CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2024!

A Unique Way to Give Back to Illinois Basketball and at the Same Time Help the Basketball Museum of Illinois

On January 4, 2024, we received the following letter that we believe is a great way for basketball teams of the past to recognize and honor their coach. It’s also a creative way to help the Basketball Museum of Illinois.

Can we encourage you and your teammates to follow the lead of the Waterloo Team of 1971? Do you have a coach you would like to honor?

We invite you to be a part of something truly special, preserving Illinois basketball history and making a lasting impact on the game we all love.

Learn how you can support these efforts by donating today.

Featured in the Chicago Sun-Times

These stories need to be told as much to preserve the history of Illinois as to preserve the history of basketball.

Who We Are

Our mission is to honor Illinois basketball history, celebrate current achievements, and motivate future generations.

The Basketball Museum of Illinois is a comprehensive facility dedicated to recognizing the rich tradition and history of basketball in our state from the junior high level level to the development of the professional game. Visitors will discover the stories of the great teams, coaches, players, officials, media, and friends of basketball in our state. Galleries will encourage visitor participation, allowing them to experience the greatest basketball moments in Illinois history. Our goal is to educate and entertain.

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Visit our virtual museum

Our GOAL

As expansive and diverse as the state itself, the unique passion of Illinois basketball continues to excite, inspire and impact throughout the past, present and future.

It was always a dream of legendary Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Executive Director, Chuck Rolinski, that his organization would have a permanent home for our renowned IBCA Hall of Fame. The Basketball Museum of Illinois will become that home that Coach Rolinski dreamed of for so long!

Our Vision

Fifty years ago, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association was created to help the coaches in our state and to make the game of basketball better in Illinois.

The IBCA has always had a vision to build a basketball museum that would be a comprehensive facility dedicated to recognizing the rich traditions and history of basketball in Illinois.

From the junior high level to our professional teams, we highlight the great stories, teams, coaches, players, officials, media and “friends of basketball” in Illinois.

The Basketball Museum of Illinois is an extension of the IBCA and our goals are to showcase our great basketball history (especially our Hall of Fame), celebrate current achievements and to passionately serve our coaches, players and fans.

The Basketball Experience

Hall Of Fame Experience

The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame was founded in 1973 to honor the best and most influential players, teams, coaches, media, officials, and friends of basketball in Illinois history. Since then, a new Hall of Fame class has been inducted every year.

Boys State Tournament

The Illinois High School Boys Basketball Tournamnet is a single elimination tournament held each year in March at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign. The tournament was founded in 1908 and continues today. The term March Madness was used by the high school tournament in 1939, long before the NCAA adopted it.

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“The basketball stories of Illinois give a history of the people of Illinois. Major societal strides are reflected in the actions of basketball players, coaches, fans, and administrators as pertaining to Civil Rights and Title IX legislation. These stories need to be told as much to preserve the history of Illinois as to preserve the history of basketball.” – Mark Kleemann

History

Illinois has a rich and storied history of basketball from the grade school levels all the way to the professional ranks. One of our major goals is to honor and preserve the great history of Illinois basketball through our digital archive and physical location at The Wintrust Sports Complex at Bedford Park.

Girls State Tournament

The Illinois High School Boys Basketball Tournamnet is organized the same way as the boys tournament but two weeks earlier. First state girls basketball tournament held at Horton Fieldhouse at Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal. The game is now hosted at Redbird Arena on the same campus.

Next Level Basketball

Illinois is home to NBA and WNBA championship teams, 45 mens college teams and 44 womens college teams. Illinois consistently ranks in the top 3 states for most Prep to NBA players. Illinois is next-level basketball!

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March Madness Results

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Be a part of History

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Women’s league

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