Illinois Basketball: Best father-son combos in Illini history

2. Father – Jeff Finke; Son – Michael Finke

Most of the father-son combos have happened in the past decade. Illinois brought Michael Finke onboard a few years ago, who was the son of former Illini basketball and football player, Jeff Finke.

Jeff entered the Illinois basketball program back in 1986-87 but only spent one season with the team. In the lone year, he averaged 0.7 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. The team entered the NCAA tournament that year as the No. 3 seed and was upset in the first round by No. 14 Austin Peay.

After that one year with the basketball program, Jeff transitioned to the football team where he found a lot more success. The talented taught end played three years of football, amassing 70 catches, 803 yards and 4 touchdowns in his time with the program. The team found a ton of success in that stretch too, making a bowl game every year and even having a 10-win campaign.

Jeff’s son, Michael, would join the Illinois basketball program just about 20 years later. He suited up as a freshman in 2015-16 and saw way more success on the court than his father. I believe he would have been a better tight end as well. No one is going to be able to defend a 6-foot-10 tight end.

Sadly, we never saw Michael out on the football field. He did have a solid three years on the court, though. Michael finished his time with the Illini averaging 8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He wouldn’t finish his college career with the Orange and Blue, though. Finke joined his brother, Tim, at Grand Canyon for his final year of eligibility.

Jeff and Michael are two players who will never be forgotten the Illinois sports lexicon. While they didn’t put up huge numbers, they still gave everything to the program.