Facebook App
I've been covering and observing high school basketball for more than 50 years and my memories of the way it was are as fresh as the way it is.
I enjoyed it more when I was covering as many as seven or eight games in a week for the old Chicago Daily News or spending every waking minute at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament or attending as many as six holiday tournaments in one day.
Driving to Pontiac to see the top-seeded team, usually Bloom or Quincy, play at 10:30 in the morning.
My first trip to the Centralia Holiday Tournament.
Watching Collinsville's Tom Parker score a still single-game record of 50 points in the championship game of the Carbondale Holiday Tournament in 1967.
Being caught up in the electric atmosphere when East Aurora, East Leyden and Maine South battled in the East Aurora tournament in the mid-1970s.
Ernie Kivisto.
Watching the Proviso West tournament come of age in the late 1970s with the performances of Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre and Doc Rivers.
Admiring how Landon Cox built his dynasty at King in the 1980s and 1990s with Efrem Winters, Marcus Liberty, Levertis Robinson, Jamie Brandon, Johnnie Selvie, Rashard Griffith and Thomas Hamilton.
My first you've-never-seen-anything-like-it experience at Quincy...the Devil, the smoke, the student body, the atmosphere, the fans, the hoopla, the team, Jim Wisman, Sherrill Hanks, Jerry Leggett, Bruce Douglas, Michael Payne.
Meeting legendary Collinsville coach Vergil Fletcher for the first time. And the second time. And the third time. And the fourth time.
Meeting Larry Hawkins before the 1962 state tournament, before everybody in the state heard of Cazzie Russell.
Watching Carver's Anthony Smedley come off the bench to pull off the most extraordinary play in the history of the state tournament, stunning favored Centralia to win the 1963 state title.
Spooling spaghetti at La Grange coach Ron Nikcevich's house while his unbeaten 1969-70 team celebrated its championship season.
Sweating it out while watching any game at Du Sable.
Traveling to Galesburg in December to watch coach John Thiel's team hand Jim Brewer and Proviso East its only loss of the 1968-69 season.
My eight-week odyssey around the state to research my first book, "Sweet Charlie, Dike, Cazzie, and Bobby Joe: High School Basketball In Illinois," which included stops in Marion, Benton, Cairo, Mounds City, Tamms, East Cape Girardeau, Anna-Jonesboro, Cobden, Pinckneyville, Nashville, Mount Vernon, Centralia, Moline, Quincy, Pittsfield, Peoria, Collinsville, East St. Louis, Rock Island, Staunton, Paris, Pekin, Springfield, Winchester, Rockford, Bunker Hill, Decatur and Champaign.
The duels between Thornridge/Thornton and Thornridge/Bloom in the early 1970s.
Thornridge's great 1971-72 team, still the best there ever was.
The Phillips/Westinghouse city championship that drew 12,000 to the International Amphitheater in 1977.
Climbing the steps to the fourth floor gym at old Westinghouse.
Climbing the steps to the fourth floor gym at old Cooley.
The first time I saw the great Russell Cross.
Admiring the leadership qualities of Quinn Buckner. There never was nor ever will be anyone like him.
The gym at old Cregier, which was so small that the mid-court circle overlapped the two free throw circles. No exaggeration.
My Fab Five? Quinn Buckner, Lloyd Batts, Glen Grunwald, Darius Clemons, Sam Puckett.
Cell Phone Alerts
Were you in attendance in the early 60's when Evanston played Crane at NU in the supersectional? That was a great and memorable game for many reasons.
Thornridge was good, I never saw them play. I did see Thorton, with Jim Ard, Lamar Thomas and their cast. They were pretty good. The Marshall teams of George Wilson and friends were special, once again for many reasons.
Did you ever see Joe Wiley, Belleville, play? He was pretty special.
All in all, your article brought back a ton of very good memories.
Thank you!
