State official goin’ to the Dawgs Saturday

By Bob Ellis

Daily American, West Frankfort, IL
Published Wednesday, February 27, 2008

He’s a real state “treasure.” He now banks money, but he used to “bank basketballs.”

Come on — how many witty lines can you come up with about a state treasurer? Well, our state treasurer is going to the “dogs.” Or, the “Dawgs,” as it were. The former Boston U. Terrier will visit the SIU Salukis Saturday, expressly for the cause of furthering education.

Popular Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, a former NCAA Division I basketball player and international pro-baller, wants to give away a Bright Start College Scholarship this weekend, but whomever wins it is going to have to earn it.

The challenge will happen during halftime at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale men’s basketball home game against Illinois State University on Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Treasurer Giannoulias will go “head to head” against a randomly selected person from the crowd at halftime. The treasurer and his opponent will shoot as many free throws as they can in 25 seconds. If the challenger beats Giannoulias, he or she will receive a $500 gift certificate that will go toward a Bright Start account. The state treasurer’s office runs the Bright Start College Savings Program. It’s Illinois’ 529 college savings plan that is an easy, tax-free way to invest for college.

If you plan on beating the Treasurer, though, you’d best be on your “A’ game. After playing two years at Boston U. he played two years of pro ball in Greece. In fact, he might just want to suit up for the second half. With an announced new vision for the state, he took office in January 2007 and went right to work. During a period of historically high spending, he cut budget during his first year. Among other accomplishments, he put unclaimed property items on eBay; earned more money for Illinois through investments; implemented the state’s toughest ethics order for his office and introduced the nation’s largest hybrid vehicle rebate program.

Now he’s laying it on the line, the free throw line, to help a Saluki to get financial help. And probably for the first time in his life, won’t mind if he loses the competition.