1941–42 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 1941–42 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

1941–42 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
Big Ten champions
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
1941–42 record18–5 (13–2 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
MVPAndy Phillip
CaptainWilliam Hocking
Home arenaHuff Hall
1941–42 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Illinois132 .867  185  .783
Indiana105 .667  156  .714
Wisconsin105 .667  147  .667
Iowa105 .667  128  .600
Minnesota96 .600  156  .714
Purdue96 .600  147  .667
Northwestern510 .333  813  .381
Michigan510 .333  614  .300
Ohio State411 .267  614  .300
Chicago015 .000  120  .048
Rankings from AP Poll

Regular season

The Illinois Fighting Illini finished the season with a record of 18 wins and 5 losses. Under the direction of head coach and athletic director Douglas Mills, the Illini grouped a team of players, all around 6' 3", into a nearly undefeatable lineup later to be known as "The Whiz Kids". This group captured the attention of the entire nation while winning back-to-back conference titles and combining for a 35-6 record, 25-2 in the Big Ten over those two seasons. They dazzled crowds everywhere averaging 58 points per game, while most teams were averaging in the low 40s. Primarily made up of sophomores, they dominated the 1941-42 conference basketball season by posting a 13 – 2 record. A starting lineup consisting of Arthur "Jack" Smiley, Ken Menke, Andy Phillip, Ellis "Gene" Vance, Victor Wukovits and Art Mathisen, developed a winning attitude that would maintain for the next 15 years, a time period where the Illini would finish no less than third in the conference for 13 of them. The 1942 NCAA tournament was only in its fourth year of existence and was staged around the collegiate basketball coaches convention being held at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The warm weather and unsufferable humidity caused the young Illini to lose two games in a period of two days.

The final living Whiz Kid, Gene Vance, died in 2012.

Roster

1941–42 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
G 4 Henry Sachs 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Sr Chicago, Illinois
C 5 Raymond Bergeson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
So Bridgeton, New Jersey
G 6 Clifton Fulton 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Fr Pittsburg, Kansas
F 7 Raymond Grierson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Fr Champaign, Illinois
F 8 Edwin Parker 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Jr Taft, California
G 9 Kenneth Parker 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Jr Granite City, Illinois
G 10 Bishop Barrick 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
So Stillman Valley, Illinois
F 11 Kenneth Brown 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
So Catlin, Illinois
F 12 David Dillon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Sr Sturgis, Michigan
C 13 Victor Wukovits 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Sr Mishawaka, Indiana
F 14 Johnson Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
So -
G 15 Arthur Smiley 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
So Waterman, Illinois
G 16 William Hocking (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Sr Evanston, Illinois
F 17 Herbert Matter 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
So Naperville, Illinois
G 18 Robert Shapland 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
So Champaign, Illinois
C 19 Arthur Mathisen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Jr Dwight, Illinois
G 20 Daryl Shapiro 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
So Toledo, Ohio
G 25 Ellis Vance 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Jr Clinton, Illinois
F 33 Charles Fowler 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Fr Watseka, Illinois
F 38 Ken Menke 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
So Dundee, Illinois
G 47 Andrew Phillip 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
So Granite City, Illinois
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

All-Time Illini Roster

Source[2]

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Opponent Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-Conference regular season
12/9/1941*
no, no
Marquette W 45–43  1–0 (0–0)
Huff Hall (3,990)
Champaign, IL
12/13/1941*
no, no
Chanute Field L 38–40  1–1 (0–0)
Huff Hall (4,068)
Champaign, IL
12/17/1941*
no, no
Butler W 52–50  2–1 (0–0)
Huff Hall (3,903)
Champaign, IL
12/20/1941*
no, no
Detroit W 49–34  3–1 (0–0)
Titans Gymnasium (-)
Detroit, MI
12/23/1941*
no, no
Notre Dame W 48–29  4–1 (0–0)
Huff Hall (3,405)
Champaign, IL
12/30/1941*
no, no
Harvard W 39–30  5–1 (0–0)
Huff Hall (3,116)
Champaign, IL
Big Ten regular season
1/3/1942
no, no
Wisconsin W 55–40  6–1 (1–0)
Wisconsin Field House (7,000)
Madison, WI
1/10/1942
no, no
Michigan W 44–40  7–1 (2–0)
Yost Fieldhouse (3,500)
Ann Arbor, MI
1/12/1942
no, no
Ohio State W 58–49  8–1 (3–0)
Ohio Expo Center Coliseum (2,658)
Columbus, OH
1/17/1942
no, no
University of Chicago W 54–26  9–1 (4–0)
Huff Hall (4,349)
Champaign, IL
1/19/1942
no, no
Iowa
Rivalry
W 42–35  10–1 (5–0)
Huff Hall (5,195)
Champaign, IL
1/24/1942
no, no
Minnesota W 49–36  11-1 (6–0)
Huff Hall (7,051)
Champaign, IL
2/7/1942
no, no
Northwestern W 41–33  12–1 (7–0)
Huff Hall (6,915)
Champaign, IL
2/9/1942
no, no
Indiana
Rivalry
L 36–41  12–2 (7–1)
The Fieldhouse (6,200)
Bloomington, IN
2/14/1942
no, no
Michigan W 55–29  13–2 (8–1)
Huff Hall (3,500)
Champaign, IL
2/16/1942
no, no
Minnesota W 41–37  14–2 (9–1)
Williams Arena (13,013)
Minneapolis, MN
2/21/1942
no, no
Ohio State W 48–31  15–2 (10–1)
Huff Hall (5,195)
Champaign, IL
2/23/1942
no, no
Wisconsin W 45–43  16–2 (11–1)
Huff Hall (6,105)
Champaign, IL
2/28/1942
no, no
Northwestern W 63–49  17–2 (12–1)
Chicago Stadium (18,000)
Chicago, IL
3/2/1942
no, no
Iowa
Rivalry
L 32–46  17–3 (12–2)
Iowa Field House (13,500)
Iowa City, IA
3/7/1942
no, no
Purdue W 34–32  18–3 (13–2)
Huff Hall (7,035)
Champaign, IL
NCAA Tournament
3/20/1942*
no, no
Kentucky
First Round
L 44–46  18–4 (13–2)
Tulane Gym (3,500)
New Orleans, LA
3/21/1942*
no, no
Penn State
East Regional Third Place
L 34–41  18–5 (13–2)
Tulane Gym (3,500)
New Orleans, LA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Bold Italic connotes conference game Source[3]

Player stats

Player Games Played Field Goals Free Throws Points
Andy Phillip238758232
Ken Menke239338224
Victor Wukovits235135137
Arthur Mathisen224148130
Jack Smiley234320106
Gene Vance23441098
Charles Fowler1414432
William Hocking1510424
Henry Sachs1011123
Edwin Parker159422
Raymond Grierson4306
Herbert Matter2204
David Dillon3113
Cliff Fulton5102
Raymond Bergeson1000
Bishop Barrick1000

[4]

Awards and honors

References

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