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Illinois will get its one game at Penn State this season not at regularly empty Bryce Jordan Center, but at Rec Hall instead — a first for the Nittany Lions in Big Ten play since it changed basketball homes in 1996. Illini beat writer Scott Richey caught up with former Illini legend Deon Thomas as the program’s all-time leading scorer at 2,129 points went down memory lane about his conference showdowns played at the intimate, on-campus venue before Thomas joins Voice of the Illini Brian Barnhart on the radio call of Wednesday night’s game:
Penn State was new to the Big Ten during Deon Thomas’ standout Illinois career.
Brand new.
The Nittany Lions’ first year in their new conference, 1992, coincided with Thomas’ redshirt junior season with the Illini. The Nittany Lions won 21 games in their final season in the Atlantic-10 Conference and won the league tournament to secure a berth in the 1991 NCAA tournament — their first appearance since 1965.
Another 21-win season followed as an independent. But there was no shedding the “football school” label when the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten.
Even if Penn State had won a pair of nonconference games against Illinois — one in State College, Pa., and the other in Champaign — in the two seasons prior.
Thomas and the Illini made their first Big Ten road trip to Rec Hall in late February 1993, three days after a 93-72 loss at No. 1 Indiana.
Thomas: I think everyone has it that it’s a football school, but once we got there I think those fans were really excited to be a part of the Big Ten. Our game was packed. It’s amazing the intimacy of that court.
The fans could literally reach out and touch you. They’re that close.
I remember TJ Wheeler was taking the ball out of bounds, and people were tugging on his jersey. That’s how close they are to the court. It could be a really intimidating arena. Those are the type of places I like. Maybe it’s because I played in the CPS and that’s how all of the gyms are and I was used to that.
Thomas received his fair share of ire from the Penn State fans.
It’s hard not to remember the one that followed him up and down the court shaking a set of car keys.
A reference, of course, to the allegations former Iowa assistant coach Bruce Pearl made about incentives he claimed Illinois used to entice Thomas to Champaign.
So I told him, ‘Make sure you apologize to John Amaechi because I’m going to kill him because of you.’
Thomas had 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting in Illinois’ 74-66 win at Rec Hall on Feb. 20, 1993. Amaechi, who had transferred from Vanderbilt and sat out the season prior, finished with 12 points.
Thomas: John Amaechi was a great player, but he’s the one that I remember. I kicked his butt. I liked him, but I kicked his butt.
Illinois returned to Rec Hall the next year in what turned out to be the last game it would play at Penn State’s basketball home since 1929. Thomas again led the Illini with 18 points (Amaechi had 13 points) in an 83-65 victory. The Illini didn’t make a trip to State College during the 1994-95 season, and by the time Illinois made its next visit out to Pennsylvania, the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center had opened.
This year’s game at Rec Hall will be Penn State’s first at the on-campus venue since Dec. 12, 2015. The Nittany Lions have played at their classic building that’s now home to gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling just three times — and never against a Big Ten opponent — since moving into the Bryce Jordan Center.
Thomas: It’s close to campus. It’s not that huge arena they’re playing in. This is smaller. To be quite honest, I think they should probably stay there. I think that other place is far too big for them. It’s off campus. None of the kids really get into it.
I think this would give them a better atmosphere. Now, I wish they weren’t doing it when we get there. They could do it at another time, but I think it’s going to hype the game up a little bit more.
Illinois always gets everybody’s best. They saw the news like everybody else that we’re a four seed (in the NCAA tournament based on the committee’s top-16 seeds revealed last Saturday). This is going to give everybody added energy to come out against Illinois.
That’s the type of environment Thomas enjoyed during his Illinois career. Going on the road in the Big Ten was different.
Thomas: My Illini fans may be upset with me, but at that time at Assembly Hall, the Orange Krush was only in one section. We didn’t have that intimidating environment, and it wasn’t as loud as it is now.
I loved going to play on the road. That’s what I would get my drive from. It wasn’t just winning. I wanted to shut the crowd up. I wanted to shut the team up.
Illinois will get its chance Wednesday.
