CHS Basketball Awards Night: Reith, Martin and Landeros earn top awards

Two seniors and a sophomore won the top awards last month at the Chester High School Boys Basketball awards night.

Players, coaches, families and local media gathered at Chester High School March 12 to honor the 2019-2020 boys basketball program, and Head Coach Brad Norman thanked his fellow coaches - Chris Toledo, Jake Cowan, Cody Mileur and Clay Herrell - plus parents and fans for providing great support all season long.

Senior Ian Reith was named Most Valuable Player, senior Deondre Martin won the Most Improved award and sophomore Jared Landeros was given the coveted Most Dedicated Player award.

"Our program continues to improve and all of you here tonight are a big reason for this improvement," Norman told the players and parents. "Thank you for trusting us and believing in our values. These young men have taught me so many life lessons and I can only hope that they have learned a few good ones from us coaches."

The 2019-2020 Jackets finished with 20 wins and 12 losses. They finished third in a very competitive Murphysboro/Trico Tournament to start the season. They won the CIT for the second year in a row (only the fourth time in school history that Chester has won the CIT). The Jackets finished second in the Black Diamond Conference West Division.

They also played a very tough schedule.

"This team continued to beat all odds," Norman said. "They have been an outstanding team to coach. I have had tons of fun coaching them and loved how they embraced our team philosophies.

"Who could have imagined that we would continue our streak of five 20-win seasons in a row? These young men are exactly what a great program is built around. They have done nothing but show respect and class to their school, community and young fans."

The 2019-20 varsity included three freshmen, Koby Jany, Chance Mott and Gavin Schroeder; sophomores Cooper Eggemeyer, Aiden Jany, Ethan Stumpe and Jared Landeros; juniors Eli Hughes, Nate Heffernan, Jordan Hughes and Matt Korando; and seniors Chett Andrews, DeOndre Martin and Ian Reith.

Chett Andrews was known to teammates as the "Quiet Assassin."

"Chett can shoot, we know that, but he also has the knowledge to know when he does not have a good shot," Norman said. "It has really been a joy to watch him grow into a fine young man. Chett has always led by example and I don't think he understands what kind of impact he has had on our younger guys."

DeOndre Martin transferred to CHS last year and was the first man off the bench but needed more confidence.

"As the season unfolded DeOndre continued to show up and do the work," Norman said. "He figured out how to maneuver in the paint and use his athleticism. He soon gave our offense the spark it needed.

"DeOndre has been a very important part of our basketball program for the past two years. I have had the opportunity to see him grow into a fine young man," Norman added.

Ian Reith was called "Big Country," but Norman just calls him an outstanding player.

"Ian was our most vocal player and he really stepped up this year," Norman said. "Other coaches we faced throughout the season would tell me that Ian did everything the right way and that they wanted that guy on their team."

But Reith would never brag about himself, Norman said. Instead, he was driven and led by example.

Jared Landeros, the third major award winner, moved to the point guard position during the season and "actually took control of our offense," Norman said.

He said Landeros improved as the season went on, and started to slow the game down a bit.

"He is patient and works very hard," Norman said. "He is very coachable and wants what's best for the team. I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do in the future."

Norman presented certificates for the best players in statistical categories.

Assists: DeOndre Martin (65)

Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: Jordan Hughes (. 91)

3-Pointers Made: Jared Landeros (30)

Blocks: Ian Reith (38)

Steals: DeOndre Martin (69)

3-Point Shooting Percentage: Chett Andrews (36.8%)

Most Points Scored: Ian Reith (525)

Best Free Throw Percentage: DeOndre Martin (71.8%)

Most Rebounds: Ian Reith (279)

Most Charges Taken: Matt Korando (5)

Next week: We'll look at the part of the awards ceremony dedicated to the underclassmen.