The Chicago south suburbs, or as we call it, “SICA Country” has produced a ton of talented professional athletes. We named this term after the now defunct high school sports conference SICA (South Inter Conference Association). This area stretches from Summit to Kankakee, Bolingbrook to Chicago Heights.
Obviously, SICA country is more than a geographic area, it’s a state of mind like “Margaritaville.”
This summer, we constructed the short list of SICA-bred jocks. Our home region is so rich in talent that we no doubt left off a few big names off this list, but hey, there is only so much you can do!
Dwyane Wade, Richards H.S. Class of 2000 (Robbins, IL)
Wade made a name for himself by becoming just the third player in the NCAA Tournament to record a triple-double when he helped lead Marquette to the Final Four in 2003. D-Wade didn’t waste much time making his mark in the NBA. He earned 2006 Playoffs MVP honors and his Miami Heat brought home the league championship.
That post-season success helped ignite his fame off the court as well. He earned a major endorsement deal with Gatorade, got his own shoe from Converse, and has Charles Barkley in his “fave five” in addition to appearing in GQ and being named one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People.
Did I mention that he’ll be the alpha dog on a “NBA fantasy team this year?” Wade hasn’t forgotten his SICA roots as he bought a church for his mother on Chicago’s south side.
Julian Wright, Homewood-Flossmoor H.S. Class of 2005
New Orleans Hornets small forward
Jeff Alm, Sandburg H.S. Class of 1986
Former Houston Oilers defensive tackle, tragically took his own life in 1993
Alando Tucker, Lockport h.s class of 2002 (Lockport, IL)
As a senior at Wisconsin, Tucker was named First Team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year. He also broke the school’s all-time scoring record and helped lead the Badgers to their first-ever #1 ranking. He was selected 29th overall by the Suns in the 2007 draft, although he did not see much playing time in his rookie season.
Auggie is currently an NBA D-Leaguer and a Lincoln Way graduate class of 2002, the all-time leading rebounder in Illinois history and the only Illini to have 1,000 career boards and points. (Only 12 Big 10 players have accomplished this feat) Reverend Roger currently plays in Italy, but he was a member of the Utah Jazz with college teammates Deron Williams and Dee Brown in 2007. He was all-state for Joliet Township in 2001 and led his Steelmen to back-to-back SICA West conference titles.
Pierre Thomas, ’02
Thomas finished his college career ranking seventh on the Illini career rushing list with 2,393 yards and third on the Illini career all-purpose yardage list with 4,099. He ranks second on the Illini career kickoff return yardage list with 1,328, just 56 yards shy of the University of Illinois record. Pierre made NFL history on December 30th 2007. Not only did Pierre get his first NFL start in his hometown at Chicago’s Soldier Field against the Bears; he became the first New Orleans Saints player to gain over 100 yards both rushing and receiving in the same game.
…and Eddy Curry ’01
the fourth overall pick in 2001 by his hometown Bulls led the NBA in field goal percentage in 2003 before later eating himself out of the league
Thornton Township High School: Barry Gardner, Antwaan Randle El, Napoleon Harris, Melvin Ely and Tai Streets.
Obviously, this high school has produced more talent than anyone else in SICA, perhaps the state of Illinois. To list all their accomplishments would take quite a while! Cooperstown member Boudreau is considered the greatest player in the history of Illinois Fighting Illini basketball)
Randle El was considered the greatest QB in Indiana Hoosier history before becoming a solid WR in the NFL. Ely was taken 12th overall by the L.A. Clippers in 2002 and is now a member of the New Orleans Hornets. Harris was the 23rd overall pick out of Northwestern in the 2002 NFL Draft. Streets and Gardner both played in the NFL during this decade.
Finally, my alma mater and hometown: Joe Ganz, Palos Heights, Amos Alonzo Stagg ’03
Set Nebraska records for touchdown passes (7), QB rating (239.8) and passing yards (510) in a game.
Bryant Young, Bloom Township H.S. Class of 1990 (Chicago Heights, IL)
After a successful collegiate career at Notre Dame, the defensive tackle was taken 7th overall by the 49ers in the 1994 NFL Draft. In his fourteen seasons in the NFL, he was named to the Pro Bowl four times, became the Niners all-time sack leader, and earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. He retired in the 2008 off-season.
Quinn Buckner, Thornridge H.S. Class of 1972 (Dolton, IL)
We’re going old-school with Buckner, who led Thornridge to back-to-back state basketball titles his junior and senior seasons. He was also an All-State football player and the only person to be named Chicago Area Player of the Year in both sports. Buckner, who attended Indiana University, played ten seasons in the NBA with the Bucks, Celtics, and Pacers, and was head coach of the Mavs for the 1993-94 season. Currently a television analyst for the Pacers.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.