Set against the sweeping views of South Dakota’s Black Hills, the carved faces of Mount Rushmore have endured for nearly a century.
When it comes to the sports world, those four 60-foot Presidential visages have become shorthand for many barstool debates that boil down to a simple question: Who’s the best?
In Peoria’s corner of the world, it’s Bradley men’s basketball that often stirs debate. So who ya got?
Below, Journal Star staff members Dave Eminian, Adam Duvall and Wes Huett made their selections for the Mount Rushmore of Bradley men’s basketball.
Give them a read and then let us know your selections on social media or in our email inbox at sports@pjstar.com. We’ll compile your lists and offer up a vote later this summer.
Dave Eminian’s Mount Rushmore of Bradley basketball
- Gene Melchiorre: If Pete and Shoeless Joe can be forgiven, so can Squeaky. He is perhaps the greatest player in Bradley’s proud history, a 5-foot-8 point guard of whom legendary Adolph Rupp once said was “The greatest small man in the history of basketball.” Melchiorre led Bradley to title games in the NCAA and NIT in 1950. During his four seasons at BU, through 1951, the Braves went 119-22. He is in the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1951 NBA Draft. Because of a point-shaving scandal in college, he was banned from the NBA before ever playing. He led a life of redemption after his playing days, and maybe some day his No. 23 will join the other seven retired numbers on Bradley’s wall of fame. He was included as one of Bradley’s 15 greatest players on its Team of the Century announced in 2003.
- Hersey Hawkins: His No. 33 is a retired number at BU. The “Hawk” cemented his legacy in his final season in 1987-88. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard was named national player of the year that season by The Associated Press, Basketball Times, ESPN, Scripps-Howard News Service, The Sporting News, United Press International and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He was also a consensus all-American and averaged 36.3 points per game. He was a two-time MVC Player of the Year and three-time all-MVC pick. A No. 1 pick by the Clippers in 1988, he went on to a 13-year NBA career of more than 1,000 games, earned Rookie of the Year and All-Star honors. Hawk reached 30 points in 38 career games, and on Feb. 22, 1988 at Detroit poured in 63. His 3,008 career points are still far and away the Bradley program record. He played for the USA’s bronze medal winners in the 1988 Olympics and was inducted to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. He was included among the 15 players designated as Bradley’s Team of the Century in 2003.
- Chet Walker: “The Jet” has his No. 31 retired at Bradley, and he was among the 15 players designated as Bradley’s greatest on a Team of the Century announced in 2003. Walker piled up 1,975 points in his career, fourth-most on Bradley’s all-time list. The 6-foot-7 small forward produced 54 double-doubles, the most on Bradley’s career list since the stat was launched in 1954. The prolific scorer reached 30 points in a game 15 times, had six 40-point games and one at 50. He was a second-round pick by Syracuse in the 1962 NBA Draft and was a seven-time NBA All-Star who played more than 1,100 games over 13 seasons. He was part of the 76ers NBA title team in 1967, teaming with Wilt Chamberlain. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and is a member of the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame and the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame.
- Mitchell Anderson: Phegley? Parker? Allen? Unruh? We need a bigger mountain for this BU Rushmore. But “J.J.” Anderson gets this final slot here. He has his No. 11 jersey retired by the Braves, and he was inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. The 6-foot-8 forward was drafted in the second round by the 76ers in the 1982 NBA Draft and played three seasons and 162 games. He spent 11 years in European pro leagues. Anderson earned all-America honors in 1982, was a four-time all-Missouri Valley Conference selection, a two-time team captain and four-time team MVP. He notched eight 30-point games in a career that saw him deliver 2,341 points from 1978-82, still second-most on BU’s all-time list. He had 947 rebounds, too, third on BU’s career list. He was a warrior who played 4,614 minutes, second only to Hawkins on BU’s career list. He is part of Bradley’s 15-man Team of the Century, and today his name is on the practice court at Renaissance Coliseum.
