TF North basketball coach and former Simeon star Tim Bankston found fatally shot in Auburn Gresham home

Tim Bankston, a South Side basketball legend at Simeon and the current boys basketball coach at TF North High School in Calumet City, was found fatally shot Wednesday morning inside a home in Auburn Gresham on the South Side, according to Chicago police.

Bankston, 60, was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his abdomen around 10 a.m. in the 7600 block of South Emerald Street, police said in a statement. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Police said no one else was injured and reported no arrests. No additional details were released.

A large crowd of family, former Simeon teammates and former players gathered on South Emerald to mourn Bankston and support each other on Wednesday afternoon.

“I was coming from an event and saw the tape,” Ald. David Moore (17th) said. “The police had not put out the report to me yet. I was on my way back home and my friend told me he was gone. I cannot believe this. It just brings back all the things with [Ben] “Benji” [Wilson]. It was not supposed to go like this. He was not supposed to go like this.”

Bankston was a Simeon teammate of Wilson, who was shot and killed on the South Side in November of 1984, shortly before his senior basketball season was about to begin. Wilson was the top-rated player in the country.

“We don’t know what happened yet,” Sean Wright, a family member of Bankston, said. “They said they found my brother’s body and to come as fast as you can. From what the officer said it looked like he had been laying there overnight.”

Bankston went on to lead Simeon to the state title in 1984. He played one year at Bradley and two years at Loyola. He’s been the head coach at TF North since 2002 and is a married father of three.

“He always spoke his mind,” said Mac Elem, who played for Bankston at TF North in 2012. “He was the best coach on and off the court I ever had. He taught you how to be a man and how to run a team. He wasn’t just a coach. He was family, like an uncle. He made an impact on a lot of people, a lot of my friends.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.