TriCounty No high school boys basketball coach in Illinois has ever had a start like Wayne McClain of Manual, for the second consecutive time named the Tri-County Male Coach of the Year by the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame.
In his first season as head coach after a long apprenticeship to Dick Van Scyoc, the state's winningest coach of all time, all McClain did was direct the Rams to a 32-2 record and a state championship, the second in a row for Manual.
And for an encore?
Manual was just as potent last season, going 31-1, was ranked the No. 1 team in the state all season and climaxed things by whipping Harvey Thornton for the second straight time to again win the state title.
Which means McClain is two-for-two in the search for the most coveted state trophy in basketball and Manual had won three consecutive state titles.
A former Ram player who also played one season at Bradley, McClain put teams on the floor, led by 6-foot-5 son Sergio McClain and 6-foot-9 Marcus Griffin, that boasted great firepower, strong rebounding and a style of play that was so intense it totally disrupted team after team.
For his first two seasons, McClain's teams went 63-3.
Rich Clopper During the 19 seasons Rich Clopper was head coach of boys and girls swim teams at Richwoods High School, his athletes barely knew what losing meant. |