Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball

Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball
File:Illini logo.svg
University	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Head coach	Bruce Weber (6th season)
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Arena	Assembly Hall (capacity: 16,618)
Nickname	Fighting Illini
Student section	Orange Krush
Colors	Blue and Orange
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
Pre-tournament Helms champions
1915
NCAA tournament runner-up
2005
NCAA tournament Final Four
1949, 1951, 1952, 1989, 2005
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1942, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1984, 1989, 2001, 2005
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1942, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1984, 1985, 1989, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
NCAA tournament second round
1981,1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
NCAA tournament appearances
1942, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Conference tournament champions
2003, 2005
Conference regular season champions
1915, 1917, 1924, 1935, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1984, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005

The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Assembly Hall, located on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's campus in Champaign.

The team's head coach is currently Bruce Weber. Weber's assistant coaches are Wayne McClain, Jay Price and Jerrance Howard.

All-Time statistical leaders

Career leaders

• Points Scored: Deon Thomas (2129)
• Assists: Bruce Douglas (765)
• Rebounds: James Augustine (1023)
• Steals: Bruce Douglas (324)

Single-season Leaders

• Points Scored: Donnie Freeman (668, 1966)
• Assists: Deron Williams (264, 2005)
• Rebounds: Skip Thoren (349, 1965)
• Steals: Kenny Battle (89, 1989)

Single-game leaders

• Points Scored: Dave Downey (53, 1963)
• Assists: Demetri McCamey (16, 2010), Tony Wysinger (16, 1986)
• Rebounds: Skip Thoren (24, 1963)
• Steals: Bruce Douglas (8, 1984)

Source for all statistical leaders

Notable alumni

• Johnny "Red" Kerr, former head coach and announcer for the Chicago Bulls.
• Donnie Freeman, played 10 seasons in the new defunct ABA.
• Eddie Johnson, NBA veteran of 17 seasons.
• Derek Harper, Dallas Mavericks guard, 11th all-time NBA steals leader.
• Ken Norman, former All-Star forward for the Los Angeles Clippers.
• Kendall Gill, current Chicago Bulls analyst who played 16 NBA seasons.
• Steve Bardo, basketball analyst and announcer with ESPN.
• Nick Anderson, played 14 seasons in the NBA, 10 with the Orlando Magic.
• Deon Thomas, a European league player.
• Sergio McClain, former head coach of the Parkland College men's basketball team.
• Brian Cook, currently a forward/center who has played for the Lakers, Magic, and presently for the Rockets.
• Deron Williams, point guard for the Utah Jazz and member of 2008 US Men's National Team, which won a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics.
• Luther Head, currently a member of the Indiana Pacers
• Dee Brown, currently playing in Europe, formerly of the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards.

All-Century Team

During the celebration of the program's 100th year of basketball as a varsity sport, the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced its All-Century Team. The 20-man team was selected after voting by fans on www.fightingillini.com and the Illinois Basketball Centennial Committee. The honorees were feted during the Illinois Basketball Centennial Reunion Weekend, Jan. 28-30, 2005.

• Ray Woods (1915–17)
• Chuck Carney (1920–22)
• Andy Phillip (1942–43, 1947)
• Gene Vance (1942–43, 1947)
• Dwight "Dike" Eddleman (1947–49)
• Johnny "Red" Kerr (1952–54)
• Dave Downey (1961–63)
• Duane "Skip" Thoren (1963–65)
• Don Freeman (1964–66)
• Nick Weatherspoon (1971–73)
• Eddie Johnson (1978–81)
• Derek Harper (1981–83)
• Bruce Douglas (1983–86)
• Ken Norman (1985–87)
• Kenny Battle (1988–89)
• Nick Anderson (1988–89)
• Kendall Gill (1987–90)
• Deon Thomas (1991–94)
• Frank Williams (2000–02)
• Brian Cook (2000–03)

