In his senior season, he led Illinois to the NCAA Tournaments Final Eight. The IHSA girls basketball state finals return Thursday through Saturday at Redbird Arena in Normal. how interested you are in the Fire, whose season begins Saturday against New York City FC at Soldier Field. He ranks fifth in Big Ten history in his career assists. The Fighting Illinis second-highest single-season point total in history was scored by him that season when he scored 660 points. Dotzler will follow older brother Josh's footsteps on the college level he's committed to play for Creighton, where Josh played from 2005 to 2009. However, the fact Richmond played just one year in the decade hurt his case. Sports Illustrated recently released its college basketball All-Decade Team and included Davis on the first team, while Kaminsky, Okafor and Brunson all made the second team. James Augustine photo by Hodyachih Wikimedia commons. Some of the notable players to come out of Indiana are Victor Oladipo, Tyler & Cody Zeller, Mason & Miles Plumlee to name a few. Following his stellar career at UConn, Boatright has played overseas and in the NBAs G League. Kaufmann scored 9.8 points per game in 29 games as a sophomore in 19891990. The Illini were unbeaten during the season up until their one-point loss to Ohio State in the last regular-season game. Georgia Cliff Alexander scores against North Chicago. Rich McBride was one of the great pure shooters in Illinois history. We grouped our selections in four 16-team divisions: the top champions from the city, from the suburbs, from downstate defined as anywhere in Illinois other than the city and suburbs and the 16 best girls state champions. There were six players from the state who went on to become first-team college basketball All-Americans: Davis, Parker, Okafor, Kaminsky, Brunson and Tyler Ulis. By Garen Vartanian and. Teams; CBS Sports; CBS SPORTS HQ . 10 min read. 7 Iowa's game against No. With the 2022-23 basketball season fast approaching, here are the top 10 seniors for the upcoming season. His career average of 8.3 rebounds per night matched him for eighth place on the schools all-time list. His 17.3 points per game rank as Illinois eighth-best career average. March 2, Steve Parham Having participated in 137 games, Augustine is tied with Dee Brown. There were some individual magical moments throughout Brunsons career, highlighted by the record-setting 56 points he scored in the state semifinals loss to Young as a junior. Players received five points for a first-team vote and three points for a second-team vote. Demetri McCamey signals a play photo by Joshua Beckman Wikimedia commons. (It's worth noting that Bartlesville is coached by former Kansas State guard Clent Stewart.) Nick Anderson photo by Back9Network Wikimedia commons. Liberty participated in college basketball at the University of Illinois, where he played for the 1989 NCAA Final Four-bound team. Buzelis averaged 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals for Brewster in 2021-22 and played for the World Team at the Nike Hoop Summit following his season. From 1955 through 1958, Don Ohl attended Illinois. David Oyona-Ibandzo. Oak Forest's Robbie Avila (21) maintains possession of the ball during the game against DePaul Prep at the . Here's our list of the best high school girls basketball players in the 13 Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. A ranking of the 2001 Best NFL Basketball Players in Illinois. In addition to being a McDonalds All-American, Parker won the Morgan Wooten National Player of the Year. Here is a look at the 10 best Illinois High School Athletic Association (IHSA) boys basketball players in the Class of 2023. Downey received the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor in 1963 for his achievements in both academics and athletics. Stay connected with BVM Sports: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram, {"rules": {"password": "required", "password_confirm": {"equalTo": "#registerPassword"}}}. 2023 BVM Sports. a staff of more than 50 full time recruiting reporters and evaluators that rank and compile data on the nation's elite high school recruits.More Info About; Contact Us; Advertisers . The battle with inconsistency seems to be one hes starting to win more. Jordan Fisher Canada. Dissette will stay in his home state for his college basketball career he committed to play for North Dakota State following his junior year. He wrapped up his career with eye-popping numbers, including 2,508 points and 1,004 rebounds in his four-year career. He was the Fighting Illini team captain in 197374. The Top Ranked Basketball Players of All-Time from Illinois High Schools . Also won state in 1960 behind George Wilson (back row, fouth from left) and suffered playoff defeats by one and two points in 1959 and 1961. Thank you for submitting a news tip to BVM Sports! The Milwaukee Bucks selected Parker with the No. 1. Plus, he was a difference-maker defensively with 144 blocked shots. 