The 1938–39 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
Regular season
The 1938-39 season was year number three for head coach Doug Mills. Overall the team regrouped from a miserable eighth place finish in the Big Ten a year earlier by winning 9 of their 10 home games only losing to conference rival Indiana. Unfortunately for the Fighting Illini they finished with a 5-5 record on the road to finish in third place overall in conference action. Mills' Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team featured only 5 returning letterman. Along with team captain Tom Nisbit, the Illini also featured a starting lineup of Lewis Dehner at the center position, John Drish, Joe Frank and William Hapac at forward and George Wardley, and Colin Handlon at guard.[1]
Team
No. |
Player |
Position |
Class |
Hometown |
3 |
Colin Handlon |
Guard |
Junior |
Connersville, Indiana |
4 |
Henry Sachs |
Guard |
Freshman |
Chicago, Illinois |
6 |
Robert O'Neill |
Center |
Sophomore |
Pitman, New Jersey |
8 |
Lewis Dehner |
Center |
Senior |
Lincoln, Illinois |
9 |
Edsel Hart |
Forward |
Sophomore |
|
10 |
James Phillips |
Guard |
Sophomore |
Oak Park, Illinois |
11 |
Darold Staley |
Guard |
Sophomore |
|
12 |
Robert Richmond |
Guard |
Sophomore |
|
15 |
George Wardley |
Guard |
Senior |
Gary, Indiana |
17 |
Joe Frank |
Forward |
Junior |
Urbana, Illinois |
18 |
Tom Nisbet (captain) |
Guard |
Senior |
Chicago, Illinois |
19 |
William Hapac |
Forward |
Junior |
Cicero, Illinois |
20 |
Harold Shapiro |
Guard |
Sophomore |
Chicago, Illinois |
21 |
John Drish |
Forward |
Sophomore |
Evanston, Illinois |
26 |
Ivan Johnson |
Forward |
Sophomore |
|
27 |
Howard Cronk |
Forward |
Sophomore |
Anderson, Indiana |
28 |
Norman Cusick |
Forward |
Sophomore |
|
[2]
Schedule
Date |
Opponent |
Score |
Result |
Location |
Attendance |
December 10, 1938 |
Washington (St. Louis) |
49–31 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
5,000 |
December 17, 1938 |
North Dakota |
61–33 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
4,000 |
December 21, 1938 |
Connecticut State |
49–33 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
4,763 |
December 27, 1938 |
Manhattan |
60–41 |
Win |
New York, NY |
17,000 |
December 29, 1938 |
Villanova |
28–22 |
Win |
Philadelphia, PA |
9,000 |
January 3, 1939 |
Cornell |
35-34 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
8,500 |
January 7, 1939 |
Michigan |
30–20 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
6,553 |
January 9, 1939 |
Indiana |
28–29 |
Loss |
Champaign, IL |
6,706 |
January 14, 1939 |
University of Chicago |
43–33 |
Win |
Chicago, IL |
3,500 |
January 16, 1939 |
Ohio State |
45–31 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
6,846 |
January 21, 1939 |
Wisconsin |
37-34 |
Win |
Madison, WI |
11,200 |
January 23, 1939 |
Minnesota |
33–35 |
Loss |
Minneapolis, MN |
16,500 |
February 3, 1939 |
Notre Dame |
24–38 |
Loss |
Notre Dame, IN |
5,500 |
February 6, 1939 |
Iowa |
34–26 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
6,000 |
February 11, 1939 |
Purdue |
30–34 |
Loss |
West Lafayette, IN |
5,000 |
February 13, 1939 |
Michigan |
35–28 |
Win |
Ann Arbor, MI |
4,000 |
February 20, 1939 |
Purdue |
35–28 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
6,900 |
February 25, 1939 |
Northwestern |
34–36 |
Loss |
Evanston, IL |
5,000 |
February 27, 1939 |
University of Chicago |
49–26 |
Win |
Champaign, IL |
6,500 |
Bold Italic connotes conference game
Awards and honors
References
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Venues |
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Rivalries |
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Culture & lore |
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People |
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Seasons |
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Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
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