It's the most wonderful time of the year...and I feel like telling a story...

I'll be parked in front of a television or two starting around noon and won't move except for meals and bathroom breaks until Sunday evening.

In addition to the NCAA tourney, Illinois' Class AA (larger enrollments) high school basketball tournament concludes this weekend in Peoria. Brackets were changed this year and two Chicago Public League schools (Simeon and Marshall) are among the elite eight with all games televised. The marquee match-up tonight has Duke recruit Jon Scheyer from Glenbrook North facing Simeon's junior tandem of Derrick Rose and Tim Flowers. Marshall has a kid named Patrick Beverley that's had an exceptional senior season.

Simeon has a been a power over the past 20 years with it's most noted alum being former Illinois and NBA star Nick Anderson. Anderson wasn't even it's best player. Simeon was also the high school of Ben Wilson, one of the country's top players going into the 1984-85 season, his senior year. He never played a game that season. He was shot and killed the week before Thanksgiving.

He wore #25.

Illinois had a virtual pipeline to Simeon from the mid-'80's through today. For the longest time, all the Simeon players at Illinois starting with Nick Anderson wore #25 in memory of Ben Wilson. Deon Thomas, Bryant Notree, Kevin Turner, and currently Calvin Brock are #25 on the roster. I saw Wilson play his sophomore and junior years and got a closer look during the state tournament while I was living Downstate. Nobody knows for certain where Wison would have played college ball, but every year around this time, particularly when I see Simeon making another run at a state title, I'm sorry that Wilson never got a chance to play college ball, or, more importantly, never got a chance to simply live the rest of his life however he wanted.

Wilson was with his girlfriend when he was shot. She was pregnant...with his child. His name is Brandon Wilson and he played a little college ball at Maryland-Eastern Shore.

He wore #25.

tony b.

"Kid, these are my f**kin' work clothes."
"You look good in them golf shoes. You should buy 'em"