OGLESBY — Illinois Valley Community College Athletic Director and men’s basketball coach Tommy Canale has announced his resignation after seven years to accept a position in high school and college scouting.
“Tommy’s a good man who has done a fine job for the college,” said IVCC President Jerry Corcoran. “We wish him nothing but the best and will miss him.”
Canale said IVCC will always be a part of him.
“I will always believe in IVCC,” Canale said. “There is a lot of opportunity for success here and I am hopeful it will keep moving that way. I’m also excited about what lies ahead on my career path.”
With the resignation effective July 31, Corcoran said the search for an interim athletic director will begin immediately and will be followed by the pursuit of a head coach. Canale informed IVCC coaches Tuesday and his players Wednesday.
Canale will go to work for National Scouting Report headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. – a high school scouting and college recruiting organization with 150 employees and scouts worldwide. Canale said his territory will be either central Illinois or Las Vegas where he has family.
Hired in September 2007, Canale collected a 114-101 record including six straight winning seasons. A 23-year coaching veteran, Canale received his associate’s from IVCC while working as assistant coach for Mike Riley’s assistant, who died Tuesday in Florida.
The highlight of his coaching tenure was the 2008-09 team that finished 19-12 behind Mike Gills, Rosie Jones, Tylon McAllister, Korby Kasperski, Chad Sipovic, Brett Barkman and Cooper Westvig.
Several of Canale’s players earned scholarships to play at four-year colleges and universities and three earned academic scholarships.
A former IVCC intramural coordinator and golf coach (2006 and 2007), Canale was the first person to earn a bachelor’s from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala.
He was also the college’s athletic academic coordinator and created the student-athlete attendance tracker. IVCC student-athletes earned a combined 3.0 GPA in 2013-14 and women’s basketball, women’s tennis and golf teams competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament.