EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Eleven miles from St. Louis' Scottrade Center, inside the house tucked away from abandoned buildings and barbed wire, Darlene Tilmon settles into the corner chair in her living room.
On this day, she's hosting guests to talk about her grandson — a Missouri freshman forward ... and the face of Saturday's Braggin' Rights game between Missouri and Illinois: Jeremiah Tilmon.
She's also listening to anecdotes like this one.
Twenty years ago, April Lewis — Jeremiah Tilmon's mom who exceeds 6-feet tall — strolled the upstairs hallway of East St. Louis High School.