The Sun-Times’ high school basketball Mount Rushmore project highlights the sport’s biggest names and greatest stars.
With the prep career as the criteria’s centerpiece — with a sprinkling of post-high school success and overall stature used as a separator — we’ve created a Mount Rushmore for 10 geographical regions throughout the Chicago area.
In many cases, these 40 influential and legendary players defined the history of high school basketball in their respective areas — and often the sport itself. Their rare talents and achievements, which have had a lasting legacy and impact, provide a glimpse into what makes many of these players timeless in the eyes of high school basketball fans.
There will be debate. There should be debate. Any conversation regarding any Mount Rushmore in the sports world is supposed to spark an argument or two. This is ours to dissect and wrangle over with fellow basketball fans.
When trying to absorb a century’s worth of high school basketball stars, you’re reminded how special the sport truly is throughout the Chicago area. The cover features our ultimate Mount Rushmore, the four best players ever from across the area. The talent is arguably greater here than in any other metropolitan area in the country. So choosing just one Mount Rushmore is a tall task.
As you would imagine, the subjective nature of the assignment left us with one repeated question: “How can you leave off (fill in a handful of different names)?”
There were certainly deserving legends left off. But that’s kind of the point. The reverence surrounding this Mount Rushmore is real. And leaving off any of the final four that were chosen would create debate in and of itself.
These four players were impactful in unique ways, inspiring future generations of players. From their elite production and success to their extraordinary stature and never-to-be-forgotten games, the distinct imprint these four left led us to our Chicago-area Mount Rushmore. The best of the best are Thornton’s Quinn Buckner, Simeon’s Derrick Rose, Carver’s Cazzie Russell and St. Joseph’s Isiah Thomas.
The all-time top 40, by area
