Oregon grad helping make sure IHSA state tournaments run smoothly

Oregon High School did not have at team at the girls state basketball tournament finals March 2-4 in Normal, but there was a notable OHS presence.

Alex Cain, a 2013 OHS graduate and now Illinois State University’s Director of Game Operations, was the event manager for the tournament – or more specifically, the guy with the radio and cell phone who was making sure everyone was in the right place at the right time.

“This is my second basketball championship since coming to ISU in 2021,” said Cain, 28, in between 1A and 2A semifinal games Thursday. “The planning for this tournament began six months ago. Now we are making sure everything is on schedule.”

Working in close concert with tournament director IHSA Assistant Executive Director Beth Sauser, Cain was on the first day of the tournament that included four sessions with eight teams playing six games starting at 10 a.m. and ending around 10 p.m.

“There is a tremendous amount of planning and communication that goes on between us and the IHSA prior to the tournament,” Cain said. “Today I am just trying to answer all the questions that have been coming in from the teams and put out all the little fires as they pop up.”

One of those “fires” on the opening day of the tournament was planning for the second day if the forecast of several inches of snow arrived as predicted.

“I just sent out messages to the 3A and 4A teams that they should probably try to get down here today based on what the weather forecast is for tomorrow,” Cain said.

Other duties for Cain included getting IHSA officials and players lined up correctly for award presentations – including pushing the portable stage onto the Doug Collins Court himself.

“I like to be hands-on, so if I see something that needs to be done, sometimes it is just more efficient to do it myself rather than take the time to tell someone to do it,” Cain said.

He started in the ISU athletics department in July 2021 serving as the primary event manager for cross country, women’s basketball and track and field.

In addition to serving as event manager for the IHSA girls basketball tournament, he oversaw the IHSA’s 2021 and 2022 volleyball finals – also held at the CEFCU Arena, formerly known as the Redbird Arena, on the ISU campus.

Prior to ISU, Cain served as an event and facility manager at the University of Missouri from August 2019 to July 2021, where he oversaw men’s and women’s swimming and diving events, as well as women’s tennis and assisting in football gameday parking operations. Additionally, Cain also served as the “front-of-house manager and supervisor for men’s basketball.”

Cain earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Sports Studies with a focus in Sport Management from Eastern Illinois University, where he also was a four-year member of the baseball team.

He received his master’s degree in Kinesiology and Sports Studies with an emphasis in Sport Administration in 2019 from EIU, where he also served as a graduate assistant.

“I’ve been doing this now for six years,” he said.

At OHS, he was a key member of the basketball and baseball teams and led the Hawks’ only sectional appearance in baseball in 2013.

During his tenure at ISU, Cain has watched two Big Northern Conference teams – Winnebago and Byron – compete at the girls basketball finals.

“The first year I was here at ISU, Winnebago made it down and finished second,” he said. “Now this year, Byron is here and they also finished second.”

In a special twist, Cain and Byron assistant coach Bryant Suess, who is also an OHS grad, were neighbors while growing up.

When Friday’s snowstorm hit, Byron was looking for something to do with their players, so Suess asked Cain if he would give the team a tour of ISU’s athletic facilities.

“We took them on a tour and showed them the locker rooms and the facilities. They seemed to like it,” Cain said.

ISU will begin hosting the IHSA football finals in 2023 at the Redbirds’ Hancock Stadium, and Cain already has been involved in planning for that event.

The move follows several years of Northern Illinois and the University of Illinois alternating the football state finals at their stadiums.

“We got the bid officially in December, so we are working with a lot of different people and have reached out to NIU and U of I to figure out solutions to any problems they may have had,” he said. “What’s been difficult for us in this first year is trying to find volunteers who are around and want to be here during Thanksgiving weekend. You really don’t know what you’re going to get with the weather.

“And because it is our first year, people don’t know what to expect. If people see it, then they’ll want to be a part of it,” he said. “Hancock Stadium is a great facility, and it seems like the size the IHSA wants fit-wise.”

The move to the smaller (11,000-12,000) capacity stadium also means less travel distance for IHSA officials, since their offices are located in Bloomington.

Cain’s schedule lightens in the summer when ISU is not in session, and he makes frequent trips back to his mom and dad’s home 122 miles to the north in Oregon.

“My mom and dad have been down here several times to watch games,” he said. “My dad loves coming to games. They like that I’ve been closer here at ISU.”

As for the future, Cain likes working on the smaller to mid-major collegiate level, but isn’t sure what his next career move will be.

“I feel more comfortable in this environment; it is more of a family environment. At those bigger schools, there’s so many people that have to make things happen that you can run into a lot of roadblocks just trying to do simple tasks. Here, I have a lot of autonomy to do what I feel is best. I have a really great boss and supervisor who allow me to kinda make decisions as long as I inform them of what those decisions are going to be.”

Cain’s gameday operations staff includes two graduate assistants who are working on their master’s degrees in sports management.

“I’ve enjoyed my time in college athletics, but I am kind of on the fence if after this year I want to come back here or move on to another school or maybe take some time off from college athletics,” he said. “I’ve dedicated 22 years to being an athlete and given up a lot of time. I love what I do, but I am kind of ready to take some of that time to be able to spend it with mom and dad and my girlfriend. They’ve sacrificed a lot to come see me, they know I love what I do, but I do make a lot of sacrifices to do this. If I miss it, I could always come back.

“I’m very happy here, but I am going to keep my options open,” he said.