Coaches

Don Stanton

Year Inducted: 1986

Category: Coaches

Schools / Organizations: LaSalle-Peru High School
Canton High School
Pinckneyville High School

Biography: Don Stanton played high school basketball under 1973 IBCA Hall of Famer, Duster Thomas at Pinckneyville. After playing at St. Louis University, he served one season as assistant coach there. He coached at Pinckneyville from 1957 to 1962 and posted a 226-31 record. In that span, the Panthers won five IHSA Regional titles, three conference championships, two Salem Tournament championships, and one Centralia Tournament championship. In 1962-63 he coached at Canton HS, where he was only 8-20, but at the end of the season won the IHSA Regional Championship. Stanton spent two seasons at Mount Vernon, Ind. Stanton returned to Illinois high school circles for the 1965-66 season at LaSalle-Peru HS. In the three years at L-P Stanton coached the Cavaliers to three IHSA Regional Titles, won two Illinois Valley Conference championships, one NCIC championship, a Morris Holiday Title, a second place at Morris, and a third place at the Centralia Holiday Tournament. In his final season, Stanton’s Cavaliers reached the quarterfinals of the IHSA State Tournament, the furthest any L-P team had gone. Overall, his record at L-P was 66-20. In his career his teams won 76 percent of their games and an IHSA Regional Championship each year.  Don Stanton died on April 1, 2017 at the age of 83.