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Bill "Flash" Flanagan has coached, scouted, recruited, observed and evaluated high school basketball talent in Illinois for 50 years. A one-time high school and college coach, the Peoria-based scout operates one of the largest exposure camps in the country.
Here are his choices (and comments) about the top 10 teams in state history:
1. Thornridge 1972. This team featured the great Quinn Buckner, who was one of the greatest role models for every player who followed him.
2. Quincy 1981. Coach Jerry Leggett's team was led by Bruce Douglas, Keith Douglas and Michael Payne.
3. Peoria Manual 1997: The best of coach Wayne McClain's three state championship teams, which featured Marcus Griffin, Sergio McClain and Frankie Williams, and also was ranked No. 1 in the nation.
4. King 1993: The best of coach Landon Cox's three state championship teams was led by two seven-footers, Rashard Griffith and Thomas Hamilton.
5. Thornton 1966: Coach Bob Anderson's team was led by LaMarr Thomas and Jim Ard.
6. Evanston 1968: Bob Lackey and Farrel Jones gave coach Jack Burmaster a powerful and physical duo under the boards.
7. La Grange 1970: Some people tend to forget how good coach Ron Nikcevich's unbeaten team really was. It featured Owen Brown, Marcus Washington and an outstanding 1-3-1 defense.
8. Simeon 2007: Clearly the best of coach Robert Smith's back-to-back state championship teams that were led by Derrick Rose.
9. Whitney Young 1998: Quentin Richardson, Dennis Gates and Cordell Henry led coach George Stanton's team, which was one of the best ever produced in the Chicago Public League.
10. East St. Louis Lincoln 1988: My choice as the best of coach Bennie Lewis' four state championship teams of the 1980s. It was led by LaPhonso Ellis and Cuonzo Martin.
Other teams that deserve mention (in order of recognition) are King 1990 with Jamie Brandon and Johnny Selvie, Galesburg 1998 with Joey Range and Rod Thompson, Elgin 1973 with Jeff Wilkins, Terry Drake, Jay Geldmacher and Tim Jones, Peoria Central 2004 with Shaun Livingston and Proviso East 1991 with Sherrell Ford, Michael Finley and Donnie Boyce.
Cell Phone Alerts
WHAT ABOUT THE RICH CENTRAL TEAM THAT PLAYED KING FOR THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP? KENDALL GILL AND BOBBY SMITH AND KEITH GILL AND COMPANY, I BELIEVE THE YEAR WAS 1986?
HAVE YOU SEEN THE CURRENT RICH SOUTH TEAM?
WHAT ABOUT THE MARSHALL TEAM THAT DEFEATED KING WITH THE TWIN TOWERS, WITH ARTHUR AGEE AND COMPANY, THAT FINISHED THIRD IN THE STATE, I BELIEVE THAT WAS 92 OR 93?
How about a mention for the Hales Franciscan team which starred Nate Minnoy, Michael Robinson and a very young freshman star Jerome Randle who won a Class A Championship a few years ago?
Thorton 1997 was a great team that did not win the state but they was ranked in the nation. That team produced major athletes. Antwann Randle El and Napoleon Harris made it to the NFL. Erik Herring and Will Maples played overseas Basketball. Melvin Ely is in the NBA. If this team could have beat Peoria Manual they would be at least number 4 on this list. That Simeon 2007 team was good but Basketball was down in Illinois. That team would not beat Farragut with Ronnie Feilds and KG, or that 1998 Whitney Young team.
WHERE IS MR. MINNOY?
IS HE PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BALL OR WHAT?
CONGRATS TO RICH SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL, THE VICTORY OVER BLOOM LAST NIGHT AT SENIOR NIGHT, THE STARS ARE NOW 21 AND 4!
THE SLAM OF THE NIGHT, MACARI BROOKS CAUGHT ONE FROM THE TOP OF THE SQUARE AND SENT IT HOME TO MOMMA!
Thankyou Flash for your recognition of the 1993 King team that was by far the most talented King team ever. The I have been having a friendly debate with Taylor Bell all week long about the relevance of that team. I don't if we will ever have a team as talented top to bottom. He called Hamilton a bum, lol and said basketball was watered down in 1993. Are u serious? Our Illinois All-stars with Grifftih, Hamilton, Garris, Micheal Allen (Thornton), Kenny Davis and company beat the best players in the country in that all-star game at the end of the season. Reggie Rose yes Derrick's was an all-stater. Kings entire starting lineup made all-conference. A lot of good teams this year check the books. King was that damn good this year.
Taylor, nice to see you give Galesburg 1998 some recognition. I think people forget how good Joey Range was and how close that team came to beating Whitney Young in the title game. But I also think Thornton 1997 deserves some attention. If Manual was No. 1 that year, Thornton was No. 1A. That state semifinal they played is among the greatest games I've ever witnessed.
Taylor,
Over the last 50 years the IHSA has had on average between 700 to 800 schools per year in its membership playing basketball. Doing the math that gives you well over 35,000 teams that competed during this period.
It seems like splitting hairs when picking a top ten. The difference between the best of the best comes down comparing starting fives. It would be hard to argue that anyone ever had a more potent twosome than Farragut's KG and Ronnie Fields. They also had Michael Wright but he was still only a freshman with a great future. It would be hard to argue that any team had a more talented threesome than either Proviso East 1991 with Ford, Finley, and Boyce or Peoria Manuel 1997 with Griffin, McClain, and Williams. But the main reason that the Thornridge's 1972 team keeps coming up as the all time best is no one team has had a better five. Its Greg Rose and Ernie Dunn that makes the difference. They were that team's fourth and fifth option. Both where all state caliber players.
My top 10:
1.Thornridge 1972
2. Peoria Manual 1997
3. Quincy 1981
4. Evanston 1968
5. Thornton 1997
6. King 1993
7. East St Louis 1988
8. Whitney Young 1998
9. King 1990
10. Lockport 1978
It's hard to argue with 65-1 over a two year period, two state championships...Proviso East!
why is that Lockport an undefested team that beat other top nationally ranked teams gets a snub? they beat a great st Laurence ball club, and a great Collinsville team..?
THE LEO TEAM OF 1973 SHOULD BE 10A THEN, THAT WAS A MONSTER TEAM, COACHED BY TOM O'MALLEY, THE CURRENT COACH AT ST. XAVIER UNIVERSITY!
TONY PARKER, JERRY NEWELL, JIM MCELDOWNEY, RON SIMMONS, GARY BLOUNT, THIS IS THE TEAM THAT CAUSED THE CANCELLATION OF THE CITY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, WHEN HIRSCH TOOK THE STATE, THEY REFUSED TO PLAY THIS GREAT LEO TEAM, FEARING, THEY WOULD HAVE TO RELINQUISH THEIR STATE CHAMPIONSHIP, MAYBE THE HIRSCH TEAM COULD HAVE BEEN 10B, RICKY GREEN, AND JOHN ROBINSON, JOSHUA SMITH, THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THE LIONS OF LEO IN 1973!