Season-By-Season Records

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Elwood Brown (1905–1906)
1905 - 06	Elwood Brown	6 - 8	3 - 6	4th
F.L. Pinckney (1906–1907)
1906 - 07	F.L. Pinckney	1 - 10	0 - 8	5th
Fletcher Lane (1907–1908)
1907 - 08	Fletcher Lane	20 - 6	6 - 5	3rd
Herb Juul (1908–1910)
1908 - 09	Herb Juul	7 - 6	5 - 6	4th
1909 - 10	Herb Juul	5 - 4	5 - 4	4th
Herb Juul:		12 - 10	10 - 10
T.E. Thompson (1910–1912)
1910 - 11	T.E. Thompson	6 - 6	6 - 5	4th
1911 - 12	T.E. Thompson	8 - 8	4 - 8	5th
T.E. Thompson:		14 - 14	10 - 13
Ralph Jones (1912–1920)
1912 - 13	Ralph Jones	10 - 6	7 - 6	5th
1913 - 14	Ralph Jones	9 - 4	7 - 3	3rd
1914 - 15	Ralph Jones	16 - 0	12 - 0	1st(T)	National Champions
1915 - 16	Ralph Jones	13 - 3	9 - 3	2nd(T)
1916 - 17	Ralph Jones	13 - 3	10 - 2	1st(T)
1917 - 18	Ralph Jones	9 - 6	6 - 6	4th(T)
1918 - 19	Ralph Jones	6 - 8	5 - 7	5th
1919 - 20	Ralph Jones	9 - 4	8 - 4	3rd
Ralph Jones:		85 - 34	64 - 31
Frank Winters (1920–1922)
1920 - 21	Frank Winters	11 - 7	7 - 5	4th(T)
1921 - 22	Frank Winters	14 - 5	7 - 5	4th(T)
Frank Winters:		25 - 12	14 - 10
J. Craig Ruby (1922–1936)
1922 - 23	J. Craig Ruby	9 - 6	7 - 5	4th(T)
1923 - 24	J. Craig Ruby	11 - 6	8 - 4	1st(T)
1924 - 25	J. Craig Ruby	11 - 6	8 - 4	3rd(T)
1925 - 26	J. Craig Ruby	9 - 8	6 - 6	5th(T)
1926 - 27	J. Craig Ruby	10 - 7	7 - 5	4th(T)
1927 - 28	J. Craig Ruby	5 - 12	2 - 10	9th(T)
1928 - 29	J. Craig Ruby	10 - 7	6 - 6	5th(T)
1929 - 30	J. Craig Ruby	8 - 8	7 - 5	4th(T)
1930 - 31	J. Craig Ruby	12 - 5	7 - 5	5th
1931 - 32	J. Craig Ruby	11 - 6	7 - 5	5th
1932 - 33	J. Craig Ruby	11 - 7	6 - 6	5th(T)
1933 - 34	J. Craig Ruby	13 - 6	7 - 5	4th
1934 - 35	J. Craig Ruby	15 - 5	9 - 3	1st(T)
1935 - 36	J. Craig Ruby	13 - 6	7 - 5	3rd(T)
J. Craig Ruby:		148 - 95	94 - 74
Douglas Mills (1936–1947)
1936 - 37	Douglas Mills	14 - 4	10 - 2	1st(T)
1937 - 38	Douglas Mills	9 - 9	4 - 8	8th(T)
1938 - 39	Douglas Mills	14 - 5	8 - 4	3rd
1939 - 40	Douglas Mills	14 - 6	7 - 5	4th(T)
1940 - 41	Douglas Mills	13 - 7	7 - 5	3rd(T)
1941 - 42	Douglas Mills	18 - 5	13 - 2	1st
1942 - 43	Douglas Mills	17 - 1	12 - 0	1st
1943 - 44	Douglas Mills	11 - 9	5 - 7	6th
1944 - 45	Douglas Mills	13 - 7	7 - 5	3rd
1945 - 46	Douglas Mills	14 - 7	7 - 5	5th(T)
1946 - 47	Douglas Mills	14 - 6	8 - 4	2nd(T)
Douglas Mills:		151 - 66	88 - 47
Harry Combes (1947–1967)
1947 - 48	Harry Combes	15 - 5	7 - 5	3rd(T)
1948 - 49	Harry Combes	21 - 4	10 - 2	1st	NCAA 3rd Place
1949 - 50	Harry Combes	14 - 8	7 - 5	3rd(T)
1950 - 51	Harry Combes	22 - 5	13 - 1	1st	NCAA 3rd Place
1951 - 52	Harry Combes	22 - 4	12 - 2	1st	NCAA 3rd Place
1952 - 53	Harry Combes	18 - 4	14 - 4	2nd
1953 - 54	Harry Combes	17 - 5	10 - 4	3rd(T)
1954 - 55	Harry Combes	17 - 5	10 - 4	2nd(T)
1955 - 56	Harry Combes	18 - 4	11 - 3	2nd
1956 - 57	Harry Combes	14 - 8	7 - 7	7th
1957 - 58	Harry Combes	11 - 11	5 - 9	8th(T)
1958 - 59	Harry Combes	12 - 10	7 - 7	5th(T)
1959 - 60	Harry Combes	16 - 7	8 - 6	3rd(T)
1960 - 61	Harry Combes	9 - 15	5 - 9	7th
