NCAA Basketball: Mount Rushmores for the top 25 programs of all-time
By Brian Rauf
Illinois Basketball Mount Rushmore: Dee Brown, Deron Williams, Nick Weatherspoon, Kendall Gill
Dee Brown
Dee Brown started all but one game in his 137-game career for the Illinois Fighting Illini, which included a berth in the national championship game in 2005. He came back to average 14.2 points and 5.8 assists per game as a senior in the 2005-06 season, but the Illini failed to make it back to the Sweet 16.
Brown never caught on in the NBA, but is all over the Illinois record books. He’s the winningest player in program history, is the all time leader in minutes and ranks in the top three in scoring, assists and steals.
Deron Williams
Unlike Brown, Deron Williams opted to leave Illinois following that spectacular junior season in 2005 in which Illinois went 37-2, and it proved to be a good decision for him. Williams was a solid college player – he averaged 11.0 points and 5.9 assists per game for his career – but never reached the level of stardom that he achieved in the NBA.
Selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Williams went on to become a three-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA Second-Team selection. He last played in 2017 with 16.3 points and 8.1 assists per game averages for his career.
Nick Weatherspoon
Nick Weatherspoon was an All-American for Illinois and is one of the greatest scorers in program history, averaging over 20.9 points per game for his career. The 6-7 big man was also dominant on the glass, averaging 11.4 rebounds per game as well.
Injuries limited ‘Spoon’s professional career to just seven seasons, but his production during his time at Illinois earns his place on this Mount Rushmore.
Kendall Gill
A member of Illinois’ 1989 Final Four team, Kendall Gill remains one of the best and most accomplished players in Illinois basketball history. Though he didn’t become a starter until his sophomore season, Gill quickly become one of Illinois’ best defenders before developing into a dominant offensive threat.
He was a Second-Team All-American in 1990 after averaging 20.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game during his senior year. Gill was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the NBA Draft that year by the Charlotte Hornets and went on to have a 15-year career in the NBA.