Republic basketball star Chris Ijames, who also played at Drury University after graduating high school, was honored as one of the 2019 “Filbert Five” by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
“Republic was a great place to grow up, and along the way there were so many coaches that helped me and helped develop me as a player,” Ijames said.
Ijames was a three-year starter for Republic under coach Denny McHenry. He earned All-State recognition his senior year when he averaged more than 16 points and seven rebounds a game. He made the All-Central Ozark Conference team as a junior and senior. He was an All-District and All-Ozarks selection as a senior.
When he got the call about receiving the award, Ijames said his first reaction was, “Do they have the right person?” But when the news sunk in, “I was just really appreciative and thankful and honored that they elected me for that.”
At Drury, Ijames was a teammate of current Republic coach Tim Brown. The two had played against one another in high school, but had played some AAU basketball together before that.
“It’s so cool seeing him at Republic,” Ijames said. “He’s a great guy and a great coach.”
According to a Missouri Sports Hall of Fame press release, “At Drury from 2006 to 2009, Ijames emerged as one of coach Steve Hesser’s most respected players. He scored 1,317 points (currently 22nd all-time at Drury), grabbed 467 rebounds and made 202 assists in 115 games, which included 94 starts. His 26 points – including six 3-pointers – lifted Drury to the 2008 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Championship and foreshadowed a monster season, in which he scored 428 points and had 143 rebounds.”
Ijames and the other Filbert Five recipients were honored along with several others at the Hall of Fame’s basketball luncheon last week.
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