1961 - 62	Harry Combes	15 - 8	7 - 7	4th(T)
1962 - 63	Harry Combes	20 - 6	11 - 3	1st(T)	NCAA 2nd Round
1963 - 64	Harry Combes	13 - 11	6 - 8	6th(T)
1964 - 65	Harry Combes	18 - 6	10 - 4	3rd
1965 - 66	Harry Combes	12 - 12	8 - 6	3rd(T)
1966 - 67	Harry Combes	12 - 12	6 - 8	7th(T)
Harry Combes:		316 - 150	174 - 104
Harv Schmidt (1967–1974)
1967 - 68	Harv Schmidt	11 - 13	6 - 8	7th(T)
1968 - 69	Harv Schmidt	19 - 5	9 - 5	2nd(T)
1969 - 70	Harv Schmidt	15 - 9	8 - 6	3rd(T)
1970 - 71	Harv Schmidt	11 - 12	5 - 9	5th(T)
1971 - 72	Harv Schmidt	14 - 10	5 - 9	8th(T)
1972 - 73	Harv Schmidt	14 - 10	8 - 6	3rd(T)
1973 - 74	Harv Schmidt	5 - 18	2 - 12	10th
Harv Schmidt:		89 - 77	43 - 55
Gene Bartow (1974–1975)
1974 - 75	Gene Bartow	8 - 18	4 - 14	9th(T)
Lou Henson (1975–1996)
1975 - 76	Lou Henson	14 - 13	7 - 11	7th(T)
1976 - 77	Lou Henson	16 - 14	8 - 10	6th
1977 - 78	Lou Henson	13 - 14	7 - 11	7th
1978 - 79	Lou Henson	19 - 11	7 - 11	7th
1979 - 80	Lou Henson	22 - 13	8 - 10	6th(T)	NIT 3rd Place
1980 - 81	Lou Henson	21 - 8	12 - 6	3rd	NCAA 2nd Round
1981 - 82	Lou Henson	18 - 11	10 - 8	6th	NIT 2nd Round
1982 - 83	Lou Henson	21 - 11	11 - 7	2nd(T)	NCAA 1st Round
1983 - 84	Lou Henson	26 - 5	15 - 3	1st(T)	NCAA Elite Eight
1984 - 85	Lou Henson	26 - 9	12 - 6	2nd	NCAA Sweet 16
1985 - 86	Lou Henson	22 - 10	11 - 7	4th(T)	NCAA 2nd Round
1986 - 87	Lou Henson	23 - 8	13 - 5	4th	NCAA 1st Round
1987 - 88	Lou Henson	23 - 10	12 - 6	3rd(T)	NCAA 2nd Round
1988 - 89	Lou Henson	31 - 5	14 - 4	2nd	NCAA Final Four
1989 - 90	Lou Henson	21 - 8	11 - 7	4th(T)	NCAA 1st Round
1990 - 91	Lou Henson	21 - 10	11 - 7	3rd(T)
1991 - 92	Lou Henson	13 - 15	7 - 11	8th
1992 - 93	Lou Henson	19 - 13	11 - 7	3rd(T)	NCAA 2nd Round
1993 - 94	Lou Henson	17 - 11	10 - 8	4th(T)	NCAA 1st Round
1994 - 95	Lou Henson	19 - 12	10 - 8	5th(T)	NCAA 1st Round
1995 - 96	Lou Henson	18 - 13	7 - 11	9th	NIT 1st Round
Lou Henson:		423 - 224	214 - 164
Lon Kruger (1996–2000)
1996 - 97	Lon Kruger	22 - 10	11 - 7	4th(T)	NCAA 2nd Round
1997 - 98	Lon Kruger	23 - 10	13 - 3	1st(T)	NCAA 2nd Round
1998 - 99	Lon Kruger	14 - 18	3 - 13	11th
1999 - 00	Lon Kruger	22 - 10	11 - 5	4th	NCAA 2nd Round
Lon Kruger:		81 - 48	38 - 28
Bill Self (2000–2003)
2000 - 01	Bill Self	27 - 8	13 - 3	1st(T)	NCAA Elite Eight
2001 - 02	Bill Self	26 - 9	11 - 5	1st(T)	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2002 - 03	Bill Self	25 - 7	11 - 5	2nd	NCAA 2nd Round
Bill Self:		78 - 24	35 - 13
Bruce Weber (2003–present)
2003 - 04	Bruce Weber	26 - 7	13 - 3	1st	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2004 - 05	Bruce Weber	37 - 2	15 - 1	1st	NCAA Championship Game
2005 - 06	Bruce Weber	26 - 7	11 - 5	2nd(T)	NCAA 2nd round
2006 - 07	Bruce Weber	23 - 12	9 - 7	4th(T)	NCAA 1st Round
2007 - 08	Bruce Weber	16 - 19	5 - 13	9th(T)
2008 - 09	Bruce Weber	24 - 10	11 - 7	2nd(T)	NCAA 1st Round
Bruce Weber:		152 - 57	64 - 36
Total:		1609-853
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

