Since the turn of the century, Illinois has boasted plenty of individual talent and enjoyed its share of team success. The team hardware consists of five Big Ten regular season titles, four conference tournament championships, a No. 1 seed in three separate NCAA Tournaments, two trips to the Elite Eight and a national championship appearance.

Individually, Champaign has been home to five All-Americans since 2000, including a pair of two-time honorees in Dee Brown and Kofi Cockburn.

On Sunday, we begin an Illinois on SI series featuring the top 10 Illini players over the past 25 years. In our selection process, we considered individual production, career length (must have played at least two seasons since 2000), team accomplishments and intangibles.

Without further ado:

Career averages: 13.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists
Best season averages (2015-16): 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists

A microwave scorer who could knock it down from deep (1.2 triples made per game on his career) or attack the basket with his size and length, Hill could hurt defenses in a multitude of ways. He ranks third on Illinois’ all-time scoring list with 1,846 points.

A solid facilitator and an excellent rebounder for his height and position, Hill wasn’t just a one-trick pony. Defensively, he averaged 1.2 stocks per game (steals + blocks) and was a plus defender throughout his career.

Hill spent years playing international hoops in the Philippines, Germany, Russia and Israel before breaking through in the NBA in 2021. Most recently, he spent time with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2024,

Hill’s individual contributions might have earned him a higher spot on this list, but his lack of team success (no NCAA Tournament appearances) kept him from surpassing several other Illini alums.

Illinois Basketball Holds Unique Edge in Recruitment of Top 2026 Prospect

Who Is New Illinois Basketball Assistant Coach Camryn Crocker?

Top Three NBA Landing Spots for Illinois Forward Will Riley

Illinois now has a new third-largest city after new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau showed one Chicago suburb dethroning another for the title.

While Chicago and Aurora held steady as the state’s two largest cities, Naperville has now leaped over Joliet to take the No. 3 spot.

According to the latest estimates, which list the estimated population of each municipality as of July 1, 2024, Naperville now has a population of 153,124, a growth of nearly 2,000 residents from 2023.

Joliet is now the state’s fourth-largest city, with a population of 151,837. The two Chicago suburbs rank 178th and 179th across the United States, respectively.

The growth echoes population increases seen in both Chicago and nationwide, with the city of Chicago’s population by over 22,000 residents between mid-2023 and mid-2024, according to the Census Bureau.

In the same time period, Rockford, the state’s fifth-largest city, grew by just under 700 residents, reaching an estimated population of 147,486.

Another Chicago suburb ranked as the state’s sixth-largest city, with west suburban Elgin growing by just under 800 residents with an estimated population of 114,701.

The state’s seventh-largest city, Springfield, was the most populous municipality in the state to see a year-over-year population decline, dropping by just over 50 residents in the above timeframe.

Closing out the state’s top 10 cities in population were downstate Peoria and Champaign at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively, with north suburban Waukegan ranking as the state’s 10th-largest city.

More information on recent Census Bureau estimates can be found here.

Read More: Illinois dust storm tracker: Avoid these streets in Chicago, Naperville and Bloomington

At approximately 6:45 PM CDT, a massive dust wall was observed moving north at 45 to 50 mph, sweeping across the Chicagoland area from Sandwich to Chicago’s South Side and extending into northwest Indiana.

Automated weather stations, including Chicago Midway Airport, reported wind gusts near 60 mph and visibility reduced to less than a quarter mile.

Northern Illinois Counties Hit Hard

The warning covers wide swaths of northeastern Illinois, including:

Cook County: Englewood, Austin, Summit, Oak Lawn, South Shore, Roseland, and Chicago’s Loop area.

DeKalb County: Hinckley and southeastern portions.

DuPage County: Lisle, Westmont, Oakbrook Terrace, and Glendale Heights.

Kane County: Aurora, Elgin, Gilberts, and South Elgin.

Kendall, La Salle, and Will Counties: Lisbon, Sheridan, Preston Heights, and areas near Joliet.

Northwest Indiana Also in Danger Zone

The dust storm is also hammering northern Indiana, affecting:

Lake County: Hammond, Whiting, Griffith, East Chicago, and Dyer.

Porter County: Valparaiso, Chesterton, Burns Harbor, Beverly Shores, and South Haven.

Hazards and Safety Alerts

Visibility: Dropping below ¼ mile.

Wind Speeds: Gusts exceeding 50–60 mph.

Impact: “Dangerous, life-threatening travel,” according to emergency management officials.

Several major interstates are impacted, including I-55, I-57, I-80, I-90, I-94, I-294, and I-355 in Illinois, and Interstates 65, 80, 90, and 94 in Indiana.

What to Do

The NWS urges all drivers caught in the storm to pull off the road, turn off lights, and keep feet off the brake to avoid rear-end collisions.

This is the third dust storm warning issued by NWS Chicago this season — a rare and dangerous event for the region. Residents are advised to monitor updates closely and stay indoors until the storm passes.