Executive Board
Steve Bardo: One of Carbondale High School’s all-time greats, Steve was a high-scoring guard who led the Terriers to the State Tournament before attending the University of Illinois. He was a starter on Illinois’ “Flyin’ Illini” team that reached the 1989 Final Four. Steve then spent a decade playing professional basketball around the world. He currently works as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.
Taylor Bell: Synonymous with high school basketball coverage in Illinois, Taylor is the retired sports editor of the Chicago Sun-Times. His award-winning journalism has become a staple for high school fans interested in following Chicago schools or learning about the state’s rich basketball history. Taylor was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Jim Burns: An all-state performer at McLeansboro High School, Jim played college basketball at Northwestern University where he earned All-American and Academic All-American honors while graduating as the school’s all-time leading scorer. Jim is a former prosecutor in Chicago who now is in private practice.
Jerry Colangelo: Long before he became a powerful sports executive in Phoenix, Jerry was a two-sport athlete at Bloom Township High School in Chicago and all-conference basketball player at the University of Illinois. Jerry forged a brilliant career in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, earning NBA Executive of the Year four times, culminating in his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He also was instrumental in creating the WNBA and bringing professional hockey and baseball to Phoenix. He has since sold his controlling interests in sports franchises to concentrate on other investment opportunities.
Doug Collins: A legendary player at Benton High School, Doug became one of the country’s top basketball talents at Illinois State University. After an impressive career with the Redbirds, he became a key contributor on the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, which won the silver medal. Doug was the top overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft and ended his playing days as a four-time All-Star before beginning an NBA coaching career. He currently is head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, the team that drafted him in 1973.
Dave Downey: After playing for Canton High School, Dave became a basketball star at the University of Illinois. He is a member of the school’s All-Century Team and currently holds the single-game scoring record of 53 points. Dave is founder and CEO of The Downey Group, a specialty insurance and wealth management firm in Champaign.
Ron Felling: As one of the most successful high school coaches in the history of the state, Ron Felling left his mark on the state record books during his tenure at Lawrenceville High School. His teams were undefeated in four Class A title games, giving Ron more Class A championships than any coach in state history. His team’s four appearances in the Class A title game also is a record. Ron later joined Bob Knight’s Indiana University staff as an assistant coach. He currently is retired and living in Hot Springs, Ark.
Terry Gamber: Before he became an attorney and judge, Terry was known for his basketball skills as a two-time All-State player at Mt. Vernon High School. A teammate of Jim Burns’ for his sophomore season at Northwestern, Terry was the Wildcat captain his senior year. He is a member of the Mt. Vernon High School Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Judge Gamber presides over the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court in Mt. Vernon.
Whitey Herzog: Whitey was an accomplished two-sport star at New Athens High School where he played point guard for the Yellow Jacket basketball team and fielded multiple positions on the baseball team. Baseball is what thrust Whitey to national fame as a manager, most notably with the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals. Whitey’s 1982 Cardinals team won a World Series title, and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 after retiring with 2,409 wins in 18 years.
Ed Hightower: When he’s not serving as school superintendent in Edwardsville, Ed has spent his free time establishing himself as an accomplished college basketball referee. He has officiated in 12 Final Four championships during his career and frequently handles games in the Big 10 and Big East conferences. In 1992, he was voted the Naismith Division I Men’s College Basketball Official of the Year, and in 1995, the National Association of Sports Officials honored him with their Gold Whistle Award.
Mannie Jackson: Mannie was an All-State player at Edwardsville High School who earned the state’s Mr. Basketball award before becoming team captain and the first African-American player at the University of Illinois. Following his college career, he played three years with the Harlem Globetrotters and then successfully established himself in the corporate world. In 1993, he took over ownership of Globetrotters and directed more than $11 million toward various charities around the world during his tenure as CEO.
Mike Krzyzewski: Coach K’s high school basketball career played out at Archbishop Weber High School in Chicago where he caught the eye of Bob Knight, then a young coach at Army. Coach K joined the U.S. Military Academy and became captain of the team. He then launched one of the most successful coaching careers in basketball history. The current Duke University head coach stands at 900 career victories entering the 2011-12 season, three shy of surpassing Coach Knight, his mentor, on the all-time wins list. Coach K, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, has led Duke to four national championships and also has guided U.S. national teams to two gold medals in international competitions.
Tom Oakley: As a forward and center, Tom was a key contributor to Quincy High School’s state tournament teams of 1948 and 1950. He then attended Duke University and played as a non-scholarship athlete during his freshman and sophomore years with teammates that included Dick Groat and Lefty Driesell. After graduation, Tom joined his family’s business, Quincy Newspapers Inc., and became president and CEO. Though retired from those positions, he remains company treasurer and publisher of The Herald-Whig newspaper.
Johnny Orr: As a senior at Taylorville High School in 1944, Johnny was the star player on coach Dolph Stanley’s state champion Tornadoes team that finished 45-0, the first undefeated season in IHSA history. Following his playing days at the University of Illinois and Beloit College, he played some professional basketball before embarking on a coaching career that spanned five decades. During his 12-year stint at the University of Michigan, Johnny led the Wolverines to a national runner-up finish and earned National Coach of the Year honors. He remains Michigan’s winningest coach with 209 victories. He then turned around the basketball program at Iowa State University, earned multiple NCAA Tournament berths and retired in 1994 as the school’s winningest coach with 218 victories.
Julie Roe Lach: After an impressive basketball career at Pinckneyville High School, Julie attended Division III Millikin University where she established herself as one of the country’s most accomplished student-athletes. She was named a GTE Academic All-American and Kodak All-American in 1997. Soon after, Julie joined the NCAA. In October 2010, she was promoted to vice president of enforcement, becoming the first woman to hold the top position in a department charged with investigating alleged rules violations among college athletics programs.
Jerry Sloan: Jerry came out of McLeansboro High School where he was an All-State performer for the Foxes in 1960. After a successful playing career at the University of Evansville, he was a two-time NBA All-Star known for his tenacious defense and rebounding skills. Injuries ended his career, and he soon established himself as an all-time great in NBA coaching history. Jerry amassed 1,221 victories in 26 seasons coaching the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls, a total that places him third on the all-time NBA wins list and earned him a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He is one of only three coaches to record at least 15 consecutive seasons with a winning record. Jerry coached the Jazz for 23 years, the longest tenure of any coach in major professional sports, and he’s the only coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games for one team.
Loren Tate: Loren arrived at the Champaign News-Gazette in 1966 and has become a legendary sportswriter and broadcaster in the state. He has chronicled dozens of State Tournaments at Assembly Hall as well as all the news from the University of Illinois’ athletic teams during his career, which included a lengthy stint as sports editor of the News-Gazette. Loren continues to cover sports as a columnist.