NCAA Tournament seeding history

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.

Years →	'79	'80	'81	'82	'83	'84	'85	'86	'87	'88	'89	'90	'91	'92	'93	'94	'95	'96	'97	'98	'99	'00	'01	'02	'03	'04	'05	'06	'07	'08	'09
Seeds →	-	-	4	-	7	2	3	4	3	3	1	5	-	-	6	8	11	-	6	5	-	4	1	4	4	5	1	4	12	-	5

Coaching history

Coach	Years	Record	Conference Record	Conference Titles	NCAA Appearances
Elwood Brown	1906–1907	6-8	3-6
F. L. Pinckney	1907–1908	1-10	0-8
Fletcher Lane	1908–1909	20-6	6-5
Herb V. Juul	1909–1910	12-10	10-10
T. E. Thompson	1910–1912	14-14	10-13
Ralph R. Jones	1912–1920	85-34	64-31	2
Frank J. Winters	1920–1922	25-12	14-10
J. Craig Ruby	1922–1936	148-95	94-74	2
Douglas R. Mills	1936–1947	151-66	88-47	3	1
Harry Combes	1947–1967	316-150	174-104	4	4
Harv Schmidt	1967–1974	89-77	43-55
Gene Bartow	1974–1975	8-18	4-14
Lou Henson	1975–1996	423-224	214-164	1	12
Lon Kruger	1996–2000	81-48	38-28	1	3
Bill Self	2000–2003	78-24	35-13	2	3
Bruce Weber	2003–Present	150-53	63-34	2	5
Totals		1607-849	860-616	17	27

Seasons

2009–2010

See also: 2009-10 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

2008–2009

See also: 2008-09 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

2007–2008

See also: 2007-08 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

In the 2007-08 season, the Illini tied for 9th in the Big Ten. They reached the finals of the Big Ten tournament despite their 10-seed, where they lost to Wisconsin. The Illini failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1998–99 season.

