30 for 30 "Benji"

[Tugg Speedman]

Tuesday night (Oct 23)on ESPN they debut another "30 for 30" titled Benji.  It is about former Simeon Star Ben Wilson who was shot and killed in 1984.  At the time he was the "no doubt" #1 player in the country and thought to be the next superstar in the making (think future Simeon stars Derek Rose and Jabari Parker).

I guess you have to be old enough to remember him and the big deal this was.  It was if you're a college basketball fan at that time.  This series on ESPN is excellent and I have no doubt they will do a good job with this.

Wilson was killed in November of his senior year.  I seem to remember him leaning toward Illinois at the time.  Was Majerus on him and was MU ever a consideration?

If he was going to Illinois, think of how losing Joe Wolf set us back, or Len Bias set back the Celtics.  I believe Illinois would have won a National Championship in the subsequent years had he gone to the Illini.

Discuss

[Hards Alumni]

I love the 30 for 30 series.  Always well done, and always interesting topics.  I'll have to check this one out.

[reinko]

I love the 30 for 30 series.  Always well done, and always interesting topics.  I'll have to check this one out.

+1, favorite 30 docs include the ones on:

~Fab Five
~Ricky Williams
~Gretzky
~Two Escobars

The one a few weeks ago on Ben Johnson, 9.79 was also very well done.

[nyg]

+1, favorite 30 docs include the ones on:

~Fab Five
~Ricky Williams
~Gretzky
~Two Escobars

The one a few weeks ago on Ben Johnson, 9.79 was also very well done.

1) Without Bias, the Len Bias story
2) Marcus Dupree story
3) SMU, believe called "Pony Express"

[🏀]

Wilson was dead before I was born, but a lot of the Chicago media has talked about the post-humorous hype of Wilson. Good recruit, but not the greatest like he is now portrayed.

He is probably ranked after Isiah, Rose, Garnett, Cazzie, George Wilson, Aguirre, Jabari, and Doc.

[Tugg Speedman]

Wilson was dead before I was born, but a lot of the Chicago media has talked about the post-humorous hype of Wilson. Good recruit, but not the greatest like he is now portrayed.

He is probably ranked after Isiah, Rose, Garnett, Cazzie, George Wilson, Aguirre, Jabari, and Doc.

He never played his senior year so We'll never know how good he was.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I thought it was like the 30th anniversary of the movie about that dog.

[Pakuni]

Wilson was dead before I was born, but a lot of the Chicago media has talked about the post-humorous hype of Wilson. Good recruit, but not the greatest like he is now portrayed.

He is probably ranked after Isiah, Rose, Garnett, Cazzie, George Wilson, Aguirre, Jabari, and Doc.

Wilson was the #1 ranked player/recruit in the nation heading into his senior year, something most of the names above were not. In fact, it was something no Chicago are player had ever achieved before him. This was said of him before he was murdered.
Yeah, his legend has grown in the years since his death, but he was LeBron before there was LeBron.

FWIW, it's reported that his finalists were Illinois, Indiana and DePaul.

[Lennys Tap]

Wilson was dead before I was born, but a lot of the Chicago media has talked about the post-humorous hype of Wilson. Good recruit, but not the greatest like he is now portrayed.

He is probably ranked after Isiah, Rose, Garnett, Cazzie, George Wilson, Aguirre, Jabari, and Doc.

I'm with Pakuni on this. Benji was rated #1 in his class, and a good friend of mine who scouted for DePaul told me he was head and shoulders above other Chicago greats of his era (Nick Anderson, etc). If Depaul had landed him (my friend thought they had the inside track), who knows what the Joey Meyer era would have looked like.

[🏀]

Wilson was the #1 ranked player/recruit in the nation heading into his senior year, something most of the names above were not. In fact, it was something no Chicago are player had ever achieved before him. This was said of him before he was murdered.
Yeah, his legend has grown in the years since his death, but he was LeBron before there was LeBron.

FWIW, it's reported that his finalists were Illinois, Indiana and DePaul.

I'm with Pakuni on this. Benji was rated #1 in his class, and a good friend of mine who scouted for DePaul told me he was head and shoulders above other Chicago greats of his era (Nick Anderson, etc). If Depaul had landed him (my friend thought they had the inside track), who knows what the Joey Meyer era would have looked like.

His #1 recruit ranking has a bit debated lately...Roy Schmidt didn't believe it to so...

[Pakuni]

His #1 recruit ranking has a bit debated lately...Roy Schmidt didn't believe it to so...

Oh, then never mind.

[MUEng92]

I had forgotten that I was actually at his last HS basketball game.  I was in 8th grade and was able to tag along with a friend's family to the IHSA State Championship in spring of 1984.  I remember rooting for Kenny Battle's Aurora West team against Simeon.

Wilson and Simeon were scheduled to play in my high school's Thanksgiving tournament to start the 1984-85 season.  Everyone was pumped up to see these great teams play and to see how our Boylan Titans would stack up against the big boys.  After watching the show last night, I felt guilty about feeling cheated out of a being able to watch a game 28 years ago, but I was only a freshman in HS.  Never knew the whole story.

[Bieberhole69]

It looks like Steve Taylor is wearing #25

[real chili 83]

Bobby v Joey.  And the u of I coach 

Interesting recruitment battle. 

Fast forward.  IF Robt M Knight didn't go off the deep end as a coach, they (IU) would be in every blue blood conversation.  The state of Indiana is the heartland of basketball.  No offense to the other 49 states.  We wouldn't be having this conversation.  He could coach.  Not for everyone, but he could coach.   See Larry Bird.  See multiple NC's.

If Joey would have gotten this kid, it would have been a real coup.

The tanned one can't hold a candle to RMK.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I remember this shooting well...a real tragedy. I also remember that great Evanston team that lost to Simeon in the Finals.

With all that said, I didn't think this 30 for 30 was as interesting as its subject matter. For whatever reason, I thought it was not up to the standards set in previous "episodes."

[Tugg Speedman]

I remember this shooting well...a real tragedy. I also remember that great Evanston team that lost to Simeon in the Finals.

With all that said, I didn't think this 30 for 30 was as interesting as its subject matter. For whatever reason, I thought it was not up to the standards set in previous "episodes."

Why not?  I thought it was outstanding.

[StillWarriors]

I thought it was outstanding as well. It brought back a lot of memories of seeing some of the guys on the show who were interviewed or talked about, like Marcus Liberty, Tracy Dildy, Sonny Cox. The King and Simeon squads of that era were unreal.

I have to disagree that Wilson has been made to be bigger than he was posthumously. He was absolutely the real deal on the court, and did have the charisma they talked about as well. The scenes from his memorial service in the gym and his burial were powerful, and demonstrated the impact he had. Such a sad situation over a spur of the moment altercation in the middle of the day.