Jon Scheyer is among the all-time greats in Illinois high school basketball. Where does he rank?

Editor’s note: The following story was published Jan. 20, 2006, in the Peoria Journal Star. We republish it here after the June 2021 news that Illinois native Jon Scheyer was named head coach of the Duke men’s basketball team.

The 6-foot, 6-inch, blond, squared-jawed face of Illinois high school basketball cries.

It's true.

Jon Scheyer's fifth foul came with 6.6 seconds left and his team on the wrong side of a score for just the 16th time since he began walking the halls at Northbrook's Glenbrook North High School in 2002.

The senior pulled his green jersey to cover his eyes and buried his sweaty, red face into the jersey of a comforting teammate. Over. You lose.

Yet still they stood. Fans of both teams cheered and applauded Scheyer for putting on a basketball show unlike many had ever seen.

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Twenty-one points in 75 seconds and 52 points in all. He scored in seemingly every way imaginable and then some. On one night, the Golden Boy cemented himself among the all-time greats.

Yet one thing eluded him. One thing escaped him on this night of domination.

Victory.

"I wasn't even thinking. ... I blocked out whatever happened before and played with my heart," Scheyer said after an 85-79 Dec. 28, 2005, loss to Proviso West, in the process topping numerous records at the prestigious Hillside tournament. "I keep hearing about the records, the records. It's in my ear the whole time and it's hard to block out.

"I mean, it's great, but they mean nothing. ... It's disappointing we didn't win."

Picking the tops

Best. Greatest. Ever.

Such hyperbole is granted today like scout leaders handing out merit badges. All-time best in high school is a lofty label in a state that houses three of the nation's four winningest programs and boasts a state finals celebrating its 100th tournament next season.

This is a story about Scheyer. This is a story about how one basketball player, in one school, stacks up among the former players in the Land of Lincoln.

"Picking the best player ever in this state? That's impossible," said former LaGrange Lyons coach Ron Nikcevich, a well-traveled basketball mind who began his career at Richwoods and coached the 1983 United States gold medalist junior national team. "All people will do is pick their favorite player."

It seems Scheyer holds a special spot in the old coach's heart. The last two times Nikcevich saw Scheyer play, each time at a holiday tournament, GBN lost. Still, Nikcevich went back — just to see Scheyer again.

"It's understanding that he is a pure, 100 percent basketball player," Nikcevich said. "He plays the game the way it should be played. ...

"Competitiveness, intelligence, a knack of the various nuances of the game of basketball. This kid's got those."

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With Duke-bound Scheyer on the roster, GNB has won 97 of the 113 games in three-plus seasons. He has two state trips — a fourth place as a freshman and title as a junior. His 2,673 points are now 15th all-time in the state. By season's end, Scheyer looks to add more state hardware and leapfrog most of the remaining of names on that scoring list.

"I think he's the best player ever to play high school basketball in Illinois," his coach, Dave Weber, told the Chicago Sun-Times, setting into motion such comparisons. "I know that's a big statement. I'm not saying he's going to be the best college player or the best pro."

That's where the debate gets hairy. How do you define best? You've got to win. You've got to score. You have to make your team better.

For Scheyer, it's check, check and check.

Scoring and winning. Scheyer does very well the two most important things in basketball.

That's where the list of schoolyard greats and non-winning all-time scorers gets whacked. Illinois' leading scorer Chico Vaughn of Tamms? No state finals games. Glenn "Doc" Rivers of Maywood Proviso East? Not even a sectional title. How about Franklin Park East Leyden's Glen Grunwald? The only four-time all-Chicago pick played in one finals game in 1975. Even Kevin Garnett's not a factor. The South Carolina transfer played one year in Illinois, losing to Thornton in the 1995 quarters.

The list goes on and on.

"Scheyer certainly is a candidate," longtime Chicago Sun-Times prep writer Taylor Bell said. "He could lead his school to two state titles and he could become the state's all-time scoring leader for a career and single season. To be an all-time great, it seems to me, you must be a totally dominant player during your era.

