clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Malcolm Hill is poised to rocket up Illinois Basketball's All-Time Leading Scorers List

The rising senior could pass Dee Brown this Winter for No. 3 all-time.

By Jim Vainisi
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Over the next week, we'll be taking a closer look at Illinois basketball's updated career leaders in major statistical categories to see if any members of the current roster can etch their names into the record books. Today's post will look at the All-Time Career Scoring List.

There weren't any additions to Illinois' top scorers during the 2015-16 season. However, soon-to-be senior Malcolm Hill (1,243 points) is poised to rocket up the board this Winter. Here's a closer look at where things currently stand.

Illinois Basketball's All-Time Scoring Leaders

RANK PLAYER YEARS FR. SO. JR. SR. TOTAL
1 Deon Thomas (1990-94) 452 542 587 548 2,129
2 Kiwane Garris (1993-97) 446 494 386 622 1,948
3 Dee Brown (2002-06) 384 440 518 470 1,812
4 Brian Cook (1999-03) 287 391 471 599 1,748
5 Cory Bradford (1998-02) 494 490 345 406 1,735
6 Demetri McCamey (2007-11) 287 391 542 498 1,718
7 Eddie Johnson (1977-81) 220 362 610 500 1,692
8 Brandon Paul (2009-13) 280 307 469 598 1,654
9 Mark Smith (1977-81) 312 404 535 402 1,653
10 Andy Kaufmann (1988-93) 51 285 660 537 1,533
11 Efrem Winters (1982-83) 385 456 350 296 1,487
12 Nick Weatherspoon (1970-73) 381 500 600 X 1,481
13 D.J. Richardson (2009-13) 379 284 372 442 1,477
14 Dave Scholz (1966-69) - 471 529 459 1,459
15 Don Freeman (1963-64) - 341 440 668 1,449
16 Frank Williams (1999-02) 366 508 566 X 1,440
17 Jerry Hester (1993-98) 227 323 308 557 1,415
18 Kendall Gill (1986-90) 114 344 370 581 1,409
19 Ken Norman (1984-87) 227 525 641 X 1,393
20 James Augustine (2002-06) 225 318 392 448 1,383
21 Dave Downey (1960-63) - 402 445 513 1,360
22 John Kerr (1951-54) - 357 386 556 1,299
23 Luther Head (2001-05) 156 198 319 622 1,295
24 Mike Davis (2007-11) 87 383 385 424 1,279
25 Doug Altenberger (1982-87) 96 352 394 429 1,271

Apologies in advance for any errors in the yearly distributions. That was difficult to figure out for the old-timers that played three seasons. Also had to combine a few years for the players that redshirted. If you happen to spot any inaccuracies, let us know down in the comments!

Illini who could crack the Top 25 next season

RANK PLAYER YEARS FR. SO. JR. SR. TOTAL
T-27 Malcolm Hill (2013-) 154 475 614 ? 1,243
45 Kendrick Nunn (2013-) 218 365 435 ? 1,018

Barring an injury during his senior season, Malcolm Hill will end up near the top of the career scoring list. If he's able to replicate his incredible 2015-16 campaign, Dee Brown's mark of 1,812 points is well within striking distance. But let's say Hill averages a more conservative 15.0 PPG next season (down from 18.1 PPG) to account for what will hopefully be a more balanced offense. In that scenario, he'd still crack the top-five rather comfortably depending on how many games the team plays.

Then there's Kendrick Nunn. Assuming he's still on the team next year, the sharpshooter will probably end up in the range of 1,350-1,500 career points (somewhere around No. 15 all-time). Say what you want about the overall impact of the 2013 recruiting class, but that group is on the verge of producing two of the top scorers in program history.

Future Top 25 Candidates

Two underclassmen immediately come to mind here. Jalen Coleman-Lands (350 points) and Michael Finke (248 points) exploded onto the scene during their freshman seasons, and their roles will only grow in coming years. Those point totals will likely see pretty sizable increases with more playing time and good health.