Many years ago deep into college basketball history, the University of Illinois men’s basketball teams were dominant. Their dominance extended from the middle 1940 through the early 1950s. The Whiz Kids youth movement in the 1940s ran into the seasons in 1949, 1951, and 1952 when the school’s teams achieved the Final Four. Illinois did not win a national championship, however, for many years were more than competitive.
The most recent Final Four team was in 1989 with the Flyin’ Illini that included Kenny Battle, Kendall Gill, Stephen Bardo, Nick Anderson, Marcus Liberty, and Lowell Hamilton. Battle, from West Aurora High School, and Hamilton were the captains. Illinois finished in second place in the Big Ten to Indiana, and just missed the college championship game when the University of Michigan advanced to the championship game with a narrow 83-81 victory over Illinois in the semifinals
Michigan defeated Seton Hall in the national championship game. Duke was the other member of the Final Four in 1989. Many Illinois partisans have claimed Illinois was the best team that season, just did not make it past Michigan and Glen Rice in the semifinals. Nonetheless teams must produced in the games they are playing.
Illinois has not made it back to the final Four since 1989, however, in recent seasons have shown signs of building a program to challenge for prominence in the tournament of 68 teams.
Illinois has seven-foot junior center Kofi Cockburn who has been dominant to go with a strong lineup which will improve when sophomore guard Andre Cubelo returns from concussion protocol.
Hope springs eternal.
• High school boys basketball holiday tournaments offer excitement, which they have for many seasons. The tournament championship games honor roll includes Larkin, 56-51, over Barrington at Jacobs; Huntley, 47-26, against Geneva at DeKalb; Neuqua Valley, 75-56, against Plainfield Central at East Aurora; Glenbard West 60, Lyons, 28 at York; Burlington Central, 56, Notre Dame Peoria 54 at Plano. In the third place game at Plano, Yorkville Christian defeated Northridge, 59-41.
• The Northern Illinois University football team, on its recent signing day in the middle of December 2021 added more wide receivers than any other position, four defensive backs, and three linebackers.
• The Waubonsee Community College women’s basketball won lopsided victories recently and set school records in the process. Waubonsee improved to an 8-2 record.
Freshman point guard Delani Kosner set a program record for assists in one game with 20. Waubonsee led 17-1 five minutes into the game against Illinois Valley and won, 118-38. Kosner, an Aurora Central Catholic High School graduate, added 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots to her 20 assists. Janiece Thomas led Waubonsee in scoring with 30 points.