MARION – Banterra Bank, one of the nation’s largest community banks and based in Southern Illinois, announces a NIL (name, image and likeness) partnership with four SIU Saluki athletes to further promote the Banterra brand (and specifically the Banterra-SIU Saluki Visa® Debit Card), Southern Illinois University and the region. Each of the four athletes have hometowns within Banterra’s six-state footprint. Athletes include Kennard Davis (Men’s Basketball), Jackie Lis (Women’s Softball), Damien Mayo, Jr. (Men’s Basketball) and Jeniah Thompson (Women’s Basketball).
“We were able to sit down with these athletes for a dinner and conversation and really get to know them, plus share Banterra’s story,” said Jeff May, President & CEO of Banterra Bank. “They have a passion for performing at their best, for supporting the community and for SIU, and that perfectly lines up with Banterra’s values also. In addition to the overall promotion of our brand, we believe we can improve financial management awareness with this younger demographic through this partnership.”
The NIL partnership is part of Banterra’s overall commitment to SIU through their naming rights agreement for Banterra Center. The agreement includes an exclusive affinity debit card, which is the official Banterra-SIU Saluki Visa Debit Card. Banterra is committed to providing a portion of debit card transaction revenue to SIU Scholarships and NIL efforts for Saluki athletes.
“Banterra continues to be a valued and supportive partner for Saluki Athletics,” said Tim Leonard, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for SIU. “When we discussed our needed support for NIL, they immediately collaborated with us to determine the best way to move forward and they became a key NIL corporate partner for us.”
Banterra plans to utilize the athletes in social media (including the athlete’s personal platforms and the bank), TV and radio spots, print materials and potentially outdoor and events.
About The Athletes
Kennard Davis (Men’s Basketball, Guard) – Kennard is from St. Louis, Missouri and is majoring in Sports Administration. He is a sophomore and returning basketball player for SIU, where he started in ten games as a freshman and saw action in 32 games. Prior to SIU, Kennard was a four-year letterwinner at Vashon High School, Player of the Year for Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 4 Division, First Team All-Conference honoree and helped Vashon to four-straight state championships. Outside of basketball, Kennard’s passion is community involvement.
Jackie Lis (Women’s Softball, Infield) – Jackie is from Newburgh, Indiana and is majoring in Accounting. She is a junior and a third-year Saluki women’s softball player. Her freshman year at SIU, Jackie started in 56 games and was chosen for All-MVC First Team, MVC All-Tournament, NFCA All-Region and D1Softball Freshman All-American. She broke the single-season record for home runs that year (17), and added 16 home runs her sophomore year. She also broke records for most home runs in single game (three) and run in single game (eight). As a sophomore, she was selected as MVC Most Valuable Player, All-MVC First Team, MVD Scholar-Athlete of the Year, NFCA Second Team All-Region and CSC Academic All-District. One of Jackie’s top values is to hustle; she doesn’t want to be outworked.
Damien Mayo Jr. (Men’s Basketball, Guard) – Damien is from St. Louis, Missouri and is majoring in Industrial Management & Applied Engineering. He is a junior and a new player for SIU. Damien spent the last two seasons at Missouri State (2022-24) where he saw action in 60 games and starting line-up for 38 games. Damien was also a stand-out in the classroom at Missouri State, named honorable mention for MVC Scholar-Athlete team, and named to the MVC Honor Roll and MSU Athletics Director Honor Roll. Damien spent his 2021-22 season at Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri, a gap year program for graduating high school students prior to entering college that focuses on building their faith and maximizing their potential. His passions include faith and supporting his community.
Jeniah Thompson (Women’s Basketball, Guard) – Jeniah is from Carterville, Illinois and is obtaining her master’s degree in health and human services. She returns to Southern Illinois after playing two seasons at Wichita State University. She saw action in 26 games in her last season and four starting line-ups. Prior to Wichita State University, Jeniah played one season at John A. Logan College, where she started in 25 games and averaged 23.2 points per game. As a Carterville Lion, she led her team to a seventh-straight regional title in 2019, earned All-State honors and was named The Southern Illinoisan’s Girls Basketball Player of the Year as a junior. She held the all-time leading scorer record from 2020-2024 at CHS, named All-Conference three times and scored 1,000th career point during her junior year. Outside of basketball, Jeniah’s passion is outdoor activities and youth development.
