He's also fond of Chukwudebe. It's been a lot of fun. And perhaps no season in recent memory was more fun than the 1997-1998 season, when the Illini, picked by most to finish in the lower half of the Big Ten, won their first league title in 14 seasons. Ksiazek, of course, was at courtside for all of it, including the unforgettable shellacking of Michigan State at Assembly Hall. The Illini haven't beat Mateen Cleaves and Co. since, but that's depressing fodder for another time.
Tomorrow is a happy day.
He'll be honored in a pregame ceremony along with Brown and Chukwudebe, and his father will join him at mid-court. Tomorrow night, the public gets a look at him, the man with the best seat in the house and enough memories to last a lifetime. Mike Wilkening is a junior in commerce.