Adam Duvall’s Mount Rushmore of Bradley basketball
- Hersey Hawkins: The “Hawk” checked all the boxes as arguably the greatest Brave of all time — national player of the year, consensus first-team all-American, Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and his No. 33 jersey hanging in the Carver Arena rafters. He scored 3,008 points during his four-year BU career, while starting all 125 games and graduating as the fourth-leading scorer in NCAA Division-I history. Hawkins went on to get drafted No. 6th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, was named an NBA all-star and played 12 years for four different teams.
- Chet Walker: “Chet the Jet” had one of the most prolific careers in Bradley hoops history, getting his No. 31 jersey retired. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American and helped the Braves to the 1960 NIT title. Walker posted career-highs of 50 points and 25 rebounds in December of the 1960-61 season. He left Bradley as the program’s all-time leading scorer (1,975) and second-leading rebounder (1,036) in 81 career games. The Naismith Hall of Fame inductee played 13 NBA seasons with seven all-star games and the 1967 title.
- Roger Phegley: The East Peoria native graduated in 1978 as the program’s all-time leading scorer, scoring 2,064 points in 103 games. Phegley averaged 20.0 points per game in his career, scoring 46 points in a game against UNLV in 1977.. His list of accolades includes being named an all-American and MVC player of the year along with getting his No. 45 jersey retired. He went on to be a first-round NBA draft pick by the Washington Bullets followed by a five-year career with Bullets, Nets, Cavaliers, Spurs and Mavericks.
- Anthony Parker: AP is one of just five Bradley players to be named MVC player of the year. He scored 1,683 career points, averaging 15.0 points during 112 career games. During his junior campaign in 1995-1996, his POY season came with a regular-season MVC title and a 1996 NCAA at-large bid. His decorated professional career included being named a two-time EuroLeague MVP and making two stints in the NBA including a second-round appearance in the 2008 NBA playoffs. Parker deserves to have his No. 24 jersey retired.
Wes Huett’s Mount Rushmore of Bradley basketball
- Hersey Hawkins: No Bradley basketball list of any kind is complete without “The Hawk.” The 6-foot-3 Chicago native, who started all 125 games of his BU career from 1984-88, is one of 12 players in NCAA men’s basketball history to cross 3,000 points. His senior season in Peoria was one for the ages, in which he averaged 36.3 points across 31 games on the way to being named an all-American and national player of the year. He was a member of the final all-college U.S. Olympic team and then was drafted into the NBA, selected No. 6 overall in 1988. He played 12 seasons in the league from 1988 to 2001, named first-team all-rookie and earning one all-star appearance. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
- Chet Walker: “The Jet” — a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer — is a lock for the Mount Rushmore of Bradley men’s basketball. The 6-foot-7 forward was a two-time all-American while in Peoria from 1959-62, and he now sits fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list and second in rebounds. In 1962, Walker was drafted into the NBA where “The Jet” rocketed across 13 seasons — a first-team all-rookie pick and a seven-time all-star whose teams never missed the playoffs. He won an NBA title in 1967 with Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers. Walker went on to six seasons with the Chicago Bulls and now is in the team’s ring of honor.
- Anthony Parker: Something about great players and nicknames. “AP” is the next selection in my Mount Rushmore. The Naperville native had an undeniable “it factor” during his time in Peoria from 1993-97, leading BU back to the NCAA Tournament in 1996 — its first time in the dance since the Hawkins-led Braves in 1988. Parker is 11th all-time in BU scoring and among its best shooters. He was drafted 21st overall in 1997 and struggled in his first four NBA seasons. In 2000, he resurrected his career in Europe, becoming a two-time EuroLeague champ and MVP with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He returned to the NBA for six solid seasons before retiring in 2012. He is now general manager of the NBA’s Orlando Magic.
- Mitchell Anderson: Another entry, another nickname. The 6-foot-8 “JJ” was a dynamic and prolific player in Peoria from 1978-82, the only BU player named team MVP all four seasons. He sits second in program history in all-time scoring and third in rebounding. The Chicago prepster helped BU to the NCAA Tournament and to an NIT title. Mitchell was drafted into the NBA, where he played three seasons before more than a decade playing in Europe. He led a Greek team to the European Cup title in 1992. He also worked as a scout and assistant coach for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. The practice court at Renaissance Coliseum is named in his honor.
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