The 1954–55 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
Regular season Head coach Harry Combes, in his eighth year at Illinois, directed a youthful team with only three returning seniors, none of which were regular players. Combes' team, once again, was primarily made of sophomores and juniors recruited from the state of Illinois.
The 1954-55 team had some talented juniors including the return of twin brothers, Paul and Phil Judson from Hebron, Illinois, Bruce Brothers and Bill Ridley. It also added sophomores George Bon Salle, Bill Altenberger, Hiles Stout, and future Illini head coach, Harv Schmidt. Exactly like the previous season, the Illini finished with a conference record of 10 wins and 4 losses, finishing in a 2nd place tie in the Big Ten. The Illini lost 5 total games with three of the five losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents. The starting lineup included George Bon Salle at the center position, Bill Ridley and Bill Altenberger at guard and Bruce Brothers and Paul Judson 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 1954-55, 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 PointsPaul Judson2213985363Bill Ridley 2212388334George BonSalle 209867263Bruce Brothers229355241Bill Altenberger 229125207Hiles Stout 164044124Harv Schmidt 213628100Phil Judson22352292Jim Dutcher 13202060Morris Sterneck 12419Elmer Plew 12339James Burks 7226Dick Rapp 2000William Bosnak 2000
Awards and honors Paul Judson International News Service Honorable Mention All-American Converse Honorable Mention All-American Team Most Valuable Player Bill Ridley Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American Converse Honorable Mention All-American George Bon Salle Converse Honorable Mention All-American
Team players drafted into the NBA Player NBA club Round PickNo Player Drafted
Rankings
References