       
The 2000's The dawning of the twenty first century saw many exciting changes and improvements to the KHT and it was certainly a decade to remember! Some long time participants dominated the early part of the decade with Kankakee , Urbana , Herscher and Lots of KHT teams (25 to be exact) made it there, but only Hebron had won a crown previously…congratulations Cardinals!!! Not to be outdone, that same season Oak Lawn Richards, lead by coach John Chapetto and a host of prep stars, won the 3A state title. Richards had been a long time entrant in the KHT and had just left in 2007 (after winning back to back KHT titles in 2005 and 2006) when they won the 3A crown. Finally, Champaign Centennial, after their first KHT appearance in 2008, won the 3A state title in 2009, going 32-1 along the way. Their only Several great players appeared in the KHT during this decade, and almost 20 earned multiple All-KHT honors. The KHT grew and improved throughout the decade and to this day it continues to draw some of the top teams from Illinois, the Midwest, and even as far away as Alaska. Several tournament records were broken, and re-broken, as the level of competition and accomplishment consistently exceeded expectations. However, the key to success seemed to be teamwork and a balance attack, as very few successful teams depended on only one or two players to carry the load. Several players went on to play at the college level, in basketball and other sports, and the rich history of the KHT was certainly added to during this decade! KHT All-Decade Team (2000's)
Website Maintained by:
Kankakee Holiday Tournament Sponsors or teams interested in the Kankakee Holiday Tournament may contact: 1950's | 1960's | 1970's | 1980's | 1990's | 2000's | Tournament Schedule |
||||||||
stumble was, you guessed it, in the finals of the KHT where they lost a close and hard fought contest to Chicago Hope. First in State and second in the KHT…another testament to the excellent fields our tournament draws year after year! Other one time winners were sprinkled throughout the decade, including Iroquois West, Austin, Reed-Custer, Carver, Illiana Christian, Robeson, and certainly one of the most intriguing teams, Dimond High School from Anchorage, Alaska. Dimond visited the KHT three times in the decade and brought very competitive teams each year, finally winning the KHT crown in 2007. The most consistent team in either bracket over the decade was probably the Herscher Tigers, as they won the first and last titles of the decade in 2000 and 2009, while being in the hunt almost every other year. The Ron Oloffson and Todd Schwarzkopf lead Tigers routinely piled up 20+ win seasons and came oh so close to making it down to state several times. They are still a force to be reckoned with.