A longtime statistician for the Columbia High School boys basketball program received a prestigious honor for his contributions to the sport. 

In addition to keeping stats for the CHS varsity football team on Friday nights during the fall, Howard “Howie” Knapp has kept the book for CHS junior varsity and varsity boys basketball every winter since 1993.

Prior to the Dec. 1 home contest against Wood River, CHS head basketball coach Mark Sandstrom announced that Knapp will be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame this coming May.

The 2023-24 hoops season is Knapp’s 31st as a stat keeper for CHS. He has recorded numbers for more than 900 of the program’s contests.

“All of our current and former players along with our coaching staff have been privileged to have Howie on the bench,” Sandstrom said of Knapp. “Howie handles and submits all of our statistics along with media requests for them throughout the season. I have never had to fill out one stat sheet in my entire career here at Columbia. His dedication to the Columbia Basketball program is above and beyond what anyone would ever expect and most of his work goes on behind the scenes and isn’t recognized publicly until tonight.  Furthermore, Howie is an outstanding person and human being.  He is one of the most genuine people I have ever met and I’m proud to say he is a tremendous friend.”

Knapp received a standing ovation from the audience upon the announcement of his Hall of Fame nod.

Former longtime Belleville News-Democrat sports writer and sports editor Norm Sanders heaped high praise upon Knapp. 

“Howie was the best stats and info person out of all the high schools I covered over 32 years of sportswriting,” Sanders posted in a Facebook comment. “A true Hall of Famer!”