These 41 basketball coaches from around Peoria earned 2026 IBCA coach of the year awards

These are the 41 Peoria-area college, high school and junior high coaches named coach of the year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association for the 2025-26 season. College men NCAA Division-I — Brian Wardle (Bradley) College women NCAA Division-I: Kate Popovic-Goss (Bradley); JD Gravina (Western Illinois) NJCAA Division II: Karrie Redeker (Illinois Central College) High school boys Class 1A — Scott Carlson (Brimfield); Cory Link (Abingdon-Avon); Chad Culver (Deer Creek-Mackinaw); Brian Emich (Tremont) Class 3A — Jarrett Brown (East Peoria); Abe Zeller (Morton) Class 4A — William Smith (Richwoods) High school girls Class 1A: Todd Hansen (Wethersfield); Jim Belville (Illini Bluffs); Ryan Davis (Roanoke-Benson); Xavier Warren (Midland); Jamie Campana (Havana); Brent Dugan (Abingdon-Avon); Joni Nightingale (Dee-Mack) Class 3A: Michaela Hurst (Metamora); Lexi Demott (Galesburg); Kim Barth (Washington); Jamie King (Morton) Junior high boys 7th grade — Tony Thomason (Limestone Walters); Matthew Mezel (LaSalle Lincoln); Scott Francis (Illini Central); Edward Page (Rushville Schuyler); Ethan Genders (Metamora) 8th grade — Chad VanDeVelde (Kewanee Visitation Catholic); Jake Kennedy (Chillicothe); David Steinbeck (Eureka); Jeff Thompson (Midwest Central); Jeff Walraven (Pekin Broadmoor) Junior high girls 7th grade: Ryan Rosenthal (Bureau Valley); Jason Gama (Peoria Christian); Kaitlyn Sweet (Illini Bluffs); Jennifer Bowker (Knoxville); Robert Deatherage (Washington Central) 8th grade: T. J.

Orlandi (Spring Valley John F. Kennedy); Jason Gama (Peoria Christian); Jessica Parker (Illini Bluffs); Kyla Simmons (Germantown Hills) This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IBCA basketball coaches of the year for 2025-26 around Peoria