Danville title celebration focuses on family

      DANVILLE ? Danville is noted for its small-town charm, which includes its love of basketball and close-knit families.

      Saturday at Danville High School Gymnasium, the Bears celebrated its second consecutive Class 2A Iowa High School Athletic Association state boys basketball championship with fanfare, pomp and circumstance.

      Making this state championship more special for head coach Ken Laffoon was his brother Randy and his sister-in-law Barbara attended the state championship. For Randy, that?s a long drive. Randy lives in Sheldon, Ill., which is 20 miles from Kankakee on the Illinois/Indiana state border and more than eight hours away from Des Moines by vehicle.

      ?It?s always special when family is there,? Laffoon, who surpassed the 200-win plateau this season, said. ?My wife Brenda and the kids came up. It was the first time for my brother Randy. It was a satisfying moment for all of us, to see the kids do something special again.?

      Laffoon?s wife Brenda along with former Burlington-Notre Dame head boys basketball coach Mark Miller served as nightly hall monitors at the team hotel.

      The Itas have also been at the heart of Danville?s recent success. Steve Ita serves as Danville?s athletic director and his son Brock plays shooting guard for the Bears.

      ?The season flashed before my eyes,? Steve Ita said. ?The kids and the coaching staff remained focused all year. I?ve never seen a heart as big as what this team has. They never gave up.?

      The week was also memorable for Don Brandt, KBUR-AM sports broadcaster, who originally thought Ita (although the heave was knocked down by Jake Wenig) hit the desperation 3-pointer which forced overtime in Danville?s 56-52 quarterfinal victory over Grundy Center Tuesday.

      Brandt, who emceed the ceremony, was scrambling to get his radio equipment together because the station was also scheduled to air Southeastern Community College?s basketball playoff game at Moberly Community College in Missouri.

      ?I didn?t see the shot,? Brandt admitted to the 700 people who attended the welcome-home celebration. ?I was a little embarrassed. If this were a movie, it would all be fictional.?

      Leroy Lippert, mayor of Danville, also expressed his thanks to the Bears and he also joked that he?ll declare a week of spring break in town, providing the team returns to the state championship tournament next season.

      ?I am proud of our school,? Lippert said. ?The team kept its composure. The kids kept fighting and they never quit.?

      Laffoon first congratulated the 2000-2001 team, which gave Danville its first state championship. Laffoon also thanked his assistant coaches A.J. Smith and Chad Vogelgesang for their hard work and bus driver Barb Fedler.

(Please purchase Monday's edition of the Mt. Pleasant News [3/19/02] at area newsstands or racks for the rest of this story and complete state boys basketball tournament coverage. Call 1-319-385-3131 to subscribe!)