I grew up in Teutopolis, Illinois. Population around 1,500 people. One stoplight. One school. One gym — and one of the most remarkable boys basketball programs in the history of the state of Illinois. If you haven't heard of the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes, that's on you. Because in east-central Illinois, there is no more accomplished small school program in a century of competition. Not even close.
On February 1, 2025, the Wooden Shoes won their 2,000th game in program history — becoming only the 6th Illinois boys basketball program to ever reach that number. They did it faster than any other program in state history, averaging 19.8 wins per season across 101 seasons of basketball. The numbers sourced directly from the IHSA record books and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association tell a story that is almost too good to be true. They are completely, verifiably true.
2,000+
All-Time Wins — 6th in Illinois History, Fastest Ever
19.8
Average Wins Per Season Over 101 Seasons
11
Losing Seasons in 101 Years of Basketball
39
Regional / District Championships
15
Sectional Championships
7
Super-Sectional / Elite 8 Appearances
7
State Tournament Appearances
1
State Championship — 1986 Class A
9
Total Head Coaches in 101 Years
Nine coaches in 101 years. That's an average tenure of over 11 years per coach. Three of those coaches — Griffin, Carie, and Crawford — account for 1,425 wins and 72 combined seasons. The stability at Teutopolis is unlike anything else in Illinois basketball history at the small school level, and it is the single biggest reason the wins have never stopped.
Understanding the Class System
To properly evaluate what Teutopolis has accomplished, you need to understand the two structural shifts that changed the IHSA competitive landscape during the program's history.
1972 — Two classes introduced. Before 1972, every school in Illinois competed in the same single-class tournament. Big city school or tiny farming town, same bracket. Starting in 1972, the IHSA split into Class A (small schools) and Class AA (large schools). For the first time, Teutopolis competed exclusively against other small schools.
2008 — Four classes introduced. The IHSA expanded again from two classes to four — 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A. The small school bracket was further subdivided. Teutopolis, based on enrollment, was placed in Class 2A. The competitive pool narrowed compared to the old Class A days.
This distinction matters enormously. Winning a regional or making the state tournament in the two-class era meant surviving a bracket that included the entire small school population of Illinois — hundreds of programs from every region of the state. The four-class system narrowed the field. Both eras require winning, but the weight of a championship in the two-class system is heavier. Keep that in mind throughout.
The Foundation (1925–1971)
Teutopolis has been playing basketball since 1925. In the single-class era, a tiny Effingham County school competed against every school in Illinois regardless of size. Just surviving and winning consistently against that field was a genuine achievement.
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J.H. Griffin
Head Coach 1930–1953 · 24 Seasons · 404 Wins
The man who gave Teutopolis its name and identity. In 1935, after local businessmen Albert Hewing and Bert Hawickhorst presented him with a pair of handcarved wooden shoes made by local shoemaker George Deymann, Griffin adopted the Wooden Shoes as the team's official nickname — honoring the community's German heritage. He built the program from nothing into a regional power during the most competitive era in IHSA history. J.H. Griffin Gym, the 1,800-seat arena that still serves as the home court today, bears his name.
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Lawrence Carie
Head Coach 1959–1981 · 23 Seasons · 443 Wins
Carie bridged the single-class and two-class eras, coaching Teutopolis through the IHSA's landmark 1972 structural change. His 443 wins over 23 seasons — all while navigating a shift in the competitive landscape — cemented the program's reputation as an east-central Illinois institution and laid the groundwork for everything that followed. Combined, Griffin and Carie account for 847 wins and 47 seasons at the helm of Teutopolis basketball.
This is the era that defines Teutopolis basketball. From 1972 through 2007, the Wooden Shoes operated in a Class A landscape that was genuinely, brutally competitive. Class A in Illinois was not a soft division — it contained hundreds of small schools from every corner of the state, many with deep histories, strong programs, and real talent. Winning consistently in that environment across 36 years required something that can't be faked: culture.
Wins — The Main Story
The win totals during this era are staggering. Under Ken Crawford alone — the Hall of Fame coach who arrived in 1982 — Teutopolis went 578-146 in 25 seasons at T-Town. That's a winning percentage of nearly 80%. Crawford averaged 23.1 wins per season across a quarter century in the most competitive version of the IHSA small school bracket that has ever existed.