"Scheyer qualifies."

The same names

"We need a proper historical perspective," Bell said. "Too many people can't recall what they had for lunch yesterday or what happened before 1990. Remember, high school basketball in Illinois has been going on for 100 years, not 10 or 15."

Each era had its great high school players, each bringing to the argument something better than the next. Yet the same names come up when asking who carries the mantle.

Dolton Thornridge's Quinn Buckner. Westchester St. Joseph's Isiah Thomas. Centralia's Dike Eddleman.

Gene Pingatore knows first-hand the impact Thomas had on his teams at St. Joe's. "Isiah was everything," Pingatore said.

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Despite the much-deserved love for Thomas, Pinagtore relented when talking about pure prep career.

"Maybe you can give (Scheyer) a nudge to be the best in high school because he won a state championship," Pingatore said. "Isiah didn't. Took second. That would be the difference; he won state."

Rockford Boylan coach Steve Goers was quick to throw Buckner's ample frame into the ring. Goers, with 700-plus wins, was an assistant at Quincy when Buckner's T-Ridge team dismantled Quincy in winning the first Class AA state title in 1972.

"Buckner was just a general out there," Goers said. "Scheyer's more quiet."

From the source

If not on the court, Scheyer is humble in receiving his coach's praise. He takes in stride the rock-and-roll atmosphere created by his success. He's the state's It player. Mr. Basketball seems already his.

"So many great players have come through this state," Scheyer said. "My coach has a lot of confidence in me to say something like that."

Confidence — and facts.

"As a high school player, shooting free throws, shooting 3s, dribbling the ball, passing, rebounding and defense ..." Weber said. "If you look at all the stats in the history, there is nobody that will be at the top in so many categories that he will be in."

Scheyer and GBN are looking for their third trip to state. Only three other players who have scored more career points than Scheyer have played in more state finals games: Chicago King's Jamie Brandon, Lawrenceville's Marty Simmons and Eddleman.

Scheyer and GBN are 16-1 this season. If he maintains his 33.5 points-per-game average and GBN plays late into the final Saturday of the season, he'd finish with 3,240 — second on the all-time list. What's more, Scheyer is 12th on the all-time steals list at 293, and at 468 assists is 89 from joining the IHSA's all-time top five.

No other player can boast this trifecta.

"He's nowhere near as athletic as many others we've seen come through this state," Weber said. "He knows the game. He is unbelievable. He's like a sponge. He knows what to do, how to do it and when to do it. It makes coaching so easy.

"Jon just makes his teammates so much better. And that's another factor in what I said. I just ask myself, who's done that without having that great talent around him?"

Go see him play

There's an inherent danger in trying to proclaim someone playing today as the best ever: They can fall from grace at any moment. Scheyer's not suiting up anytime soon and facing Isiah one-on-one.

Everyone we talked to said Scheyer is in the team photo, as it were, of the state's all-time greats. And unlike any of the others, this guy is still playing. Costs about $5 to see him most nights, still chucking the rock at the prep level. Can't say that about anyone else on this list.

Go see him. And if he returns to Peoria, see him there, too. If he comes, he'll be defending his state title — and likely will shed tears.

Those of joy or sorrow? With weight of the past and present upon him, only the future holds the answer.

"In the end," Scheyer says, "this all is just so much of a special thing. I have a third chance to go downstate. That's our main goal."

Many before

Winner. Scorer. Some say Northbrook Glenbrook North senior Jon Scheyer will finish as the greatest Illinois high school player ever. Some will argue, especially with the talent-filled list below.

Jamie Brandon, Chicago King: State's third all-time leading scorer (3,157) is only player with at least 100 points in two different finals. He played on three teams which played for titles; two were unbeaten champions.

Quinn Buckner, Dolton Thornridge: All-American was leader of what many call the best team to play in Illinois, title winners in 1971 and 1972. His teams won 58 straight over a two-year stretch.

