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{{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]] Coaches No. 10 AP No. 11
"1952-53 Fighting Illini men's basketball team"
The 1952–53 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign .
Regular season
Under the leadership of Harry Combes and coming off consecutive third-place finishes in the NCAA Tournament , the Fighting Illini men's basketball program had become one of the most powerful in the nation. The 1952-53 team returned one of the most dominant players in the NCAA, Johnny Kerr . It also returned United Press honorable mention all-American guards Irv Bemoras and Jim Bredar .
Unfortunately the Illini would lose 4 conference games during the Big Ten season which would give them a second-place finish. Three of the four losses came at the hands of ranked opponents. The starting lineup included captain Jim Bredar and Irving Bemoras at guard, Clive Follmer and Max Hooper at the forward slot with Robert Peterson and, future hall of famer Johnny "Red" Kerr at the center position. The team also included former University of Minnesota head coach Jim Dutcher .[ 1]
Roster
No.
Player
Position
Height
Weight
Class
Hometown
High School
7
Morris Sterneck
Guard
6–0
170
Sophomore
Salem, Illinois
Salem High School
9
Elmer Plew
Guard
6-0
170
Sophomore
Paris, Illinois
Paris High School
16
Jim Wright
Guard
6–0
165
Junior
Lawrenceville, Illinois
Lawrenceville High School
19
James Bredar (captain )
Guard
5–10
170
Senior
Salem, Illinois
Salem High School
22
Johnny Kerr
Center
6–9
215
Junior
Chicago, Illinois
Tilden High School
24
Ed Makovsky
Forward
6–5
205
Sophomore
Cicero, Illinois
Morton High School
25
Robert Peterson
Center
6–8
250
Senior
Wayne, Illinois
Elgin High School
26
Irving Bemoras
Guard
6–3
188
Senior
Chicago, Illinois
Marshall High School
27
Jim Dutcher
Forward
6–3
188
Sophomore
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove High School
29
Max Baumgardner
Forward
6-5
195
Senior
Sterling, Illinois
Sterling High School
33
Clive Follmer
Forward
6-4
198
Senior
Forrest, Illinois
Forrest High School
47
Max Hooper
Forward
6–5
200
Junior
Mt. Vernon, Illinois
Mt. Vernon High School
48
James Schuldt
Guard
6–0
193
Senior
Dundee, Illinois
Dundee Community High School
Schedule
Date
Opponent
Score
Result
Location
Attendance
December 10, 1952
Loyola (Chicago)
71–57
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
December 15, 1952
Michigan
96–66
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
December 20, 1952
Butler
75–58
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
December 23, 1952
Minnesota (#17 )
73–77
Loss
Minneapolis, MN
16,878
December 27, 1952
Ohio State
87–62
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
December 30, 1952
St. Mary's
94–65
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
January 5, 1953
Purdue
87–71
Win
West Lafayette, IN
-
January 10, 1953
Wisconsin
71–61
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
January 12, 1953
Northwestern
83–58
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
January 17, 1953
Indiana (#6 )
70–74
Loss
Bloomington, IN
10,000
January 19, 1953
Michigan State
84–62
Win
East Lansing, MI
-
February 2, 1953
DePauw
93–50
Win
Champaign, IL
4,002
February 7, 1953
Wisconsin
65–61
Win
Madison, WI
13,500
March 12, 1952
Michigan
92–62
Win
Ann Arbor, MI
6,000
February 9, 1953
Iowa
80–63
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
February 14, 1953
Purdue
93–67
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
February 21, 1953
Iowa
62–67
Loss
Iowa City, IA
14,000
February 23, 1953
Minnesota
83–82
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
February 28, 1953
Indiana (#2 )
79–91
Loss
Champaign, IL
6,905
March 2, 1953
Michigan State
66–52
Win
Champaign, IL
6,905
March 7, 1953
Ohio State
66–52
Win
Columbus, OH
5,242
March 3, 1953
Northwestern
86–70
Win
Evanston, IL
9,700
Bold Italic connotes conference game
Player stats
Player
Games Played
Field Goals
Free Throws
Points
John Kerr
22
153
80
386
Irv Bemoras
22
119
84
322
Jim Bredar
22
106
50
262
Clive Follmer
22
82
86
250
Max Hooper
21
73
45
191
Bob Peterson
22
53
54
160
Jim Schuldt
19
14
11
39
Jim Wright
17
15
7
37
Max Baumgardner
9
13
10
36
Ed Makovsky
16
9
15
33
Elmer Plew
13
12
6
30
Jim Dutcher
10
7
9
23
Morris Sterneck
9
1
4
6
[ 3]
Awards and honors
Team players drafted into the NBA
[ 5]
Rankings
References
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics