Glory Days with.....Jason Russell

The 1987-88 boys basketball season was not one that was too memorable for Dundee-Crown until they got the opportunity to play rival Jacobs for a third time, who had won over 20 games that season. That’s where Jason
Russell steps in. The junior at the time hit a shot that will go down as one of
the greatest in school history.

“We somehow were able to keep the game close,” Russell said. “We got the ball at the end of the game and I hit a 3 pointer to win the game, the regional championship, and end Jacobs' season. That is a great memory.”

Russell was also a great baseball player who pitched D-C past a talented Elgin team in the sectional semifinal during his senior year.

Russell’s Chargers team included former major league pitcher Juan Acevedo. The 1989 graduate was inducted into the Dundee-Crown Hall of Fame this year and said that induction night was something he will never forget.

“I was very honored and humbled to be inducted into the D-C
Hall of Fame,” Russell said. “There have been so many great athletes to come out of there over the years and to be recognized as one of them was truly special. It was a great evening and to share that with my former coaches, friends, and family was awesome.”

Russell is now the athletic director and boys’ basketball coach at Westfield Community School in Algonquin and added that he enjoys the chance to help the younger generation.

“What I enjoy most about my job is that I get to stay involved with athletics,” Russell said. “I love athletics and to be able to teach and coach them to kids is very rewarding to me. I am so grateful for what sports has done in my life. Athletics relates to life in so many ways, and I try to show that to them as well as being a positive leader in their lives. If I can have a positive effect on a student or athlete then I know I am doing my job, and I am very thankful for that.”