By Michael Belmont
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Monday, April 3, 2006, The OG, sports

Senior Al Renner's historic basketball career was capped on March 23 when he was named to The News-Gazette's All-Area First Team.

Renner, Uni's all-time leading scorer, is the school's first male basketball player to receive recognition at this level since Doug Brown, who earned similar honors from The News-Gazette in 1963. Brown, coincidentally, held the career-scoring record of 1,113 points that Renner broke this season on Dec. 16.

“Al is a driven player who's always worked his hardest to be a winner, and I think his teammates fed off that,” said head coach Joel Beesley.

Renner ended his career with 1,372 points. He averaged 13.6 points, five assists, and six rebounds in his senior season as the Illineks finished 22-6.

Uni has also produced All-Area first teamers from the other side of the Kenney Gym locker rooms. The most highly honored was Sophia Neely, a 1986 graduate, who was named to the first team three times while also earning The News-Gazette's Area Player of the Year award and first-team All-State honors her senior year. Neely, who was coached by current Athletic Director Sally Walker, led the girls to a regional title. She went on to play basketball at Dartmouth College, where she was an NCAA Division I Academic All-American in 1989 (third team) and 1990 (first team).

Other Uni boys honored by The News-Gazette this year were sophomore Mike Renner, special mention, and seniors Austin Berger and Ben Sims, honorable mention.

On the girls side, senior Al Johnson received special mention, while freshman Rachel Skoza and sophomore Aran Yoo earned honorable mention nods.

Both Renners and Sims were also named to the East Central Illinois Conference team, while Berger and seniors Zhe Gao and Daniel Jacobs made the ECIC honorable mention list.

Johnson made the ECIC girls all-conference team, while Yoo, Skoza, freshman Jessi Sullivan, and senior Julie Chen received honorable mentions.