How That Win Rate Compares
The IHSA's all-time wins leader, Centralia, averaged roughly 18.5 wins per season across their history. Teutopolis under Crawford outpaced the state's all-time leader by nearly five wins per season — in Class A, against the entire small school population of Illinois. The IHSA all-time coaching records list Crawford at 662-201 for his career, including his seasons at Rossville-Alvin, placing him among the top 35 all-time in Illinois boys basketball coaching wins. No other small school program in Illinois was winning at Teutopolis's rate over that sustained a stretch during the two-class era.
Where Teutopolis Stands in Illinois History
Here is how Teutopolis compares to the other schools in the IHSA all-time wins leaderboard. Note the enrollment column carefully:
| Rank | School | All-Time Wins | School Size |
|---|
| 1 | Centralia | 2,296 | Large |
| 2 | Collinsville | 2,227 | Large |
| 3 | Quincy | 2,059 | Large |
| 4 | Pittsfield | 1,944 | Medium-Small |
| 5 | Peoria High School | 1,923 | Large |
| 6 | Mt. Vernon | 1,907 | Medium |
| 7* | Teutopolis (now 2,000+) | 1,905+ | SMALL — ~330 students |
| 8 | Lincoln | 1,863 | Medium |
| 9 | Nashville HS | 1,862 | Small-Medium |
| 10 | Benton | 1,850 | Small-Medium |
*IHSA listing reflects through 2020-21; Teutopolis reached 2,000 on Feb. 1, 2025
Teutopolis is the only school in the top tier of the IHSA all-time wins list with an enrollment of roughly 330 students. Every school ahead of them has meaningfully more students. The Wooden Shoes earned their place in that company on one thing alone — wins. Not resources. Not enrollment. Not geography. Wins.
Regional Championships — Consistent, Dominant
Winning a regional in Illinois high school basketball requires winning two or three consecutive single-elimination games against teams that have prepared specifically for you. Your opponents know your tendencies, have studied your personnel, and want nothing more than to be the team that ends your season. By 2023, Teutopolis had 35 total regional titles — including 15 consecutive regional championships in Class 2A — the only interruption being the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season when the entire IHSA postseason was cancelled and no plaques were awarded to anyone. In those 15 championship game appearances, the Wooden Shoes outscored opponents by an average of nearly 14 points per contest. This is not a program that sneaks through postseason brackets. They dominate them.
State Tournament Appearances — Two-Class Era
1986
🏆 State Champion — 33-0
Class A
1994
State Qualifier
Class A · 30-1 season
1998
State Qualifier
Class A · 27-4 season
2000
🥈 State Runner-Up
Class A · 31-2 season
2006
State Qualifier
Class A · 29-3 season
2007
🥉 Third Place
Class A — Final year of two-class system
Six state tournament appearances in 36 years of the two-class era. A state championship, a runner-up finish, and a third place — three times finishing on the podium out of six trips to the big stage. The 1994 team went 30-1. The 2000 team went 31-2. These weren't programs barely surviving to the state tournament — they were dominant teams that ran into equally good competition at the end. The vast majority of Class A programs never made a single state tournament appearance across that entire 36-year period. Teutopolis made six, finishing in the top three half of those times.
1986 — Perfection
🏆 1986 Class A State Champions — 33-0
Coach: Ken Crawford, 5th season at Teutopolis
Championship game: Teutopolis 82, Ohio 45 — Assembly Hall, Champaign
Historic: Only the 13th boys basketball team in Illinois history to finish a season undefeated at the time of their championship
Remarkable footnote: The same spring, the Teutopolis girls basketball team also won the Class A state title — making Teutopolis the only school in Illinois history to hold both boys and girls basketball state championships in the same season simultaneously
Key players: Bob Zerrusen (IHSA 100 Greatest Players list), Kevin Ruholl, Todd Kroeger
The 1986 season remains the crown jewel of Teutopolis basketball. Crawford had told his players they could go undefeated if they committed fully. They did. The championship game — an 82-45 throttling of Ohio in front of a packed Assembly Hall — wasn't close. The Chicago Tribune was writing about this town. Fans from Teutopolis filled the arena both times that week, for the boys and then the girls. A town of 1,400 people winning both state championships in the same season. It has never happened to another school in Illinois history.
