ALTON – It’s trophy time for Riverbend prep basketball players. The 76th Gallatin Awards are set for Sunday, March 26 at the Best Western Premier Hotel in Alton. The event will start at 6 p.m. with a buffet meal and feature several major honors including the Players of the Year awards for both boys and girls.
Players from Alton High, Marquette Catholic, East Alton-Wood River, Roxana and Civic Memorial are eligible for the awards. Other honors for boys and girls include: Free Throw Award, 110 Percent Award, Team Sportsmanship and team Most Valuable Players.
All varsity players and coaches get in free. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door starting at 5:30 that night. Tickets are also available on PayPal and Venmo accounts for Riverbend Basketball Awards. Shawn Roundtree Jr., a standout basketball player at Edwardsville High and then on the collegiate and professional level, will be the keynote speaker.
He’s now an actor and has enjoyed some major roles. The Gallatin Awards have been saluting area high school basketball players since the spring of 1946, making it older than the NBA, which started later that year. For more information on the Gallatin Awards, contact Committee President Bill Roseberry at 618-977-5668.
Other committee members include Steve Porter, Frank Akers, Joe Silkwood, Tim Lowrance, Al Womack an Dan Cruz. Akers will serve as emcee.
