Teams

2004-2005 University of Illinois Men’s Team

Year Inducted: 2018

Category: Teams

Schools / Organizations: The University of Illinois

Biography: The Fighting Illini of 2005 became the darlings of the college basketball world after winning their first 29 games of the season and sitting atop the national polls for 15 straight weeks.  Bruce Weber earned National Coach of the Year honors after directing Illinois to its first ever national championship game appearance and a 37-2 record, tying the NCAA mark for wins in a season (since broken).  Illinois won a 2nd consecutive outright Big Ten title, and won the Big Ten Tournament, enabling them to receive the overall #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Dee Brown was named a Consensus First-Team All-American player and Big Ten Player of the Year, while Deron Williams and luther Head were named Consensus Second-Team All-American players.

Team Members in the Picture:

Back row (L to R): Head Coach Bruce Weber, Wayne McClain, Gary Nottingham, Marcus Arnold, James Augustine, Nick Smith, Jack Ingram, Shaun Pruitt, Warren Carter, Jay Price, Tray Webster, Jimmy Price, and Al Martindale.

Front Row (L to R): Brian Randle, Richard McBride, Calvin Brock, Luther Head, Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Roger Powell, and Fred Nkemdi.