34 overall) of the Phoenix Suns. Nick Anderson With 853 rebounds at Illinois (since surpassed and now in third place), Winters concluded his collegiate career as the schools all-time rebounding leader and third-best scorer. Vote for the boys high school Player of the Week in southwestern IL from Feb. 20-24. Ranking the Class of 2022: How the seniors stack up heading into July. The player who displays the most hustle throughout the season is given the Kenny Battle Inspirational Award by the Illini. His 830 career boards were a school record for 15 years, and he owns the two highest single-season rebounding averages in Illinois history (14.5 and 13.8 boards per game). Based on the armys selection of Mathisen, Menke, and Smiley, Phillip and his teammates would decide not to take part in either the NCAA or NIT tournament. Robert Archibald photo by Elemaki Wikimedia commons. Teams; CBS Sports; CBS SPORTS HQ . On Feb. 26, ESPN's basketball version of "College Gameday" will be in Iowa City for No. During his senior year, he also captured the NCAA Slam Dunk title at the Final Four. To finish off a career in which he scored 1,415 points, which ranks as the 15th-best total for an Illini player all-time, he helped lead a conference title run in 1998. As a junior he was named AP College Basketball Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year and won the Wooden Award. 2022 Illinois High School Girls Basketball Player Rankings | Prep Girls Hoops Illinois 2022 Rankings WL indicates Watch List Access all of Prep Girls Hoops Subscribe for access to all premium articles and rankings. Hes a big who can space the floor with his shooting or run an offense through with his passing and ballhandling. Looking back, the individual high-level talent that highlighted the past 10 years can stack up against any decade in Illinois high school basketball history. Check out: 10 Famous Basketball Players who played for Duke. Welcome to Stadium Talk's picks for the best boys basketball players in every state headed into the 2022-2023 season. It is universally recognizable that Illinois produces top-notch athletes, including some of the best basketball players in the nation. Zion (6-0, Jr., G/F) 24; Evyn Carrier, Sycamore (6-4, Sr., C) 24; Mya Wardle, Peoria Notre Dame (5-7, Jr., PG) 24; Shannon Blacher, Lombard Montini (5-11, Sr., G) 23; Norah Gum, Waterloo (6-0, Sr., F) 15; Kiarra Kilgore, Galesburg (5-9, Jr., G) 14; Jerzy Bittle, Marion (5-9, Sr., G) 12; Kaylen Reed, Rochester (5-6, Sr., PG) 9; Olivia Austin, LaGrange Nazareth (6-1, Jr., F) 8; LaKeeyah Barnes, Chicago Morgan Park (5-4, Jr., G) 8; Lexi Carlsen, Sycamore (5-8, Jr., G) 8; Lily Esparza, Rockford Boylan (6-2, Jr., C) 8; Justice Malone, Mount Vernon (5-8, Sr., G/F) 8; Grace Wilke, Highland (5-8, Sr., G) 8; Danielle Beach, Geneseo (5-10, Sr., PG/SG) 6; Jazmyne Bynum, Chicago Hyde Park (5-5, Jr., G) 6; Page Erickson, Burlington Central (5-9, Sr., G) 6; Rachel Kaus, Lake Forest (6-0, Sr., F) 6; Nikki Kerstein, Deerfield (5-7, Soph., PG/SG) 6;Victoria Matulevicius, Lombard Montini (5-8, Jr., G) 6; Kayla Rice, Rock Island (5-6, Sr., G) 6; Savannah Orgeron, Mahomet-Seymour (5-10, Sr., G/F) 6; Annie Wirth, Geneseo (6-0, Sr., F) 6. Polling Place: Is Patrick Kane the greatest Blackhawk ever? As a junior in the city title game, Okafor went for 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks, including the game-saving block of Billy Garretts shot in Youngs 60-56 overtime win over Morgan Park. Altenberger was. Along the way, somebody invented the jump shot and the crossover dribble and added a three-point line. Altenberger played for Illinois from 1982 to 1987. High School: Bellevue West High School (Bellevue, Nebraska). Smith scored 1,635 points and had 161 steals throughout his college career. Post-high school career:In three seasons at Villanova, Brunson won a pair of national championships. The Fighting Illini team came to be known as the Flyin Illini. The Denver Nuggets then selected him in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft, 42nd overall. But his pure talent puts him on the second team. The squad finished the year with a coachs rank of 16, winning the Kentucky Invitational Tournament during the season. Chicagos first state champions. Steve Bardo photo by TonyTheTiger Wikimedia commons. 