Two West Aurora High School graduates return to the area Saturday.

Billy Taylor, head coach at Ball State University, brings his 8-4 Cardinals to DeKalb for a 3 p.m. game at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center. It's the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

Later that evening, Tyler Thompson and his Quincy University teammates take on Lewis University in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game in Romeoville. Tip-off is a 7:30 p.m.
The Hawks are 9-3 and 2-2 in the league and Thompson, a junior forward, is second on the team in scoring and its leading rebounder.

Road trip!

Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer was making a mini-road trip, of sorts, Saturday morning when we talked about the upcoming postseason for Class 4A teams. Weemer, a native of Tuscola, was returning to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston for a ceremony honoring the program's All-Century Team.

"Not that Steve Weemer was even close to being a member of that team," the former Panther walk-on said with a chuckle.

Maybe not, but he was a member of the 1992 team that made it to the NCAA Tournament. And, during an eight-year stint as an assistant to his former coach Rich Samuels, he was there when Naperville's Henry Domercant and company made it to the Big Dance in 2001 by upsetting Austin Peay and going on to win the conference tournament.

"They're honoring those teams, too," said Weemer.

The late Jay Taylor of Aurora, who played at Eastern from 1986-89 and is the school's No. 2 all-time leading scorer is one of the 10 members on the All-Century Team. Other area players who will be honored include current Marmion Academy assistant coach Rick Robinson of Aurora and Newark's Dave Olson, who was a 3-point shooter on that 1992 team and Weemer's roommate.

Weemer? He originally went to Eureka College and played for two years before transferring to Eastern and walking on in Charleston.

Today's EIU team features senior T.J. Marion, a former Beacon News Player of the Year from West High.