19 April 2000
CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206 and/or head coach Dennie Bridges, (309) 556-3345

Central Catholic's John O'Brien to Attend Illinois Wesleyan

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Central Catholic High School's John O'Brien, who blossomed as a basketball player as a high school senior, has decided to further his academic and athletic career at Illinois Wesleyan University, IWU head coach Dennie Bridges announced today.

O'Brien, a 6-foot-5 forward, was named to the first team of the all-area squad chosen by The Pantagraph and was a first team all-Corn Belt Conference selection. An honorable mention Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state selection, he was also the Saints' "Most Valuable Player" and "Most Improved Player" as a senior and a three-year varsity letterman.

As a senior O'Brien averaged 18.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocked shots for the Saints, who were 20-9 and won their first regional since 1989. He posted a team-best 48 percent field goal shooting mark and made 70 percent of his free throw attempts.

"As the season unfolded, John got better and better," said Bridges. "I see his improvement continuing and, as he gets bigger and stronger, he will become a fine player. He is an outstanding student and a great kid and I'm really happy that he decided to become a Titan."

"John's work ethic and his ability to get in the gym and make himself better is his greatest asset," says Central Catholic coach Kevin Brown. "He definitely has room to improve as his legs get stronger and he continues to build up his upper body. John has always had a nice outside shot, but his increased strength this season allowed him to go inside much harder. I'm really pleased with his decision and hope he has a great career at IWU."

O'Brien, who scored 33 on his ACT college entrance exam, plans to major in political science or history at Illinois Wesleyan. He is the son of Dan and Kay O'Brien of Bloomington.

About IWU Men's Basketball

The Titans were 17-8 last winter and 9-5 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Titans failed to advance to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 1993 and for only the fourth time in the 17 years of the school's NCAA association. The winningest active Division III coach, Bridges completed his 35^th season at the Titan helm with a career mark of 643-312 and a league record of 411-125. The Titans won the national Division III championship in 1997 and placed third in the national tourney in 1996.