ALTON – Tonight was the 76th annual Gallatin Players of the Year Banquet which recognizes girls and boys high school basketball players from Alton, Marquette Catholic, Civic Memorial, East Alton-Wood River, and Roxana. The event was held at the Best Western Premier in Alton.
The banquet started in 1946 and it was called the Alton Exchange Club Banquet then in 2018 due to budget issues a new group took it over and changed the name to the Gallatin Players of the Year Banquet after the late Harry Gallatin.
The Gallatin Banquet was named after basketball legend Harry Gallati. Gallatin grew up in Wood River and graduated from Roxana High School in 1944. Following a standout prep career, he was a standout college player at Northeast Missouri State, now Truman State in Kirksville, MO. Gallatin played for 10 years in the NBA, from 1948 to 1958, and spent the first nine years with the New York Knicks. Gallatin led the NBA in rebounding during the 1954 season when he averaged 15.3 rebounds per game and earned a spot on the All-Star team. Gallatin was a seven-time All-Star.
After the NBA Gallatin began coaching at SIUC where he complied a 69-35 record. He started the SUIE basketball program in 1967-68 and was the director of athletics and assistant dean of students. He retired in 1992. One year before his retirement, Gallatin was selected to the Naismith Hall of Fame. Gallatin is also a member of 10 other Hall of Fames.
Shawn Roundtree Jr., a standout basketball player at Edwardsville High and then on the collegiate and professional level, was the keynote speaker.
Roundtree helped lead the Tigers to a Class 4A third-place finish at state as a junior in 2013 and a fourth-place finish in 2014. His collegiate career began at Missouri State University where he played 30 games and finished second on the team in assists. A hamstring injury forced him to miss 27 games as a sophomore and he decided to transfer.
He completed his career with over 1,000 points, All-Conference honors in the Mid-American Conference, and multiple Player of the Week Awards at Central Michigan University.
Roundtree then went to play pro basketball in the republic of Georgia to play for Kutaisi of Georgia Super league for the 2019-2020 season. Roundtree excelled, averaging 13.2 ppg. And earned an all-star appearance.
In 2020 he returned to Edwardsville, embarking on his new career as a actor. His big break came in 2021 when he appeared on an episode of Chicago P..D.
Since then Roundtree has enjoyed several commercial roles. On top of acting, Roundtree has created Great Wave, a brand he’s using to spread positivity and self-awareness through public speaking engagements.
The Special Service Award went to Ross and Dawn Laux, The Girls Sportsmanship Award went to the Alton Lady Redbirds and the Boys went to Roxana Shells. The Girls Free Thow Award went to Olivia Durbin of CM and the Boys went to Kendall Lavender of Marquette.
The Boys 110 Percent Finalist Were:
Tyrius Jones (Alton)
Dalton Buhs (CM)
Jakob Gerber (EAWR)
Evan Wells ( Roxana)
Winner: Parker Macias (Marquette)
The Girls 110 Percent Finalist Were:
Nia Ballinger (Marquette)
Aubree Wallace (CM)
Ocean Bland (EAWR)
Tatum Shaw (Roxana)
Winner: Jarius Powers (Alton)
Boys MVP Finalist Were:
Byron Stampley (Alton)
Braden Kline (Marquette)
Seth Slayden (EAWR)
Aidan Briggs (Roxana)
Winner: Sam Buckley (CM)
Girls MVP Finalist Were:
Olivia Durbin (CM)
Milla LeGette (EAWR)
Haley Rogers (Marquette)
Kinsley Mouser (Roxana)
Winner: Kiyoko Proctor (Alton)
Previous Players of the Year award winners include:
2023 – Sam Buckley of CM and Kiyoko Proctor of Alton
2022 – Owen Williams of Marquette and Kelbie Zupan of CM
2021 — Ja’Markus Gary of Alton and Tori Standefer of CM
2020 — Gavin Huffman of Roxana and Anna Hall of CM
2019 — Donovan Clay of Alton and Anna Hall of CM
2018 — Sammy Green of Marquette Catholic and Kaylee Eaton of CM
2017 – Maurice Edwards of Alton and Allie Troeckler of CM
2016 – Shandon Boone of Marquette Catholic and Allie Troeckler of CM
2015 – Darrius Edwards of Alton and Allie Troeckler of CM
2014 – Deion Lavender of Marquette Catholic and Megan Trost of CM
2013 — Hunter Reine of Roxana and Megan Trost of CM
2012 — Hunter Reine of Roxana and Megkinize Carter of CM
2011 — Tony Bradley of Alton and Cassie Endicott of CM
2010 — Tony Bradley of Alton and Kelsey Harrison of EA-WR
2009 — Ryan Mathews of Alton and Michaela Herrod of Alton
2008 —Ruben Cotto of Alton and Katie Broadway of CM
2007 — Kavon Lacey of Alton and Katie Broadway of CM
2006 — Kavon Lacey of Alton and Katie Broadway of CM
2005 — Lorenzo Taylor of Alton and Emily Best of EA-WR
2004 — Nick Certa of Marquette Catholic and Emily Best of EA-WR
2003 — Nick Certa of Marquette Catholic and Jordan Davis of Roxana
2002 — Travis Williams of EA-WR and Casey Law of CM
2001 — Michael Stockard of Alton and Ashley Russell of EA-WR
2000 — Demarko “Book” Snipes of Alton and Michelle Beiermann of Marquette Catholic
1999 — Demarko “Book” Snipes of Alton and Kendra Snyder of Marquette Catholic
1998 — Tony Certa of Marquette Catholic and DoBee Oros-Moore of Alton
1997 — Marlon Crawford of Alton and Jenni Combes of CM
1996 — Nic Stotler of CM and Angela Payne of Roxana
1995 — Greg McDanel of Roxana and Erica Oge of Marquette Catholic
1994 — Eric Frankford of CM and Amie Gernigan of Marquette Catholic
1993 – Ty Laux of CM
1992 – Brad Bohannon of Marquette Catholic
1991 – Jonathan Denney of CM
1990 – Kevin Caldwell of Alton
1989 – Joe Vann of Alton
1988 – Steve Mason of Marquette Catholic
1987 – Jamie Humphries of CM
1986 – Larry Smith of Alton
1985 – Larry Smith of Alton
1984 – Dale Liley of EA-WR
1983 – Rick Taylor of Alton
1982 – Steve Wooley of EA-WR
1981 – Dan Coddington of EA-WR
1980 – Troy Washpun of Alton
1979 – Jim “Buzz” Logan of EA-WR
1978 – David Goins of Alton
1977 – Brad Scheiter of Alton
1976 – Leroy Stampley of Alton
1975 – Chris Schroeder of Roxana
1974 – Doug Nalley of Alton
1973 – Lafayette Collins of Alton
1972 – Dennis Olston of EA-WR
1971 – Ron Caldwell of Alton
1970 – Dave Taynor of CM
1969 – Mike Jeffries of Alton
1968 – Leon Huff of Alton
1967 – Ricci Stotler of CM
1966 – Jim Bailey of EA-WR
1965 – Terry Brown of EA-WR
1964 – Larry Jeffries of Alton
1963 – Bob Hilgendorf of CM
1962 – Larry Shoemaker of Alton
1961 – Gary Lane of EA-WR
1960 – Karl Doucleff of Western Military Academy
1959 – Jerry Messick of EA-WR
1958 – Mike Hunter of Alton
1957 – Jim Lemon of EA-WR
1956 – Cliff Talley of EA-WR
1955 – Essic Robinson of Alton
1954 -Richard Brown of Roxana
1953 – Dick Harbke of Roxana
1952 – Ron Fisher of EA-WR
1951 – Bob Kuhn of Alton
1950 – Lowell Pettit of EA-WR
1949 – Ron Bedwell of Roxana
1948 – Sam Vinyard of EA-WR
1947 – Bob Caffery of EA-WR
1946 – Dick Erzen of EA-WR