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Ken Crawford
Head Coach 1982–2007 · 25 Seasons · 578-146 at T-Town · Hall of Fame
The greatest coach in Teutopolis history and one of the finest in Illinois. Crawford arrived in 1982 going 13-14 in his first season. He never had a losing season again. Over 25 seasons, his .798 winning percentage at Teutopolis is among the finest extended runs in IHSA basketball history at any classification. Six state tournament appearances. One championship. One runner-up. One third place. Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Including his seasons at Rossville-Alvin, his career record stands at 662-201 — placing him among the top 35 all-time in Illinois boys basketball coaching wins per IHSA records.
When the IHSA expanded to four classes in 2008, Teutopolis landed in Class 2A. The competitive pool narrowed compared to the old two-class Class A days. The Wooden Shoes didn't skip a beat. Regionals kept falling. Sectionals kept coming. Wins kept piling up.
The Win Rate Continues
Under Andy Fehrenbacher (2008-15) and current coach Chet Reeder (2019-present), Teutopolis has not had a losing season. Per published reports at the time of the 2023 state tournament, Reeder had not had a losing record in five seasons at Teutopolis and had only finished below .500 twice in his entire head coaching career dating back to Sullivan. The culture at T-Town is not something a new coach needs to install. It's already there. Every coach who has come through those doors has inherited a standard that the program itself enforces.
Four-Class Era: A Different But Still Real Standard
Class 2A competition is still legitimate. The teams Teutopolis faces in regional and sectional play are programs that prepare specifically for the Wooden Shoes — coaches who study them, players who grew up wanting to knock them off. The 12-of-13 regional championship run in recent years (excluding the COVID year) is as dominant a local postseason record as exists anywhere in Illinois basketball at any level. The honest distinction is that the pool is narrower than the two-class era. But wins in a narrower pool still require actually winning, and Teutopolis keeps doing it.
State Tournament Return — 2023
2023
State Qualifier
Class 2A — First appearance since 2007
After a 16-year absence, Teutopolis returned to the state tournament in 2023 under Reeder. The team was led by Caleb Siemer (12.8 pts, 9.1 reb, 3.2 ast per game), Brendan Niebrugge (12.4 pts), and James Niebrugge (11.6 pts). It was the program's 7th state tournament appearance — the first in the four-class system. The 16-year gap is the only extended drought at the state level in the program's modern history, and even during that stretch the wins at the regional and sectional level never stopped.
2,000 Wins — February 1, 2025
On February 1, 2025, Teutopolis won all-time victory number 2,000 — the 6th Illinois boys basketball program in history to do so. The other five clubs in that group: Centralia, Collinsville, Quincy, Pinckneyville, and Mt. Vernon. Every single one of them is a larger school. Per the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, Teutopolis is the fastest program in state history to reach 2,000 wins, averaging 19.8 per season across 101 years.
📊 Fastest to 2,000 — What It Really Means To average 19.8 wins per season for 101 consecutive years requires sustained excellence through nine different head coaches, hundreds of roster turnovers, two major structural changes in the IHSA classification system, and every variety of good year and bad year that a century of basketball produces. No program in Illinois — at any enrollment level — reached 2,000 wins faster. That single statistic, more than any individual championship or trophy, defines what Teutopolis has built.
The Greatest Players in Wooden Shoe History
A program doesn't win 2,000 games on coaching alone. Over a century of Teutopolis basketball, the gym has produced players who went on to dominate at the college level, earn all-state honors, and earn a permanent place in the IHSA record books. Here are the names that belong on the short list of the greatest Wooden Shoes of all time — sourced from IHSA archives, the Quincy University record book, Millikin athletics records, and contemporaneous newspaper accounts.
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Leon Gobczynski
Center · Class of 1971 · 6'8" · Millikin University · IBCA Hall of Fame · NAIA All-American
The statistical GOAT of Teutopolis basketball. Gobczynski went from scoring 14 points his freshman season to breaking the single-season scoring record with 692 points his senior year. At Millikin University, he became the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,635 career points — ranked 30th nationally at the time of his graduation. He was an All-NAIA All-American in both 1974 and 1975, a NABC All-American, and earned NAIA national player of the week honors four times. He then played professionally overseas for nearly nine years, averaging 32 points per game as a pro, winning the French Cup in 1982. He had a tryout with the Houston Rockets in 1982. Inducted into the Millikin University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1985. His individual game scoring outputs of 62, 58, 52, 48, and 46 points are cartoonish numbers for a small college player. The 1971 T-Town team went 25-1 before falling to Paris 95-78 in the Paris sectional — one of the great "what if" teams in program history. Leon Gobczynski is the most decorated individual player in Teutopolis history by any measure.
