Illinois Basketball: Best father-son combos in Illini history
5. Father – Wayne McClain; Son – Sergio McClain
I saved this father-son combo for last. While talent-wise the duo of Frank and Da’Monte was the most talented on the court, the duo that will always live on in the spirits of all Illinois fans is Wayne and Sergio McClain.
Wayne entered the Illinois basketball program in 2001. Before his time with the Illini, he was a legendary head coach with Peoria Manual. He was able to spend seven seasons with Manual and amassed three-straight state championships. He also coached future Illinois players Frank Williams, Marcus Griffin and son, Sergio.
Bill Self, Illinois head coach at the time, hired Wayne onto his staff after the trio of Manual stars left the Illini program. He would be on the Illinois coaching staff through Self’s tenure and stayed on with Bruce Weber. Wayne was a part of the staff that helped the Illini get to that national title game in 2005 as well.
As previously mentioned, though, Wayne’s son Sergio had joined the Illinois program before his father did. When Sergio was added to the Illini roster, the program got an immediate shot in the arm.
Sergio spent four years with the Orange and Blue and was a key member of the team. He averaged 6.6 points, 4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game during his time in Champaign. The success of the program was tremendous during this time too. Illinois made it to the Final 32 two times and the Elite 8 once.
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The McClain name will always live on in the hearts of Illinois fans everywhere. Sadly, we lost Wayne back in 2014. It was a heartbreaking time for the sports world. The McClain’s, led by Wayne, are legends in Illini lore.