2006–2007

In the 2006-07 season, the Illini finished tied for 4th place in the Big Ten, earning the 6th seed in the Big Ten tournament, and losing in the seminfinals to Wisconsin. The Illini were selected as a 12-seed in the NCAA tournament; losing their opening-round game to Virginia Tech by a score of 54–52. This was the first time the Illini failed to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2003.

2004–2005

See also: 2005 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

In 2004-2005 the Illini went 37–2, tying the NCAA record for most wins in a season. They lost in the National Championship to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Illini won the Big Ten regular season and tournament which was held in Chicago. They gained a #1 seed in the "big dance" and posted one of the most memorable games in NCAA history against Arizona. Down 15 points with around 4 minutes left, the Illini sparked a run led by Luther Head and Deron Williams. The game was sent into overtime and the orange and blue pulled off the one point win to advance to the Final Four in St. Louis. Against the Louisville Cardinals in the Final Four they won their final game of the season. The Illini had all 5 starters; Deron Williams, Luther Head, Dee Brown, James Augustine, and Roger Powell, Jr.; eventually play in the NBA. Deron Williams and Dee Brown both joined the Utah Jazz roster where Williams still plays and Luther Head plays for the Houston Rockets. Coach Bruce Weber also won many Coach of the Year awards.

Lon Kruger/Bill Self era

After longtime coach Lou Henson's Departure, Illinois hired Lon Kruger to fill the vacancy for the 1996 season. Kruger inherited players such as Victor Chukwudebe, Jerry Hester, Kevin Turner, Jerry Gee, Matt Heldman, Brian Johnson, Kiwane Garris and Cleotis Brown. During his four seasons at Illinois, three of which resulted in NCAA Tournament berths, (all three of which saw the Illini eliminated in the 2nd round) Kruger became the only Big Ten coach to successfully sign three consecutive Illinois Mr. Basketball winners, inking Sergio McClain, Frankie Williams, and Brian Cook between 1997 and 1999.

The University of Illinois picked Tulsa coach Bill Self from a list of numerous candidates, including popular assistant Jimmy Collins to succeed Kruger, who moved on to the NBA to coach the Atlanta Hawks. In 2001, his first season at Illinois, Self took over an immensely talented team, and coached his new Fighting Illini squad to a 27-8 record, a share of the Big Ten title, and a number 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. McClain, Cook and preseason Big Ten player of the year Cory Bradford led the Illini to the Elite Eight where they met and fell to eventual finalists Arizona in a much disputed contest. The Illini were accused of being overly physical most of the season, especially McClain and pesky guards Sean Harrington and Lucas Johnson (younger brother of former Illini forward Brian Johnson) and the Illini were the clear target of questionable officiating. The '01 Illini team also included Robert Archibald, Damir Krupalija and Marcus Griffin. With mostly the same core, Illinois followed up the seaon with impressive 2002 and 2003 campaigns, but fell in the sweet 16 in 2002 and the second round in 2003.

Lou Henson era

1990's

The early 1990s Illini were dominated by players such as guards Andy Kauffman, Richard Keene, and Kiwane Garris, as well as centers Shelly Clark and Deon Thomas. Thomas was at the center of a false report of misconduct by Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball assistant coach Bruce Pearl, who alleged that Thomas had been offered cash to attend Illinois. The Illini were suspended from postseason play for one season for violations uncovered during the investigation.

Flyin' Illini

The top-seeded and top-ranked 1989 Illini were upset 83-81 in the Final Four on a last second basket by Michigan's Sean Higgins, ending the school's deepest run in the tournament at that time. Illinois had beaten the Wolverines by 12 and 16 points in two previous meetings that season. The "Flyin' Illini" were so named because of the team's athletic players, such as NCAA slam dunk champions Kenny Battle and Kendall Gill, as well as Lowell Hamilton, Nick Anderson, Marcus Liberty, and Steve Bardo.

See also

• NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches
• ACC–Big Ten Challenge
• Deron William's Annual Illini Legends Charity Game

External links

• Illini Basketball History