know. He’s like the kids in "The Program" who have to carry a football around with them all day long.

Freshmen

Tyler Burke: An AAU teammate of Kueker’s, Burke found his way to campus at the semester break after things didn’t work out for him at Air Force. Like Pierre, he gained valuable time on the practice court in the second semester. The 6-2 guard from Warsaw, Mo., can play the point or off-guard spots. He may get thrown into the fire at the point since QU’s three primary ball handlers – Andre Muse, Excell Hardy and Marlon Jackson – are graduating.

Tyler Thompson: The 6-5 forward out of West Aurora is another piece of a packed puzzle up front for QU. Matt Schuckman says Thompson reminds him of a Jordan Roth-like player. If he’s anywhere near as good as Roth (or even three-fourths the player Roth was at QU), the Hawks have themselves a dandy who will contribute.

The only thing Bell needs to find is a true point guard for next year’s team. Expect him to go the transfer route with that spot, either a junior college or a Division I transfer.

Maybe Van-Far’s Mike Smith can follow Brock’s lead and come back from East Tennessee State and run the point for the Hawks next season. It doesn’t hurt to dream.

Some tidbits on the Quincy University women’s basketball team before heading out for another wonderful trip to Springfield, Mo.:

• Lady Hawks coach JD Gravina’s girlfriend, Meredith Rash, may need to take out a loan to pay for all the fuel she’ll burn this weekend. Rash’s mother, Millie, is the head coach of the South Shelby girls basketball team, which is playing in the Class 3 state tournament, starting on  Thursday.

Meredith Rash plans to watch the Lady Birds take on Hermann in the state semifinals on Thursday night before going to Springfield to watch the Lady Hawks’ opener against Hillsdale in the NCAA Tournament at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

With South Shelby scheduled for a day off on Friday, Rash plans to go back to Columbia on Saturday to watch the Lady Birds play for third place or in the state title game. If QU manages to beat Hillsdale, she hopes to hustle back to Springfield in time for the Lady Hawks’ game that night.

Hopefully, she likes the road. If things play out the right way, she’ll put in more than 500 miles.

• Hopefully the truant officer in Kahoka, Mo., understands Kassidy Shuman’s absence from school on Friday. Shuman, a QU signee, is going to go with her family to watch her big sister, Courtney, play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kassidy Shuman has been a regular at QU games this season. She’s one of two area products — Quincy Notre Dame guard Renita Bunte being the other — who have signed to play with QU next season.

“She’s been dying watching us play,” Courtney Shuman said of her sister.

• When Gravina took over for Larry Just last April, he knew he was leaving a good situation at McPherson (Kan.) College. Gravina anticipated a strong run for the McPherson women’s basketball team this season after guiding the team to just its second winning season in 25 years last season.

McPherson finished the season at 19-9, the same record QU carries into this week’s region tournament. However, McPherson did not receive a bid to the 32-team NAIA national tournament.

“I talk to those girls all the time,” Gravina said during the Lady Hawks’ media night on Tuesday. “I was hoping they’d have a good year. I was hoping they’d make the national tournament. With them having a good year, I miss that, but I feel so much luckier to be here and go a step further. I’m glad to see them be successful.”

• Check Thursday’s Herald-Whig sports section for a full preview of the Lady Hawks’ latest NCAA Tournament trip. We’ll have a feature on sophomore point guard Whintae Irby, a look at how the Lady Hawks plan to defend

The Derek Thomas era is over at Western Illinois University.

After five years as the boss of the Leathernecks’ men’s basketball program, Thomas found out Tuesday his contract wasn’t going to be renewed.

“Our expectations for a winning record and successful performance on the court have not been met,” WIU Athletic Director Tim Van Alstine said in a statement released by the school. “Our goals continue to be graduating student-athletes, winning conference championships and advancing to NCAA Tournaments. We have seen Derek and his staff impact the lives of many young student-athletes over the last several years. With a lot of tremendous hard work, he has raised the talent level and the academic level of Western Illinois basketball and has positioned us for success in the future, but after ongoing evaluation of our progress, it is apparent that a change needs to take place in order to realize our goals.”

Thomas leaves WIU with a career record of 40-104. Hailed as a great recruiter when he came to the Macomb campus, Thomas was never able to get that to translate into more wins for a WIU program that has yet to reach the NCAA Tournament since it made the switch to Division I in the early 1980s.

From the few times I dealt with him, Thomas seemed like he was a good man. He certainly cared about his players and WIU. He was also willing to come on the "WGEM SportsCenter presented by Hardee’s" program on ESPN 1440 whenever he was asked. Unfortunately this nice guy didn’t finish first often enough.

You’d expect Thomas will land on his feet. He has a great background. His father, Emmitt Thomas, is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Derek is scheduled to introduce him at the ceremonies in Canton, Ohio.

You also can’t blame the folks at WIU for wanting to go in a different direction with the program. After many rumors of Thomas’ demise following last season, the school let him play out his five-year contract with this year’s 12-18 campaign.

As hard as it is to lure quality student-athletes to Macomb, it may prove tougher to land a coach who will orchestrate the turnaround the school would like to see. The Leathernecks haven’t finished over the .500 mark since the 1998-99 season and have just two 20 wins seasons since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in the 1981-82 season.

For other looks at the WIU coaching situation, check out Ben Marth at WGEM and Burlington Hawkeye Sports Editor John Bohnenkamp.