The purpose of this letter is to announce that the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and Danville are working together to make the OFFICIAL Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum a reality. We now have the building and hope to be open to the public by the year 2013. Recently you may have received a survey from an organization in Pinckneyville. At this time we want to CLARIFY that an effort to start an Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame in Pinckneyville is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association!!!!

The Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum in Danville will display and tell the great stories and achievements of Illinois High School Basketball over the past 100 years. However, we will also display the great accomplishments of our colleges and universities in Illinois as well as the development of professional basketball in our state.

You can visit us at our website www.ilhoopshall.com or our email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out the latest. You may call us at 217-442-DUNK (442-3865). If you wish to contact the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association chairman for the Hall of Fame Museum, Bruce Firchau, please call 630-365-3577 or e-mail him ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

When the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association formed in early 1971, the vision was to have an Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum. For a while we were able to present our Hall of Fame Plaques at the Holiday Inn in Normal. When they closed a few years ago the IBCA began looking for a new home. The IBCA board of directors saw this as an opportunity to secure a permanent host but also to fulfill a dream of having an Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum that would display our rich basketball history and traditions. Two communities stepped forward asking to be the permanent and official home to the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum; Danville and Pinckneyville. After reviewing the positives each community had to offer and what would be best for the people of Illinois, the IBCA board of directors selected Danville. Danville was interstate accessible, more centrally located and since they were a larger community they could accommodate people for over night travel. It also should be noted that Danville was the first community to approach the IBCA on forming a partnership to establish an official Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum.

Needless to say this was a difficult decision for the IBCA and was made with great respect for the rich basketball history that developed over the century in Southern Illinois. Unfortunately instead of supporting the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in selecting Danville as the official home for the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum, Pinckneyville decided to have a museum as well. Some communities in Southern Illinois have supported Pinckneyville but many have supported the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association decision to have the official museum in Danville. This has led to public confusion and our goal is to clarify that the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association is in joint partnership with Danville to have an Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum that we can all be proud of.

On Saturday, March 19 2011, there was a state wide press conference in Danville, to announce that the ‘”David Palmer Arena” (Danville Convention Center) will be the home for the official Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum. Jim Shepard the voice of the “Fighting Illini” was the “Master of Ceremonies” for this press conference (see www.vermilioncountyfirst.com). Jim will also spearhead a fundraising committee to help raise the money needed to make the renovations to the “David Palmer Arena”.

We will use the latest technology in presenting Illinois Basketball achievements and history that that will make our visitors fell like they have gone back in time.  

As always we are looking for basketball artifacts to put into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum. We are looking for district, regional, sectional and state tournament programs, pictures, county tournament history, uniforms, warm-ups, scoreboards, basketballs, old championship trophies, letter jackets and sweaters, cheerleading and mascot uniforms, buttons, pins, newspapers, films and videos and scrapbooks. Please contact Bruce Firchau ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for pick up) or Jeanie Cooke at 217-442-DUNK.

Sincerely yours,

Bruce Firchau

Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Museum Chairman

Chuck Rolinski

Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Executive Director