I used to go to the Northwestern supersectional in the 60s through the early 70s and saw the evanston triple overtime against either Crane or Marshall. One year, New Trier's Larry Rosenzweig broke the backboard in pregame drills, delaying the game for 45 minutes. The competition was awesome and it was great fun. any other memories out there
REMEMBER THE GREAT POINT GUARD OF PHILLIPS HIGH SCHOOL
AND LOYOLA UNIVERSTIY, CARL GHOLSTON, WELL HIS SON
PLAYS FOR WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, HE WAS IN ATTENDANCE
TO SEE HIS SON PLAY RICH SOUTH A WEEK AGO FRIDAY, HIS
SON PLAYS POINT GUARD AS WELL!
you continually talk about these other conferences and it's players, but you never give East Aurora it's due credit, from the mid to late 70's the atmosphere there was electric, the school has produced some truly great high school baskeball players, especially during the 70's and early eighties, great coaches, even our radio announcer during that time was Bruce Drennan(WMRO) it got no better from a high school hoops perspective. If you can't detail our rich history for your readers, just contact me and I'll do it for free. But someone needs too
Where do you rank the 1978 Class AA State Championship Lockport Porters?
No Isaiah Thomas, Cazzie Russell, or George Wilson in your fab 5? How about your top 10? Where would you rank Derrick Rose? 10? 15? 20?
Since we're mentioning unforgettable high school basketball, what about the war Westinghouse/King had at the Amphitheatre in 1978. Of course Westinghouse prevailed, however they also had two high first round picks on that team. Featuring Eddie Johnson and Mark Agguire at the forwards. On the opposite side of the ball was Teddy Grubbs and Tyrone Adams. This was truly one of the memorable epic public high school basketball games.
The 1978 Porter team ended up the #2 team in the entire country that year only behind Hyatttsville Dematha out of MD. This Lockport team beat two other top 20 national teams in St Laurence and Collinsville..this in spite of losing one of their top players for most of the season and still winning a title w/o their starting point guard who was kicked off team right before state tournament started. Yet they still won every single game that year in spite of these obstacles. Now that is a sign of a true "team", overcoming major obstacles without missing a beat and winning against other top nationally ranked teams..enough said, right?
I sat next to you and the late great Frank Kiska at Mount Carmel vs Mendel-St Martin de Porres and saw Jerry Gee and Antoine Walker combine for over 100 points with at least 15 monster dunks each. Not much defense but the most exciting non stop action packed game I have ever seen.
Geez, Taylor, you've got me on the verge of tears with all these memories. Good stuff -- I remember a lot of them myself. Merry Christmas, and if it's your desire, I hope you'll find a spot in a gym at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 26.
My eight-week odyssey around the state to research my first book, "Sweet Charlie, Dike, Cazzie, and Bobby Joe: High School Basketball In Illinois," which included stops in Marion, Benton, Cairo, Mounds City, Tamms, East Cape Girardeau, Anna-Jonesboro, Cobden, Pinckneyville, Nashville, Mount Vernon, Centralia, Moline, Quincy, Pittsfield, Peoria, Collinsville, East St. Louis, Rock Island, Staunton, Paris, Pekin, Springfield, Winchester, Rockford, Bunker Hill, Decatur and Champaign.
What is the name of your book and where can I puchase?
what you guys never talk about manley high school 1978-79-79-80 city champions we were a very good team
Thank you for mentioning my grandfather, Coach Vergil Fletcher, in your blog. Coach Fletcher, Granddad, passed away this afternoon. It warms my heart to hear of all the people who knew and admired him. He was a great man, and I was lucky to be a part of his life.
Bogie Redman was a tough special player as was Don Freeman and Jay Schroeder, Behn Wilson. There are probably many Fab Five's that could be assembled, Cazzie Russell, Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Mark Aguirre, Dale Kelly (Galesburg), Dave Golden. The shot by Anthony Smedley to this day is one I shall never forget. Was it Peaches Laster who lead the Appleknockers to the championship game in 1964 against Pekin and Dave Golden? Joe (or Jim)Ard. Jim Brewer.
No. Peaches Laster played for Carbondale in the 1967 championship to a Pekin team led by Barry Moran and Fred Miller. Dave Golden played on Pekin's 1964 team that beat Cobden's Appleknockers for the state title. Taylor Bell