Every week during the school year, NewsChannel 20 and United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America honor an outstanding athlete in Central Illinois. The athlete is honored with a short segment on the Sunday 10 p.m. news and an Athlete of the Week Award plaque.

Brianne Cox

Virden High School

Ask Virden High School girls basketball coach Paula Lane who the best player she's ever had is, and the answer comes quickly -- Brianne Cox. A four-year varsity performer, Cox has the Lady Bulldogs off to a solid 10-2 start, but that's not nearly what's most impressive about her efforts here in 2007. Against Nokomis just a few weeks ago, Cox passed Missy Skelton to become the Lady Bulldog's all-time leading scorer in program history. Needless to say, she'll be missed quite a bit next year at Virden.

Deanddris Barbour
Senior
Springfield High School

Despite not starting to play organized basketball until his freshman year of high school, Deanddris Barbour quickly developed into a fine player. His averages of 12 points and 6 rebounds per-game have helped Springfield High School to a plus-.500 record, something he's very proud of. His coach, Matt Reed, says he's only going to get better on the hardwood, and expects him to continue playing somewhere in college next year.

Kelvin Johnson
Junior
University of Illinois-Springfield

Kelvin Johnson -- a.k.a. "K.J." -- has been a part of everything good in UIS basketball history. Now in his third season with the school, K.J. has helped guide the Prairie Stars to back-to-back NAIA National Tournament appearances and back-to-back conference titles. Earlier this season, he became the school's all-time leading scorer with over one-thousand points in all. In addition, he leads the school in field goals made, free throws made, assists and steals. Coach Kevin Gamble says he's worked hard, and he's lucky to have him for one more season.

Kyle Krager
Senior
Chatham-Glenwood High School

At 6'3", Kyle Krager plays in the post for Glenwood's 12-2 boys basketball team.  But he can also bring the ball up the court and hit the outside shot, making him a versatile threat for coach Todd Blakeman.  Aside from his prowess on the hardwood (he's averaging a double-double at 10 points/10 rebounds per game), Krager is a standout on the football field in the fall and on the baseball diamond in the spring.  When his high school career is all said and done, he'll have participated in 12 sports -- a number that speaks not only to his talent, but his character as well.

Leonard Hubbard
Senior
Sacred-Heart Griffin

On the football fields here in Central Illinois, Leonard Hubbard's name evokes thoughts only of success. The talented linebacker helped SHG win back-to-back state championships in 2006 and 2007, and along the way, played well enough to earn countless scholarship offers from Big Ten and Big 12 teams. In the end, "The Hitman", as he's known, settled on Wisconsin. He'll take his skills to Madison next fall, where he hopes to see the field as a true freshman.

Luke Butts
Senior
Warrensburg-Latham High School

While he's never the biggest player on the court, he's always the one with the biggest heart. Luke Butts stands 5'7", but the Warrensburg-Latham senior guard might as well be 7 feet tall with how much he does for his Cardinals team. Thanks to his guidance at the point guard spot, W-L begins regional play this week as a favorite to win the Class 1A State Title. They've only lost once on the season, and that's thanks in large part to Butts' energy and six assists per-game. In addition to his extra-special effort on the court, he's a standout student in the classroom. When he graduates this spring, he'll do so with the second best GPA in his class.

Nokomis Boys Basketball Team
Nokomis High School

Though almost nobody expected it, the Nokomis Boys Basketball team plowed through the playoffs all the way to Carver Arena in Peoria and the State Tournament. Thanks to teamwork and toughness, the Redskins out-smarted Warrensburg-Latham in the semifinals, setting up a date with St. Anne in the state championship game. Although the 'Skins didn't come out on top, they won 30 games, and took home second in state in Class 1A -- certainly a tremendous accomplishment.

Olivia Lett
Senior
Pana High School

When you think "involved", think of Olivia Lett. She's the president of Pana High School's Student Council, a +4.0 GPA student, and a member of the National Honor Society. Add to that her huge contribution to the Pana Golf team as well as its Softball team, and you'd think she's a more than deserving Athlete of the Week winner. But on top of that all, Lett is the all-time leading points scorer in school history -- boys or girls. She's racked up over two thousand points, and this year has the Lady Panthers on the right track to a berth in the State Tournament. Next year she'll take her hardwood talents to Southern Illinois University, where she earned a full scholarship to play for the Women's Basketball team.

Rochester Girls Basketball Team
Rochester High School

Compiling a 62-10 record over the past two seasons, the Rochester Lady Rockets did twice what most teams don't get the chance to do one time. They made two straight appearances in the State Championship game, and although they lost both times, the girls developed friendships nearly all of them say will last them a lifetime. The team loses five seniors, but does return some important parts next season for head coach Rhonda Goad to work with.

Ryan Connolly
Senior
Lanphier High School

While many big men find quick success early in their career, 6'8" Ryan Connolly didn't have it so easy. Between his junior and senior seasons, the man they call "Big Country" worked hard with his conditioning, in the weight room, and of course on the hardwood. Now, he's leading the Central State Eight conference in points (18/game) and has his Lanphier squad right atop the standings.

Taylorville Wrestling Team
Taylorville High School

It hasn't been easy, or fast for that matter, but the Taylorville wrestling team has gone from barely being able to field a roster to Central State Eight champions. The team won the school's first ever conference wrestling championship this season, a title the team couldn't have won without the dedication of ten senior grapplers. Coach Don Beetem says this is one of the best groups he's ever worked with, from the freshmen through senior classes.

It's easy to nominate an athlete. Just send a letter explaining why you think the athlete deserves the Athlete of the Week Award in care of "Athlete of the Week" to NewsChannel 20, 2680 East Cook Street, Springfield, IL 62703 - or e-mail us at sports@wics.com - Subject: Athlete of the Week.

Read the official rules before sending in a nomination.