The 1955–56 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
Regular season Harry Combes, for the ninth consecutive year at Illinois, directed a team that would finish no worse than third place in the Big Ten. His 164 wins and 44 losses overall with a 94 and 30 record in the conference gave Combes three "Final Four" finishes as well as three conference championships. Combes' team, recruited by assistant coach Howie Braun, was exclusively recruited from the state of Illinois.
The 1955-56 team had talented lettermen return including the leading scorers George Bon Salle and team "captain" Paul Judson. It also saw the return of Bruce Brothers, Bill Ridley, Bill Altenberger, Hiles Stout, and future Illini head coach, Harv Schmidt. The team also added future NBA all-star Don Ohl as a sophomore. The Illini finished the season with a conference record of 11 wins and 3 losses, finishing in 2nd place in the Big Ten. Unfortunately the Illini would lose four total games with two of the four coming in the final three days of the season. The Illini's final Associated Press ranking placed them at "#7", however; they maintained a "#2" national ranking for the final month of the regular season. The starting lineup included George Bon Salle at the center position, Bill Ridley and Paul Judson at guard and Harv Schmidt, Bruce Brothers and Don Ohl at the forward slots.Fighting Illini Basketball: A Hardwood History By News-Gazette, Sports Publishing LLC
Roster
Schedule
SourceUniversity of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1955-56, FightingIllini.com
Schedule |- !colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Non-Conference regular season
!colspan=9 style="background:#DF4E38; color:#FFFFFF;"|Big Ten regular season
Player stats Player Games played Field goals Free throws PointsGeorge BonSalle 22156118430Paul Judson2216084404Bill Ridley 21109104322Harv Schmidt 2211369295Bruce Brothers 225158160Don Ohl 225733147Hiles Stout 223542112Bill Altenberger 18191553Ted Caiazza 58420Phil Judson67418Jim Chengary 97014Larry Breyfogle 95111John Paul 125010
Awards and honors Paul Judson Converse 2nd Team All-American National Association of Basketball Coaches 3rd Team All-American United Press International 3rd Team All-American Newspaper Enterprises Association 3rd Team All-American International News Service Honorable Mention All-American Bill Ridley Converse 2nd Team All-American National Association of Basketball Coaches 3rd Team All-American United Press International 3rd Team All-American Newspaper Enterprises Association 3rd Team All-American Bruce Brothers Converse Honorable Mention All-American Team Most Valuable Player Harv Schmidt Converse Honorable Mention All-American
Team players drafted into the NBA Player NBA club Round PickPaul JudsonSyracuse Nationals213
Rankings
References