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Gene Runde
Guard/Forward · Class of 1949 · Quincy College · Quincy University Hall of Fame 1974
Gene Runde's senior year, Teutopolis went 28-1 — the best record in program history at that point — and was ranked as high as second in the state in the Associated Press polls. They fell to Effingham in the regional despite having beaten them twice during the season. Runde went on to Quincy College (now Quincy University), where he finished with 1,282 career points — placing him 11th on the all-time Quincy University NAIA scoring list (1940-1989). He was inducted into the Quincy University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1974 in both basketball and baseball. After his Army service, he came back to T-Town to teach for 29 years and coach at Quincy Notre Dame — where he guided the 1956-57 team to the state tournament semifinals. Gene Runde was a four-sport athlete at Teutopolis and one of the most complete players the program has ever produced. The Runde family name has meant Teutopolis basketball across three generations.
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Gene Schumacher
Forward · Class of ~1962 · 6'5" · University of Alabama · SEC Standout · Rest In Peace, March 9, 2026
A note before anything else: Gene "Hoss" Schumacher passed away on March 9, 2026, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama — just days before this article was published. He was 81 years old, a proud Alabama alumnus until the very end, and per those who knew him, never missed a chance to tell stories about his playing days to anyone who would listen. He will be deeply missed in Teutopolis and in the broader Wooden Shoes family. Known as "Hoss" for his imposing 6'5" frame and physical style of play, Schumacher is the most accomplished Teutopolis player in terms of major-college pedigree — the only Wooden Shoe ever to play Division I basketball in the Southeastern Conference. At Alabama, he competed against the likes of Kentucky and Tennessee on the biggest stage in college basketball in the early 1960s. For a kid from Effingham County to go compete in the SEC is an achievement that stands alone in T-Town lore. He was a lifelong Alabama Crimson Tide fan and a gentleman whose love for the game and for Teutopolis never faded.
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Mark Kreke
Guard · Class of 1975 · Millikin University Hall of Fame 1991 · NABC All-District
Mark Kreke was the starting guard on the 1974-75 Teutopolis team that went 26-1 and finished ranked No. 3 in the final Associated Press small school poll — one of the finest T-Town teams never to reach the state tournament. He was a prolific scorer in blue and gold; on February 13, 1976, he dropped 48 points on Cowden-Herrick in a 97-45 win at J.H. Griffin Gym. At Millikin University, Kreke hit the go-ahead layup with 14 seconds left to beat Augustana 71-70 in a pivotal CCIW conference game, going 8-for-9 from the field in the second half. He was named to the NABC All-District second team — an honor covering five states — making him eligible for All-America consideration. He was inducted into the Millikin University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991. Kreke later became a respected presence in Central Illinois basketball circles, regularly referenced by Millikin coaches as one of the program's all-time greats.
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Bob Zerrusen
Center · Class of 1986 · 6'6" · IHSA 100 Legends · IBCA Hall of Fame · Area POY 1986
The face of the 1986 state championship team and the only Teutopolis player on the IHSA's official list of 100 Legends of the Boys Basketball Tournament. In four state tournament games, Zerrusen scored 81 points on 32-of-44 shooting (73%), grabbed 44 rebounds, and blocked 10 shots. In the title game he went 8-for-9 from the field for 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and five steals. He finished his career as the program's all-time leader in rebounds and fourth all-time in scoring. He was the Area Player of the Year in 1986. His IHSA Legend citation reads: "Backbone of Teutopolis' undefeated state champs in 1986…in four tournament games, six-foot-six center scored 81 points on 32 of 44 field goal shooting (73%)." Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Bob later returned as an assistant coach at Teutopolis, giving back to the community that made him.
