December 14, 2024
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Notebook: Grey Giovanine inducted into Augustana Hall of Fame; Chris McDonald nominated for NFL award

By Kevin Hieronymus
Sheffield native Grey Giovanine was inducted into the Augustana College's Hall of Fame on Feb. 4. He is the winningest coach in the history of the Vikings basketball program.

Sheffield native Grey Giovanine was inducted into the Augustana College's Hall of Fame on Feb. 4. He is the winningest coach in the history of the Vikings basketball program. (Photo courtesy Augustana College)

Grey Giovanine is the winningest coach in the history of the Augustana College basketball program, compiling a 433-150 record (.743) in 21 seasons.

The Sheffield native firmly established his program as one of the best in NCAA Division III.

On Feb. 4, Giovanine took his place in the Augustana Hall of Fame, one of six honorees in the Class of 2023 that were inducted.

Giovanine earned national Coach of the Year honors from Basketball Times in 2015 and 2019 and D3hoops.com in 2017 and led Augustana to national championship game appearances in 2015 and 2017.

Augustana became the first program to be ranked in D3hoops.com’s final top five for five consecutive years.

Giovanine’s 10 regular-season CCIW titles are the second most in conference history, and he ranks third in career wins and fourth in winning percentage (minimum of two seasons). His six conference tournament championships are the most in league history.

Giovanine was named the CCIW’s Coach of the Year from 2006 to 2008, in 2011 and from 2015 to 2019.

He earned Illinois Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division III Coach of the Year honors in 2002, 2003, from 2006 to 2008, in 2011 and from 2015 to 2018.

In addition to his three national Coach of the Year awards, he was D3hoops.com’s Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2011 and Central Region Coach of the Year in 2017.

Giovanine, who was inducted into the Bureau County Hall of Fame along with his late father, Chips, in 2019, retired from Augustana in May 2020.

McDonald nominated for NFL award

Chris McDonald, son of Princeton natives Jerry and Patty McDonald, led Chandler Basha High School to its first Arizona state football championship, defeating defending state champion Scottsdale Saguaro 28-21 on Dec. 10.

Basha finished 12-1, ranked for the first time nationally at No. 14 by USA Today.

Chris McDonald holds up the Arizona state championship trophy won by his Chandler Basha High School football team.

Coach Chris McDonald holds the Arizona state championship trophy won by his Chandler Basha High School football team. (Photo courtesy Chris McDonald)

McDonald was named as the Arizona Republic’s 2022 High School Football Coach of the Year.

Most recently, he was nominated by the Arizona Cardinals for the NFL Don Shula National High School Coach of the Year Award. Each NFL team nominates a high school coach from their state for the award.

Coach Mac, as he is known, was humbled by the nomination. He told ABC15.com Arizona that “I don’t throw any footballs, I didn’t tackle anybody, I didn’t run or catch. [The players] did it, so I’m just really grateful, in all honesty.”