Bruce Douglas, Quincy: A 6-foot-3 guard who scored 182 in three state tournaments, he sparked the Blue Devils to 64 straight wins and 1981 title. He played on three teams that reached the semifinals with a combined mark of 96-0.

Dike Eddleman, Centralia: The 6-3 Eddleman played from 1939-1942 as the Orphans won 136 games in his four seasons, including the 1942 state title. Famed multisport star scored 969 points in 1941 and 834 the next season. The previous record was 751.

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LaPhonso Ellis, East St. Louis Lincoln: Anchored the first two of three straight ESL title teams. He holds finals records for blocked shots in a title game and in a career.

Shaun Livingston, Peoria High: The 6-7 guard led the Lions to back-to-back Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004. Central was 62-3 in his two seasons there.

Cazzie Russell, Chicago Carver: On almost everybody's list of the top three players all-time. The 6-5 guard led Carver into the 1962 title game.

Marty Simmons, Lawrenceville: State's fifth all-time leading scorer (2,986) led team to the state finals from 1980-83, winning titles his last two seasons.

Isiah Thomas, Westchester St. Joseph: Usually among the first mentioned when asked about the greatest player from Illinois. His college and pro careers overshadow prep game. He led St. Joe's to the 1979 state title game.

George Wilson, Chicago Marshall: Three-time all-stater was on two state champions (1958, 1960), going a combined 62-2 in those seasons. Won 115 games overall in his career. His 2,285 points are top 50 all-time.

Others of note: Mark Aguirre, Chicago Austin/Westinghouse; Lloyd Batts, Thornridge; Lou Boudreau, Harvey Thornton; Lynch Conway, Central; Glen Grunwald, Franklin Park East Leyden; Marcus Liberty, Chicago King; Paxton Lumpkin, Chicago DuSable; Sergio McClain, Manual; Quentin Richardson, Chicago Whitney Young; Glenn "Doc" Rivers, Maywood Proviso East; Jay Shidler, Lawrenceville; Al Smith, Manual; Chico Vaughn, Tamms.

Other voices

A few opinions on Glenbrook North's Jon Scheyer

• "When your best player is also your hardest worker, you give thanks. It's when your stud is a punk that you fret. But apparently when they doled out hubris, Scheyer was practicing free throws." — Chicago Tribune's Bob Verdi, in a recent column.

• "There isn't a more team-oriented player in the state." — Illinois Prep Bulls-eye

• "He competed mentally and physically to the extent his body was drained. And at the time his body was running on fumes, he still competed at the highest level possible. It was absolutely breathtaking, and athleticism had nothing to do with it." — Former LaGrange Lyons coach Ron Nikcevich on Scheyer's 52-point game and 21 points in 75 seconds.

• "He was like a rock star. This was his Woodstock." — Proviso West tournament director Joe Spagnolo told illhoops.com

21 points in 75 seconds

Northbrook Glenbrook North senior Jon Scheyer scored 21 in a 1:15 span of the fourth quarter of an 85-79 loss to the hosts on Dec. 28, 2005, at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. A breakdown of the feat.

• Hits two free throws at 1:24.

• Nails 3-pointer while fouled at 1:15. Converts four-point play.

• Steals inbounds, lays in bucket and is fouled at 1:10. Converts three-point play.

• Steals inbounds, is fouled and hits both freebies.

• After five-point Proviso run inside a minute, hits 3-pointer at top of the key.

• Hits leaning 3-pointer at :21.4.

• Hits one of two free throws at :19.9.

• Tops off night with 25-foot 3-pointer from the left wing at :09.1.

• Fouls out at :06.6, leaving game to standing ovation from the 4,500-person crowd in Hillside.

Wes Huett is Journal Star sports editor. Email him at whuett@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @WesHuett.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Where does Duke coach Jon Scheyer rank in IHSA basketball history