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Todd Kroeger
Forward · Class of 1986 · State Champion 1986 — 33-0
A key member of the undefeated 1985-86 state championship team, Kroeger was part of a senior class that Coach Crawford later described as one where "there is not a single one of these seniors who could not have played a significant role on any team I ever coached." The full championship roster — Zerrusen, Kroeger, Kevin Ruholl, Mike Donaldson, Theo Hemmen, Ted Wiessing, Dean Hille, Craig Pals, and Dennis Ruholl — was a collection of players whose collective depth and toughness Crawford credited with making the perfect season possible. Kroeger embodied the T-Town program ideal: a complete player who made the team better every night without needing to be the headline.
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Matt Schumacher
Forward · Crawford Era Standout
A physical, versatile forward during the late Crawford era who gave Teutopolis the interior toughness that Crawford's system demanded year after year. In a January 2002 game against Neoga, Schumacher scored 17 points in a dominant T-Town win, demonstrating the kind of consistent interior scoring that made him a key contributor during one of the most sustained stretches of excellence in program history. The Schumacher name in T-Town basketball carries special weight — Gene "Hoss" Schumacher having set the bar at the highest level possible by playing in the SEC at Alabama a generation earlier.
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Mike Hardiek
Guard · Class of ~2003 · SIU-Edwardsville · NCAA DII Tournament All-Star
Hardiek took his T-Town game to SIU-Edwardsville, where he became one of the program's most efficient scorers. At Teutopolis, he was named to the National Trail Conference all-tournament team and erupted for 19 points including five three-pointers against Neoga in January 2002. At SIUE, his college career peaked in the 2006 NCAA Division II Tournament — where he was statistically the best player on the floor across four games. In those four tournament games, Hardiek went 26-of-40 from the field (65% shooting), hit 5-of-9 from three, made 10-of-13 free throws, and averaged 16.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. He led SIUE in field goal percentage for the entire season at 65% — an elite number for any level of basketball. His tournament performance helped SIUE advance to the Elite Eight before falling to Virginia Union 60-58. The Hardiek family continued producing Wooden Shoes athletes for years after Mike's graduation, the multi-generational T-Town basketball tradition at its finest.
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Brent Niebrugge
Forward · Class of 1994 · 6'4" · Area POY 1994 · Illinois Wesleyan University
Niebrugge holds the single-season scoring record at Teutopolis, putting up 26.9 points per game during the 1993-94 season on a team that went 30-1 and reached the state tournament. At Illinois Wesleyan he averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds per game as a senior — a remarkable college rebounding average. The 1994 team's 30-1 record remains one of the finest single-season performances in program history.
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John Runde
Guard/Forward · Quincy University Class of 1966 · 1,416 Career Points — 5th All-Time in Quincy University NAIA History
John Runde is one of the most decorated college players to come out of the Teutopolis program — and the Quincy University record book proves it. Per the official 2024 Quincy University Men's Basketball Record Book, Runde finished his career with 1,416 points, placing him 5th on the all-time NAIA scoring list (1940-1989) in school history. That puts him behind only Casey Duncheon (1,726), Mike Brady (1,693), Leo Binz (1,589), and Ed Crenshaw (1,476) — and ahead of dozens of players from a program with a deep basketball tradition. The Runde family legacy at both Teutopolis and Quincy is one of the great multi-generational basketball stories in east-central Illinois — Gene Runde (Class of 1949, 1,282 points at Quincy, Hall of Famer) and John Runde (Class of 1966, 1,416 points, 5th all-time) together represent over 2,698 combined college basketball points at the same university across two generations of the same family.
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Rich Borries
Forward · Class of 2007 · 6'7" · Lincoln Land CC → Missouri Southern State University
Rich Borries was the physical anchor of the 2006-07 Teutopolis team that went 30-2 and finished third in the final year of the two-class system. Per IHSA records, Borries averaged 10.7 points and led the team with 313 total rebounds — over 10 boards per game. He took his game to Lincoln Land Community College, where he earned first-team All-Region and second-team All-Conference honors, averaged 11.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on 57% shooting, and helped his team go 20-11. He then transferred to Missouri Southern State University as a 6'7", 245-pound senior forward, playing in 25 games and posting career highs of 10 points and 9 rebounds in a single game against Fort Hays State. The Effingham Daily News described Borries going right at a 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound opponent in the 2007 sectional — finishing with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and multiple critical ball screens that sprung teammates on the night T-Town punched its ticket to the super-sectional. A blue-collar, winning-first big man from first whistle to last.
