The third NBA Finals MVP from our fine state might hail from Springfield, but Andre Iguodala has ties to our area, too.
His high school coach, Craig Patton, was a multi-sport star at Gibson City High whose mother still lives in Ford County. Patton, still teaching biology at Lanphier, keeps in contact with Golden State's humble hero. Naturally he spent Wednesday fielding media requests, from ESPN to San Francisco newspapers to, well, me.
"It's a dream come true for Andre," Patton said.
Iguodala almost played his college basketball at Illinois, too. But Bill Self's staff, hot and heavy after him early on, backed off Iguodala just enough for him to lose interest in the Illini.