The leisurely drive to the Illini's exhibition basketball game in Springfield is filled with memories for an erstwhile Monticelloan.
It's my 50th season on this beat, and my recollections hark back much farther. Here we go.
Embarking from Champaign's eastern edge of Interstate 72, we leave behind some of the most famous Illini reared in the home city, dating from Ted Beach and Rod Fletcher in the early '50s to two Centennial products who still make a living at it, Trent Meacham and Rayvonte Rice. And we leave behind the former Assembly Hall, which will blossom as the State Farm Center on Dec.