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1958–59 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

American college basketball season


American college basketball season

FieldValue
modeBasketball
year1958–59
teamIllinois Fighting Illini
image1958–59_Illinois_Fighting_Illini_men's_basketball_team.jpg
image_size300px
conferenceBig Ten Conference
short_confBig Ten
record12–10
conf_record7-7
head_coachHarry Combes
asst_coach1Howie Braun
asst_coach2Jim Wright
hc_year12th
ac1_year22nd
ac2_year1st
captainRoger Taylor
mvpRoger Taylor
stadiumHuff Hall

The 1958–59 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

Regular season

University of Illinois' head coach, Harry Combes and his Fighting Illini basketball team once again led the Big Ten in wins for a decade with a 165-64 record in the 1950s. The Illini’s winning percentage, .721, ranked 11th nationally. Additionally, the Associated Press began its basketball poll in 1949 with United Press International adding its poll in 1951 and from 1951-56 the Illini finished the season ranked in the Top 20 nationally every year. Illinois’ highest final ranking in the 1950s was second in both polls in 1952.

The 1958-59 team utilized several returning lettermen including the leading scorer, team "captain" and team "MVP" Roger Taylor. It also saw the return of Mannie Jackson, Govoner Vaughn, Bruce Bunkenberg, Al Gosnell, Lou Landt and Ed Perry. The Illini finished the season with a conference record of 7 wins and 7 losses, finishing tied for 5th place in the Big Ten. They would finish with an overall record of 12 wins and 10 losses. During the season, the Illini would play Kentucky, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, at a Freedom Hall in Louisville. The outcome of this game would be a 75-76 loss. The starting lineup included John Wessels at the center position, Roger Taylor and Mannie Jackson at guard and Govoner Vaughn, Ed Perry and Al Gosnell at the forward slots.

Roster

  • Harry Combes (University of Illinois) (12th year)
  • Howie Braun (University of Illinois) (22nd year)
  • Jim Wright (University of Illinois) (1st year)

Schedule

Source

|- !colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Non-Conference regular season

|- !colspan=9 style="background:#DF4E38; color:#FFFFFF;"|Big Ten regular season

|-

Player stats

Illinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"PlayerIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Games playedIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Field goalsIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Free throwsIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"ReboundsIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Points
Roger Taylor211586068376
John Wessels2212675205327
Mannie Jackson221372589299
Govoner Vaughn2111043170263
Al Gosnell225949108167
Ed Perry22462293114
Vern Altemeyer2134258093
Lou Landt1936113483
Bruce Bunkenburg1317124146
Lee Frandsen151221426
John Easterbrook1245313
Tom Adams62024
Jim Dorris51264
Bob Schmidt30020
Bill Mohlenbrock40000
John Homeier20010

Awards and honors

Team players drafted into the NBA

Illinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"PlayerIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"NBA clubIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"RoundIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Pick
Roger TaylorSyracuse Nationals55

Rankings

Main article: 1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings

References

References

  1. Fighting Illini Basketball: A Hardwood History By [[The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana). News-Gazette]], Sports Publishing LLC {{ISBN. 1-58261-356-7
  2. [https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/1958-59 University of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1958-59], FightingIllini.com
  3. [https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/1958-59 Schedule]
  4. [http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/records/year-1958.html Season Stats] {{webarchive. link. (2013-11-02)
  5. "List of MVPs".
  6. {{usurped
Info: Wikipedia Source

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