The first Illini Prairie Conference basketball team includes one Pontiac, sophomore Ryan Weir. Eddie Shumaker of Prairie Central was given an honorable mention.

On the girls side, Pontiac freshman Addison Masching made the second team along with Prairie Central senior Olivia Weber. Prairie Central’s Elly Haberkorn made honorable mention.

A former Illinois State basketball player is being remembered as an upbeat person and a great teammate. Zeke Upshaw died Monday morning at a Grand Rapids Hospital two days after he collapsed on the court during an NBA G-League Game. Upshaw played at ISU from 2010 to 2013.

Illinois forward Michael Finke and guard Te’Jon Lucas has announced he’s leaving the basketball program. Finke and Lucas are the third and fourth players to leave the program since the season ended.

Keita Bates-Diop is leaving Ohio State ahead of his senior season to declare for the NBA draft. The U-High alum has also hired an agent which means he relinquished his final year of college eligibility. Bates-Diop was the Big Ten player of the year.

Illinois State has lose one of its assistant coaches. Brian “Penny” Collins has been named the head coach at Tennessee State, replacing another former Redbird coach Dana Ford, who took the head coaching job at Missouri State last week.

Connecticut is headed to the NCAA women’s Final Four with a win over South Carolina. Notre Dame beat Oregon in the other Elite 8 matchup. The Irish and Huskies join fellow top seeds Mississippi State and Louisville at the Final Four that begins Friday at Columbus, Ohio.

The Chicago Blackhawks lost in a shootout to San Jose, 4-3, ensuring Hawks coach Joel Quenneville his first losing season in 22 years as an NHL head coach.