CHICAGO — It's been two straight years of serious celebrations for Lowell Hamilton.
Last year, the West Side native was part of the 25th anniversary reunion for the University of Illinois 1989 Final Four team.
On Saturday, Hamilton will be heading back to his hometown to reunite with other members of the 1985 Providence St. Mel School boys hoops state champions — still the school's only IHSA title winners.
Justin Breen says Hamilton is looking forward to looking back:
"I don't want to believe that I'm that old, and that it's been 30 years," said Hamilton, 48, Providence-St. Mel's star center from the '85 squad and who was named one of the "100 Legends of IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament" in 2007.
"It was a privilege to be a part of that state championship team and that Final Four team," added the 6-foot-7 Hamilton, now a physical education teacher and basketball coach at Tallulah Falls School in northeast Georgia.
Hamilton will be one of eight 1985 Providence-St. Mel's players to attend Saturday's reunion, which begins at 1 p.m., according to school athletic director Teresa Cullen. The day's festivities include the school's 4 p.m. homecoming game against Christ The King, with the unveiling of a 1985 championship banner at halftime.
The Knights finished third in the 1984 state tournament, and Hamilton said he knew his team was destined for greatness in 1985, which concluded with a 95-63 blowout win over Chrisman in the Class A championship game.
"My high school buddies were my brothers; they were truly my brothers," Hamilton said. "In terms of things we were going through, we were inner-city kids dealing with life and supporting each other."
He compared that type of bond with his experiences at Illinois, where he was a co-captain on the Flyin' Illini 1989 squad that lost to Michigan in the Final Four. Hamilton averaged 13.6 points that season, behind only Nick Anderson (18.0), co-captain Kenny Battle (16.6) and Kendall Gill (13.6).
Even deep in the Southeast, Hamilton said folks still know him from his Illini days. To return to the NCAA's promised land, he said Illinois needs to recruit Chicago's top ballers.
"I hope [Illinois coach John] Groce can get some people in there, and he's gotta get the Chicago players," Hamilton said. "It’s gotta happen. It’s just gotta happen. Can’t let these guys get away."
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