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DACC celebrates 30 years of NJCAA Tournament

marvin holman marvin., commercial-news, danville, ill.
·6 min read

Mar. 18—DANVILLE — The success of the NJCAA Division II Tournament in Danville goes back to the success of the Danville Area Community College basketball team in 1991.

The success of the team in going to the tournament, which was held in Delta, Mich., led to a decision from then DACC Vice President of Finance and Administration Dick Shockey.

"I was sitting in Mr. Shockey's office and DACC was in the national tournament, but it was in Michigan," said Danville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jeanie Cooke. "When they got back, Mr. Shockey said, 'That wasn't in the budget. I am going to bid on it because I think I can break even and I don't have to pay for that trip ever again.'"

Shockey would have help from Cooke, then-DACC president Harry Brown and then-men's basketball coach John Spezia.

"He (Shockey) asked about the tournament and we've had region tournaments here, so we could host this one," Spezia said. "He crunched the numbers and I helped with sponsorships. We had a good meeting and said we could do this and get volunteers. I was the head rep for Division II basketball and it made sense.

"We were a pretty good team. If you were talking about a team that had chemistry, this was the team. They came from different backgrounds and places like (Indianapolis) Ben Davis and Mount Vernon, Southern Illinois, Heritage Hills. They came from good programs."

With then-Tournament Director Shockey at the helm, DACC picked up the tournament for the 1993-94 season and two years later, current Tournament Director Brian Hensgen came to town and would start a journey that led him to his current position.

"I was a sophomore at the University of St. Francis in Joliet in 1993," Hensgen said. "My wife Laura is from Hoopeston and when she got a job here in 1995, that is when I learned about the tournament.

"Under Dick's leadership, we were given a clear guideline to do what we can to create an environment for the players, the coaches, the visitors and the community. That was instilled in me from when I started in DACC and being in sports and wanting to be involved in the NJCAA Tournament. I volunteered every year. This is my 28th year being around around the tournament. I was a shot clock operator, a scorebook operator and done the stats. So I have been around every aspect and everyone had to step up to create an environment for our visitors. After Mr. Shockey passed away, we are continuing to do that for our visitors. We are trying to accomplish the goal of creating an experience and that the players will enjoy themselves, and that vision continues and Mr. Shockey is with us in spirit in helping us get through these last few weeks."

The first national tournament in Danville had eight teams in 1994, with Joliet Junior College winning, and has returned ever since with the help of the basketball committee and Spezia.

"We were connected with the NJCAA, the coaches association and we went from eight to 12 teams," Spezia said. "We had Jeanie, (Former Danville mayor Scott Eisenhauer), (Neuhoff Communications CEO Mike Hulvey) and Dick. We started to build a relationship with the NJCAA and that helped us keep the tournament in Danville. They saw who we did and we did public relations with them. After the 12, we had 16 teams and that is how that evolved.

"It evolves because of the national meetings and with people like (Former Division II chairman) Jack Cistrano, (Region 24 men's director) Jay Harrington, (Current Executive Director of the NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association) Thom McDonald), (Former Executive Director of the NJCAA) Wayne Baker and (Former DACC President) Dr. Harry Brown helping out."

Along with the teams increasing, the atmosphere at Mary Miller Center has changed as well. With a new video board added last year and a media suite built in for this season, it will make the experience clearer for fans.

"Our goal is to create an environment that was championship level," Hensgen said. "We didn't know the ins and outs to create content and make this a real event, so we took the opportunity to showcase it with still photos and logos. As we were going to the Vermilion County tournament, our video people stepped up to provide the content for the player experience. It took a lot of hard work for that team but we are going to continue with that.

"With the integration of the video board, the next step in the process was putting a place where we are able to have the technology remotely controlled in the media suite and where we didn't have to unplug and disassemble after every game. We are happy with the media suite. We have our radio partners come in and it helps with recruiting, graduation or anything that is needed."

With the DACC men's basketball team qualifying for the tournament this year, attendance should increase even from last year's totals.

"It brings a whole level of excitement to the championship," Hensgen said. "I think that not only here on campus for the men, but the ladies team for advancing to their national championship (In Port Huron, Mich.), it had created a great buzz on campus and it can be bigger crowds and a little pep in their step in creating a successful week of providing people with that great experience. It gets people excited about everything."

"I think it will bring larger crowd to the tournament," Cooke said. "More Danville people will see their team play, so it will impact the numbers going into the arena. I am expecting it to be one of the largest tournaments ever. It is that feel in the air and I think people are ready to go out and do things and I think we will have a big crowd and looking at the teams, we are going to have great competition."

Cooke said that the excitement is also among the businesses owners in town who are looking for that tourist dollar.

"We know the hotels are happy and they will be full," Cooke said. "We make sure that our restaurants have everything ready to come in and get ready for the people coming in."

In addition, Cooke said downtown Danville has been decorated with banners, basketballs and photos of past tournaments, as well as yard signs throughout the community.

"We are doing a lot of behind the scenes work to say that the tournament is here and it is important to the community," she said.

This year's tournament is the last in the current contract with the NJCAA and Danville has already put in a bid for the next two years. The final decision will come mid-April, but Cooke and Hensgen are confident that the experiences of the past and present will work toward the future.

"The bid has already gone in and I always attend the NJCAA annual meeting," Cooke said. "Our bureau hosts a breakfast for the board of regents, but my inkling is that we might get an idea of who they will go with before then."

"This year was a new experience," Hensgen said. "Generally, we had been bidding for a three-year bid, and this year it will be for a two-year bid application ... We are hopeful that the national committee and the Board of Regents will select Danville to continue our partnership for 2024 and 2025. We are optimistic that everything we have done the last 30 years will help us continue to host the tournament."