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Mitch Koester
Guard · Class of 2000 · 5'11" · Area POY 2000 · Program All-Time Assists Leader
The engine of the 2000 state runner-up team that went 31-2. Per IHSA records, Koester went 197-for-401 from the field, 87 three-pointers, 127 free throws made — 608 total points, 20.3 average, 122 assists across 30 games. He set the program's all-time single-season records for scoring and assists. In the run to the state championship game he was the most dangerous guard in Class A Illinois basketball. Named Area Player of the Year. He went on to Purdue University as a baseball standout, demonstrating the multi-sport athleticism that small Illinois towns consistently produce.
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Johnny King
Guard · Class of 2000 · 6'0" · 13.3 PPG · 152 Assists · State Runner-Up 2000
The second star of the 2000 state runner-up team alongside Koester. Per IHSA records, King averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 assists across 30 games — 398 points, 108 rebounds, 152 assists. Crawford specifically recalled King's clutch free throw shooting late in an overtime regional game against Newton, with a water bottle having just been thrown on the floor and the crowd in a frenzy. King hit both ends of the one-and-one. That poise defined him as a player and as a Wooden Shoe.
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Andy Gobczynski
Forward/Center · Class of 2000 · 6'7" · State Runner-Up 2000 · Eastern Illinois University
The son of program legend Leon Gobczynski, Andy carried the family name with full distinction on the 2000 state runner-up team. Per IHSA records, the 6'7" Gobczynski started alongside Mitch Koester, Johnny King, John Tipton (9.7 ppg), and Todd Thoele — giving Crawford a balanced, versatile lineup that went 31-2. His combination of length and basketball IQ, inherited from a father who was 30th in the nation in career scoring, made him one of the most complete frontcourt players the program produced in that era. He went on to Eastern Illinois University, continuing the Gobczynski family tradition of taking Teutopolis basketball all the way to the college game.
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Ted Smith
Forward · 1985-86 State Championship Team
Ted Smith was a member of the legendary 1985-86 state championship team. Coach Crawford specifically named Smith in his detailed written account of that season — one of a group of JV contributors who were called up and played meaningful varsity minutes during the 33-0 run. Crawford wrote of Tim Smith, Rich Hartke, and Todd Westjohn as "JV starters" who were part of the championship squad's depth. That depth — not just the five starters — is what Crawford credited with making the undefeated season possible. Ted Smith was part of that group, part of the most historic team in Teutopolis history.
Nine Coaches. One Standard. A Century of Winning.
In 101 years, only nine men have coached the Wooden Shoes. Griffin (404 wins, 24 years), Carie (443 wins, 23 years), Crawford (578 wins, 25 years at T-Town), Fehrenbacher (8 seasons), Hanson (3 seasons), Reeder (present). The three longest tenures alone account for over 1,425 wins and 72 seasons. That is institutional continuity that does not exist elsewhere in Illinois basketball at the small school level.
What that continuity means is that Teutopolis basketball is bigger than any single coach or player. The program has absorbed every coaching transition, every graduation, every rough stretch, and emerged on the other side still winning. The culture is self-replicating. Nobody has to tell a Teutopolis team that 15 wins isn't enough. The gym walls tell them every time they walk in.
I grew up watching Wooden Shoes basketball. I know what it looks like when J.H. Griffin Gym is packed on a February night — 1,800 people in a town of 1,500, blue and gold everywhere, tradition hanging from every rafter and trophy case in the building. This isn't just a sports story. It is a community story about what happens when a small town decides that something matters and refuses to let the standard slip for a hundred years.
Teutopolis doesn't produce NBA players. They don't make national lists. They aren't famous the way Peoria Manual or Chicago King are famous. What they do is win — quietly, stubbornly, consistently — year after year, in a gym that holds more people than live in the town itself.
2,000 wins. One state championship. Seven state tournament appearances. Thirty-nine regionals. Fifteen sectionals. Nine coaches in 101 years. Only 11 losing seasons in program history. The fastest program in Illinois history to reach 2,000 wins.
That is not a program. That is a dynasty. And it is right here in my backyard.
Go Shoes. 🪵👟
Andy · WonWingWonder.com · March 2026 · Stats sourced from IHSA Records, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, Effingham Daily News, and Chicago Tribune archives