1960–61 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
| 1960-61 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | #Not Ranked |
| AP | #Not Ranked |
| 1960-61 record | 9-15 (5-9 Big Ten) |
| Head coach | Harry Combes |
| Assistant coach | Howie Braun |
| Assistant coach | Jim Wright |
| MVP | Dave Downey |
| Captain | Selected each game |
| Home arena | Huff Hall |
| 1960–61 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #1 Ohio State | 14 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 27 | – | 1 | .964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #7 Iowa | 10 | – | 4 | .714 | 18 | – | 6 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 10 | – | 4 | .714 | 16 | – | 7 | .696 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 8 | – | 6 | .571 | 15 | – | 9 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 8 | – | 6 | .571 | 10 | – | 13 | .435 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 6 | – | 8 | .429 | 10 | – | 12 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 5 | – | 9 | .357 | 9 | – | 15 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 4 | – | 10 | .286 | 7 | – | 17 | .292 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 3 | – | 11 | .214 | 7 | – | 17 | .292 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 2 | – | 12 | .143 | 6 | – | 18 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-ten/1961.html | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1960–61 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
Regular season
Head coach Harry Combes experienced the worst record of his 20 years at the University of Illinois. His Fighting Illini basketball team, for the second year in a row, played in a mid-season tournament. The tournament they would compete in would be the Kentucky Invitational Tournament held at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky December 21–22.
The 1960-61 team utilized several returning lettermen including the leading scorer and team "MVP" Dave Downey. It also saw the return of Jerry Colangelo, John Wessels, Bill Burwell, Bill Small, as well as Doug Mills. The Illini also added sophomore Bob Starnes to their lineup. The Illini finished the season with a conference record of 5 wins and 9 losses, finishing 7th in the Big Ten. They would finish with an overall record of 9 wins and 15 losses. The starting lineup included Bill Burwell at the center position, Bill Small and Jerry Colangelo at guard and Dave Downey and John Wessels at the forward slots.[1]
Roster
| No. | Player | Position | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown | High School |
| 10 | John Wessels | Center | 6-7 | 210 | Senior | Rockford, Illinois | Rockford West High School |
| 20 | Jerry Renner | Forward | 6-1 | 180 | Sophomore | Aurora, Illinois | East Aurora High School |
| 21 | Sam Leeper | Guard | 6-0 | 165 | Junior | Tolono, Illinois | Unity High School |
| 22 | Jay Lovelace | Guard | 6-2 | 165 | Sophomore | Carbondale, Illinois | Carbondale Community High School |
| 23 | Jerry Colangelo | Guard | 6-2 | 175 | Junior | Chicago Heights, Illinois | Bloom High School |
| 25 | Bill Burwell | Center | 6-8 | 243 | Sophomore | Brooklyn, New York | Boys High School |
| 30 | Jeff Ferguson | Guard | 6-3 | 180 | Sophomore | Benton, Illinois | Benton Consolidated High School |
| 31 | Doug Mills | Guard | 6-0 | 165 | Junior | Galesburg, Illinois | Galesburg High School |
| 33 | James Knoefel | Forward | 6-4 | 180 | Sophomore | Valparaiso, Indiana | Valparaiso High School |
| 34 | Gary McClung | Forward | 6-4 | 185 | Sophomore | Maroa, Illinois | Maroa-Forsyth High School |
| 40 | Dave Downey | Forward | 6-4 | 200 | Sophomore | Canton, Illinois | Canton High School |
| 41 | Jerry Curless | Guard | 6-0 | 160 | Junior | Table Grove, Illinois | VIT High School |
| 42 | Ed Searcy | Forward | 6-5 | 185 | Junior | Indianapolis, Indiana | Attucks High School |
| 44 | Bob Starnes | Forward | 6-4 | 180 | Sophomore | Chicago, Illinois | Gage Park High School |
| 51 | Bill Mohlenbrock | Guard | 6-3 | 178 | Senior | Murphysboro, Illinois | Murphysboro High School |
| 53 | Bill Small | Guard | 6-2 | 185 | Sophomore | Aurora, Illinois | West Aurora High School |
- Head Coach: Harry Combes (14th year at Illinois)[2]
Schedule
Source[3]
| Date | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (Attendance) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/1/1960* | #NR | vs. Creighton | W 99-74 | 1-0 | Huff Hall (6,708) | ||||||
| 12/6/1960* | #NR | vs. Butler | W 84-52 | 2-0 | Huff Hall (6,689) | ||||||
| 12/12/1960* | #NR | @ Colorado | L 81-90 | 2-1 | Balch Fieldhouse (4,100) | ||||||
| 12/17/1960* | #NR | @ Marquette | L 88-96 | 2-2 | Marquette Gymnasium (8,440) | ||||||
| 12/19/1960* | #NR | vs. Washington State | W 79-58 | 3-2 | Huff Hall (3,507) | ||||||
| 12/21/1960* | #NR | @ Kentucky (Kentucky Invitational Tournament) |
L 78-83 | 3-3 | Memorial Coliseum (7,500) | ||||||
| 12/22/1960* | #NR | vs. California (Kentucky Invitational Tournament) |
L 54-72 | 3-4 | Memorial Coliseum (8,000) | ||||||
| 12/27/1960* | #NR | @ Butler | L 68-70 | 3-5 | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,100) | ||||||
| 12/28/1960* | #NR | vs. Notre Dame | L 66-69 | 3-6 | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,591) | ||||||
| 1/7/1961 | #NR | @ Ohio State (#1) | L 65-91 | 3-7 (0-1) | St. John Arena (13,408) | ||||||
| 1/14/1961 | #NR | vs. Michigan | W 88-64 | 4-7 (1-1) | Huff Hall (6,705) | ||||||
| 1/16/1961 | #NR | @ Iowa (#6) | L 71-78 | 4-8 (1-2) | Iowa Field House (12,700) | ||||||
| 1/28/1961* | #NR | vs. Notre Dame | W 77-62 | 5-8 | Chicago Stadium (11,800) | ||||||
| 1/30/1961 | #NR | vs. Michigan State | W 93-92 | 6-8 (2-2) | Huff Hall (3,132) | ||||||
| 2/4/1961 | #NR | @ Minnesota | W 65-60 | 7-8 (3-2) | Williams Arena (12,001) | ||||||
| 2/6/1961 | #NR | vs. Wisconsin | W 77-73 | 8-8 (4-2) | Huff Hall (6,775) | ||||||
| 2/11/1961 | #NR | @ Purdue | L 73-89 | 8-9 (4-3) | Lambert Fieldhouse (10,000) | ||||||
| 2/18/1961 | #NR | vs. Northwestern | L 72-78 | 8-10 (4-4) | Huff Hall (6,569) | ||||||
| 2/20/1961 | #NR | @ Michigan State | L 80-90 | 8-11 (4-5) | Jenison Fieldhouse (4,185) | ||||||
| 2/25/1961 | #NR | @ Indiana | L 82-93 | 8-12 (4-6) | Gladstein Fieldhouse (600) | ||||||
| 2/27/1961 | #NR | vs. Minnesota | L 76-85 | 8-13 (4-7) | Huff Hall (6,569) | ||||||
| 3/4/1961 | #NR | vs. Purdue | W 85-75 | 9-13 (5-7) | Huff Hall (6,891) | ||||||
| 3/6/1961 | #NR | @ Michigan | L 66-74 | 9-14 (5-8) | Yost Ice Arena (2,000) | ||||||
| 3/11/1961 | #NR | vs. Ohio State (#1) | L 66–95 | 9-15 (5-9) | Huff Hall (6,912) | ||||||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. ( ) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. | |||||||||||
Player stats
| Player | Games Played | Field Goals | Free Throws | Rebounds | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Downey | 24 | 157 | 88 | 267 | 402 |
| Jerry Colangelo | 24 | 128 | 71 | 94 | 327 |
| John Wessels | 24 | 119 | 83 | 217 | 321 |
| Bill Burwell | 24 | 117 | 57 | 207 | 291 |
| Bill Small | 22 | 73 | 42 | 56 | 188 |
| Bob Starnes | 24 | 29 | 25 | 61 | 83 |
| Doug Mills | 21 | 26 | 20 | 15 | 72 |
| Ed Searcy | 13 | 23 | 12 | 62 | 58 |
| Jerry Curless | 22 | 17 | 13 | 38 | 47 |
| Jerry Renner | 19 | 11 | 2 | 22 | 24 |
| Jeff Ferguson | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Jay Lovelace | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Sam Leeper | 7 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Bill Mohlenbrock | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Butch Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Awards and honors
- Dave Downey
- Converse Honorable Mention All-American
- Team Most Valuable Player [5]
- John Wessels
Team players drafted into the NBA
| Player | NBA Club | Round | Pick |
| John Wessels | Chicago Packers | 8 | 8 |
References
- ↑ Fighting Illini Basketball: A Hardwood History By News-Gazette, Sports Publishing LLC ISBN 1-58261-356-7
- ↑ All-Time Illini Rosters
- ↑ University of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1960-61, FightingIllini.com
- ↑ Season Stats
- ↑ List of MVPs
- ↑ 1961 NBA Draft