3 in their respective draft classes. Garris was the Fighting Illinis second-highest scorer as a freshman in 199394, trailing only Deon Thomas. Though Davis was a McDonalds All-American, he didnt win Sun-Times Player of the Year and finished fourth in Mr. Basketball voting. All rights reserved. The understated Randle has one heck of a career rsum, including a Class 3A state championship as a senior and sharing the states Mr. Basketball Award that same year with another all-decade performer, Ryan Boatright. WNBA standouts Candace Parker, Tamika Catchings and Yolanda Griffith once took the hardwood at the high school level in the state. High School: Jefferson Senior High School (Minneapolis). Harper played at Illinois for three seasons, with his finest year coming in 19821983 where he led the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game. Top247 247Sports Composite. The 19911992 NBA season was his greatest year as a professional; he played in 75 games for the Nuggets and averaged 9.3 points per game. March 2, 3A Sectional Finals Preview and Storylines, Scott Burgess Anthony Davis of Perspectives-MSA playing for his club team Meanstreeets. These are the best high school boys basketball players in every state headed into the 2022-2023 season for the midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. He owns the Illinois team records for career points (179) and career field goals (64) in the NCAA Tournament. Life on a third straight one-year contract with the mega-talented Astros isnt bad at all. The Dallas Mavericks selected Brunson with the 33rd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He's also the only sophomore from the midwestern states to make our list. Emerging from Gary Roosevelt High School as the 1955 Indiana Mr. Basketball, Wilson Eison was another multi-year player for Purdue. 2022 Top Basketball Recruits in Illinois. He led the team to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances as a point guard. For 20 years, his 40-point outburst as a sophomore would stand as the school record. Darrion Baker Hillcrest (Country Club Hills, IL) Professional basketball player Eddie Johnson photo by United States Forest Service Wikimedia commons. During his playing career, Dawson averaged 32.5 points per game as a senior. In his time at Illinois, Jerry Hester averaged 4.6 boards per game. He uses his body, instincts and change of pace to get to the rim where he can finish so well with either hand. Gatorade State Boys Cross Country Winners MAXWELL HARDIN ALABAMA DAVID SLIWINSKI ALASKA BRANDON MARTZ ARIZONA HUDSON BETTS ARKANSAS LEO YOUNG CALIFORNIA CHRISTIAN GROENDYK COLORADO STEVEN HERGENROTHER CONNECTICUT JONATHAN DREW DELAWARE PIERRE ATTIOGBE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PATRICK KOON FLORIDA TOMMY LATHAM GEORGIA KEANE PALMER HAWAII LANDON HEEMEYER Also won state in 1960 behind George Wilson (back row, fouth from left) and suffered playoff defeats by one and two points in 1959 and 1961. First all-black team to win state. First, you have to ignore the basketball stardom Davis has reached out of high school. Ulis decided to forgo his final two years at Kentucky and was a second-round pick (No. There is no other way to explain it. For 37 years, until the 200506 season, Weatherspoons 1,431 points at Canton McKinley High School stood as the Bulldog scoring record. Cupps was named Mr. Ohio Basketball and Ohio MaxPreps Player of the Year as a junior and is committed to playing for Indiana. Boys Basketball . High School: Pewaukee High School (Pewaukee, Wisconsin). Chicago basketball was an afterthought until coach "Spin" Salarios squad came on the scene. He finished as the 24th ranked prospect in the country in the Class of 2010. After taking over for Bryan Leonard in the third game of the 198283 season, Winters started at power forward for the following four years. Huff continues to show an array of skill and production at his size that is so enticing with how the game is played today. We also wanted to know or did we? With a BVM Sports account, submitting content to appear on our website is easier to keep track of and share. Here are the 2022-23 Illinois Associated Press all-state girls basketball teams as voted on by a statewide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. It's not hard to imagine him and Biliew tearing up Big 12 competition at the forward spots for the Cyclones in the near future. Alexander averaged 25 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks as a senior and was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. By Joe Henricksen Oct 17, 2019, 9:20am PST He was a member of the Flyin Illini basketball team, which advanced to the 1989 NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament Final Four. Period. The best Illinois high school basketball players of the decade Ranking the top 10 players in Illinois from the 2009-2010 season through the 2018-2019 season and a few others that just missed. Garris concluded his career with 1948 points and a 16.8-point per-game scoring average. He was a key member of the "Bad Boy" back-to-back NBA champion Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990. Altenberger ranks in Illinois' all-time top 25 in scoring (1,271 career points) and holds the Illini record with a three-point shooting percentage of .472 over his four seasons. He emerged as a crucial member of the 2001 Elite Eight defence, finishing third in school history in career blocks per game with 1.4. Michigan, captained by NBA legend Earvin Magic Johnson, was unbeaten and ranked number one in the country at the time, but Illinois was also unbeaten at 14-0. a staff of more than 50 full time recruiting reporters and evaluators that rank and compile data on the nation's elite high school recruits . Here are the 50 best Illinois basketball players of all time. Post-high school career:Liddell is currently a freshman at Ohio State. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. He also had 139 games played at the end of his career, which he shared with Demetri McCamey as the most games played by any player in the University. March 2, Scott Burgess Star: George Wilson (86 points in last four state games). Here are the 50 best Illinois basketball players of all time. Let us look at 30 of the best high school players of all time. Battles hustle and amazing slam dunks made him a fan favourite. Downey played college basketball at the University of Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team from 1960 to 1963. Bardo had 909 points and 495 assists during his exceptional career at the University of Illinois. Post-high school career:As a sophomore at Kentucky, Ulis was the SEC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. Bryce Curry Ohio. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Davis has been a six-time all-star and averaged 23.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in his career. Thompson (41), Tyrone Johnson (17). Kendall Gill, Stephen Bardo, Kenny Battle, Lowell Hamilton, and Marcus Liberty were all teammates of Andersons who went on to play in the NBA, with only Hamilton missing out on playing in the NBA. AinsworthSports.com . There was certainly a case for Richmond to be on the first team. Now he just needs to improve his jumper to maximize his offensive potential. Still, at the pinnacle of their game, Illinois doesnt show any signs of slowing down anytime soon in producing exceptional athletes and its a matter of time before another star athlete comes out of Illinois. The Illini won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 1983-84. Scottish basketball player Robert Archibald played power forward and centre for the University of Illinois from 1998 to 2002. 15 ranked prospect in the Class of 2022. Roosevelt Thomas Illinois. 3 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and has played four seasons in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and is currently with the New Orleans Pelicans. Times changed, the game was integrated, players grew taller and more wildly athletic. Clemons was the most reliable predictor for the 1992 12-12 Illini, who travelled to Bloomington, Indiana, with a 4-1 record to face Bob Knights second-ranked Hoosiers (20-4) and faced them. Professional basketball player Donnie Freemans photo sourced from Wikimedia commons. Dave Downey (NCAA 1963 program) photo by NCAA Wikimedia commons. Rayvon Griffith, Taft Taft forward Rayvon Griffith celebrates after the Senators won the Division III regional championship,. Lincoln High's 7-foot-1 center, JT Rock (another great name) still has two years to develop before he gets to the next level. Kameron Mercer Ohio. Chicagos first state champions. Phone: (309) 663-6377 Fax: (309) 663-7479 : 2715 McGraw Drive Bloomington, IL 61704-6011 Map & directions : Office Hours But with his continued improvement and the upside that still remains, Benson has climbed into the top 10 as we head into July. Get original content and the most important sports news from trusted sources delivered to your inbox. For the University of Illinois, Derek averaged 10 rebounds per game while also setting records for blocked shots with 88 in a single season and 11 in a single game. Hes also a better athlete than hes often given credit for being while also creating more off the dribble that will help him make another offensive leap. Parkers biggest attribute is that he won. In 1989, Bardo won the Big Ten defensive player of the year award. By the time he was a senior, the 6-9, 245-pound Alexander was a consensus top five prospect in the country and a McDonalds All-American. And being a good shooter these days is about the quickest path for a young player to get on the floor in college. He averaged 9.3 points as a rookie last season. The 195051 Fighting Illini varsity team, on which he played as a freshman, finished third in the NCAA tournament in addition to winning the Big Ten Championship. Since being the No. 0. His intimidating stature allowed McClain to perform explosively on the court, assisting the team in official matches. Their contributions to the sport of basketball are unmatched, as are their successes, abilities, and on-court manoeuvres. The top prospect in the class possesses the versatility and physical profile that opens eyes with his size, length and athleticism. Griffin had a good shooting touch, but his post-up talents werent NBA-caliber. With 114 victories, Brown is tied with James Augustine for the most victories in Illinois history.