Hoops4theSoul

Oct

10

On This Day in Basketball History — 1964

Filed Under On This Day . . ., Loose Balls | Leave a Comment

Former Illini Great Kenny Battle Turns 43 Today!The orange nation at the cavernous baseball stadium held their mouths in exasperation as the stout lefty with pogo-stick legs flashed through the center of the lane. Receiving the ball over his left shoulder, the southpaw sprung quickly, releasing a shot over the outstretched hands of the predatory defense. Clanging off the back rim and catapulting straight up into the air, the suspended ball held the fate of a game and a nation on its rubber exterior.

While that shot would fall for former University of Illinois power forward Kenny Battle in the final 30 seconds of the 1989 Final Four game versus Michigan, it would unfortunately be his last as an Illini. With the score now tied, the Wolverines would run down the clock for a last-second shot, a Rumeal Robinson whiff that was rebounded by freshman Sean Higgins and laid in for an 83-81 Michigan lead with one second left.

Michigan would then intercept a full-court Illini pass to end the game and the collegiate career of Battle, who is 43 years old today. Two nights later, sharpshooter Glen Rice would lead the three-seed Wolverines past Seton Hall in the NCAA Championship game.

by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com