Serge, Griff and Frankie.
Their nicknames are as familiar as their legacy.
For Illinois seniors Sergio McClain and Marcus Griffin, one of the more impressive chapters in this state’s rich basketball history will come full circle Saturday afternoon against Iowa.
Eight years after playing on the Assembly Hall floor for the first time, in Peoria Manual’s 1994 Class AA state championship victory over Danville, the pair will charge onto the court for the last time in the Illini’s home finale. Making the moment more poignant, it also will be McClain and Griffin’s last game with their longtime buddy and former Manual teammate, point guard Frank Williams.
Griffin has been trying not to think about it.
“What will my emotions be? I can’t answer that right now,” Griffin said. “I’ve been through a lot of things tougher than Saturday will be, but I just don’t know.”
Illinois assistant coach Rob Judson, who recruited the trio, might need a sweater. He’s already getting chills.
“It will be a real bittersweet day because these kids have meant a lot to me,” Judson said. “I’m happy for all the things they’ve done, but it will be hard to see it end. A lot of memories will come rushing back. When Serge and Griff walk out there with their parents for Senior Day, my eyes are going to be taking in a mental image of their faces. I’ll probably keep that in my memory bank for a long, long time.”
If they can help Illinois (21-6, 11-3) get past the struggling Hawkeyes, Griffin and McClain will go a long way toward saying goodbye by bringing the Illini at least a piece of the Big Ten championship.
“It seems like just yesterday that I was packing my bags to come here,” McClain said. “I’ve had a good career. Hopefully, if we take care of business the next couple of days I can leave here with something.”
Eight years ago, when Peoria Manual defeated Danville 65-56 to win the last Class AA state title game played at the Assembly Hall, the team got 19 points from Brandon Hughes. A skinny freshman named Griffin came off the bench to grab four rebounds, and a chunky but powerful backup named McClain added four points and two rebounds.
With Williams, who had played with Griffin at Trewin Junior High, coming on board the next season, Manual won three more state titles in succession at Peoria’s Carver Arena, setting a standard that may never be surpassed.
First-year Illinois coach Bill Self was in Tulsa at the time and didn’t get to see Griffin, McClain and Williams play in high school. But that hasn’t diminished his admiration for what they achieved. “Based on the stories I hear and the way they pat themselves on the back all the time, it’s a remarkable accomplishment,” Self said with a laugh. “To win four state titles in a row in a state like Illinois is really amazing.”
And almost four years after Manual’s streak ended the three are still together at Illinois and focused on corralling one more championship before they’re through.
Bonded by basketball, a passion for video games and a commitment to excellence, Griffin and Williams used Wayne and Robin McClain’s house as a sanctuary from the poverty and crime of their tough Peoria neighborhood. Wayne, Sergio’s father, coaches Manual.
“We were young back then and just loving it,” Sergio McClain recalled. “We had a lot in common, including our personalities. They’re like the brothers I never had and always wanted.”
They’re also like brothers who aren’t afraid to tell each other what they think. “They’re brutally honest with each other,” Self said. “If one guy is not taking care of business they let each other know.”
Said junior Lucas Johnson: “On the court, Frank will yell at Serge and Serge will yell back at Frank and a minute later Frank will dish off to Serge for a dunk. I think it’s the fact they know each other so well that they can say anything and the other person won’t take it personally.”
When the threesome announced they wanted play together in college, no one was surprised. Judson, though, knows how close Illinois came to not being their choice.
“They were very close to going to Indiana, but Marcus didn’t like Indiana,” he recalled. “And after Sergio and Marcus committed the assumption always was that Frank would go where Serge and Marcus went. I always told Sergio–and I wrote him a letter about it–that I thought his destiny was to win four state titles, be named Mr. Basketball, come to Illinois and forever be known in this state by his first name. That pretty much has all come to pass.”
The Peoria trio’s pursuit of another trophy might not have been as passionate as it has become were it not for the toughness they acquired playing for Wayne McClain at Manual or the setbacks each has overcome since. For Griffin it was his academic detour to Lincoln Junior College, limiting his Illinois tenure to the past two seasons. For Williams it was the redshirt year he endured as freshman, also for academic reasons. McClain became discouraged by nagging injuries and by then-Illini coach Lon Kruger’s insistence on using him at different positions, including point guard. For McClain only a Big Ten title will even the ledger.
“Why run a race if you’re just trying to get second place?” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense. We’ve all made strides this year, but our careers won’t be complete until we win something.”
Such words come as no surprise to Self, who said he has never questioned the threesome’s commitment.
“These guys have totally given themselves to us,” Self said. “That was a very important first step in helping us be good. To go from being `the show,’ as they were in high school, to having to fit into a team is an adjustment for anyone coming to college.”
Their toughest days may be to come. McClain and Griffin seem like long shots to make the NBA. The gifted Williams, who has two more years of eligibility left if he graduates next year, reiterated his intention to return to Illinois next season and delay his projected pro career. But life won’t be the same without his pals.
“Saturday’s not going to be my last game at Assembly Hall–I’m positive of that,” Williams said after Saturday’s win over Indiana. “I just want to make sure it’s a special day for Marcus, Serge, [walk-ons] Joe Cross and Nate Mast.”
So does Self.
“These guys have put their heart and soul into this program for a long time,” he said. “They certainly deserve to go out with a bang.”
