Flyin' Illini hold a special place in Illinois basketball history

CHAMPAIGN – The super team nearly didn’t come together.

On a recruiting visit more than three decades ago well before the Internet chronicled every move made by prep basketball stars, Kendall Gill of Rich Central High School in the south suburbs and Stephen Bardo of Carbondale had time for a chat.

Bardo, Gill, Nick Anderson and Marcus Liberty already attended the Nike All-American Camp in Princeton, N.J., and they “made a lightweight pact to consider Illinois,’’ he said.

Months later, Bardo brought up the idea again while across state lines in Michigan.

“That conversation came up during the visit,’’ Bardo said. “It just so happened Kendall and I played together at the Five Star Camp, and Kendall and I were becoming friends. We talked about how cool it would be to play together.’’

At the time, Gill wouldn’t mind playing together, but he was thinking about another location than Assembly Hall.

“Michigan State was going to be my choice after making that visit,’’ Gill said. “But for some reason, the day that I was going to announce where I was going to go, I just switched to Illinois.

“I don’t know what happened. My brother came down before school. I was ironing my pants. The night before, I had made up my mind to go to Michigan State. But when my brother came down while I was ironing my pants and asked where I was going, I just said Illinois.

“It just seemed like a divine power that made me say it. I’m telling you the night before, I was dead set on going to Michigan State.’’

A program that had been building for much of the 80’s suddenly came together. Lowell Hamilton, Anderson and Liberty were each one of the best players in the nation in their respective classes. When the class of 1986 signed with Illinois, the program took off.

After Kenny Battle transferred from Northern Illinois after the firing of coach John McDougal, the Illini were a powerhouse.

The Flyin’ Illini were a blur while scoring, dunking, running and thoroughly entertaining a fan base who couldn’t get enough. Illinois’ first trip to the Final Four in nearly 40 years ended too quickly, but this team has a special place in Illini history. When the team joins for a 30-year reunion this weekend, they will greet the fan but more importantly spend time together. Once a team loaded with local talent, they now live in all parts of the country and rarely see each other, and some guys just don’t get back to town.

“It’s a big deal,’’ said Bardo, who makes regular stops in Champaign as a broadcaster with BTN. “It’s a much bigger deal for some of my teammates. I get a chance to come back, call games and get the adulations. It’s huge for my teammates. The acknowledgement that I think we will receive will be tremendous. Those guys haven’t experienced that. I’m more excited to see their response when that happens.’’

Battle, a showman whose dunks energized the run, looks back on the whole thing but doesn’t point to a moment in 1989. He recalls the bitter end in 1988, when the Illini fell to Villanova in the NCAA second round. Illinois saw a lead evaporate because of a string of mistakes and missed free throws.

“It was a terrible loss,’’ Battle said. “We knew we could have gone far that year as well. To see the way it ended, we were disappointed. Everyone worked on their craft that summer. It was like we were out to prove we could play with anybody in the country.’’

A close group, they don’t often see each other, because guys are spread all over the country. The group text thing is fun, Bardo said, and Battle is usually the one that gets things kicked into gear, just like 30 years ago.

Truthfully, this might be the last time these men are all together enjoying each other’s company. It’s already been 30 years, and these guys are in the 50’s. The coaching staff is much older, of course, and coach Lou Henson has battled health issues for so long it’s hard to remember when he didn’t have daily pain slowing him down.

“He’s really looking forward to seeing everyone associated with the 89 team,’’ said former Illini assistant Mark Coomes. “He’s talked about it for a long time. It’s one of the top highlights of his tenure at Illinois.’’

So, this weekend is a big deal to these guys. It’s also important to see the Illini win again.

“I know the heights the program has reached,’’ Bardo said. “You take our 89 team. I had a front row seat covering the 2005 team. When you get older, you start to see the impact you have. When you’re playing, you know it’s important, but you don’t know really how important it is. It’s been tough see the program fall to these depths.’’

With coach Brad Underwood pumping life back into Illinois with some recruiting and an intense style of play, there’s hope.

“It hurts our team that we haven’t been to the NCAA tournament in so long,’’ Gill said.

One day, he heard some talk radio smack about the Illini being a mid-major program.

“That’s what I really don’t like,’’ Gill said. “They don’t respect our school enough for us to say, we’re just going through a rough time.’’

But the Illini have shown life, provided a recent pulse. So just listen to Battle.

“You have to weather the storm, and I feel they have weathered it,’’ Battle said. “There are a lot of good things ahead for Illinois basketball.’’

On this weekend, it’s also time to cherish one of the greatest teams back in the day.