(Sugar Grove, IL.) - Waubonsee Community College's men's basketball program has a long and storied past. Over the years Chiefs' basketball has won 18 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) titles, nearly twice as many as any other school in the league. Waubonsee teams have been nationally ranked more than 30 different seasons, and captured seven Region championships as well, making just as many appearances at the NJCAA National Tournament. From high-scoring shooting guard Kevin Avery to big man Josh McAuley, to forwards Gregg Janus and Larry Walters, several All-Americans and a plethora of standout players have suited up for the Chiefs. It's a tradition of winning and excellence that's been written over the last 55 years, and one that this year's Chiefs are in the process of adding their names to in a big way.
But it started with the 1970-71 squad, which helped put Waubonsee Athletics on the map for the first time in just the fourth year of the program. Guided by Hall of Fame coach Ray Lumpp, the Chiefs employed a high-octane offense led by legendary 6'4" swingman Phil Neal. The Aurora East High School graduate booked an unforgettable 48-point, 25 rebound game en route to finishing in the top three nationally in scoring, averaging 32.6 points a game and being named Waubonsee's first NJCAA All-American. That team also featured eight players who served in the Vietnam War either before, during or after the season. Despite the turbulent times and transient nature of the roster that year, Lumpp's forces put together a 10-game winning streak and captured the Skyway title for first time ever. In 1976-77 and 1977-78, led by two-time Skyway Player of the Year John McQuade, the Chiefs won back-to-back conference titles going a combined 23-1 in league play and winning 48 games overall. All told, Waubonsee won four Skyway championships in those early years and finished second in the league every other year except one over the 11 conference seasons Lumpp was in charge.
The Chiefs won another Skyway title under head coach Jay Bryant and assistant Grayal Gilkey in 1982. Then Dave Heiss took over the reins of the program in 1985 and embarked on a legendary 34-year coaching career at Waubonsee. During his tenure, the Chiefs were a perennial top 20 program in the nation while the Hall of Fame coach led Waubonsee to 644 wins, placing him in the top 10 among all active NJCAA coaches when he stepped down at the end of the 2019 season. He also guided Waubonsee to 17 seasons of 20 or more wins and had four other seasons with 19 wins as well. Heiss was on the Chiefs' sideline for 292 wins in ISCC play, which today is still 101 more victories than any other coach has won in the history of the conference. The Chiefs won a dozen Skyway titles under his guidance and captured the Region crown and a berth into the NJCAA Division II National Tournament six times.
His 1990-91 team was possibly his best and arguably the best in school history. Led by Aurora West High School product David Bacon, who was named an NJCAA First Team All-American at season's end, the Chiefs rolled to an undefeated (12-0) ISCC title. Aurora East High School graduate Durrell Williams and All-Region performer Kevin Nichols provided additional firepower for Waubonsee, which went on to win the Region 4 Tournament and earn a berth to the National Tournament for the first time in school history. Unfortunately, the tournament was not seeded at that time like it is today. Waubonsee, ranked second nationally in the final NJCAA poll, drew top-ranked County College of Morris (NJ) in the first round of the National Tournament. The contest, which many considered the national championship game that year, was close throughout. However, the Titans made 11 of 12 free throws down the stretch and held on for a 75-72 triumph to snap the Chiefs' school record 21-game winning streak. Waubonsee went on to place seventh in the nation, finishing 29-8 overall to set the program record for wins in a season that for now still stands.
Even when the Chiefs were down toward the bottom of the Skyway standings, they found a way to rise to the occasion. At the end of the 2007-08 season, in perhaps his best coaching performance Heiss directed his sixth-seeded team to wins over the top three seeds to improbably grab the Region title, knocking off top-seeded McHenry County College by 21 points in the championship game. The 'Cinderella' Chiefs entered the National Tournament with a .500 overall record (15-15), and then narrowly pulled off another upset before falling by just four points to fifth ranked Penn Valley (KS) Community College.
Behind the leadership of 5'9" point guard Markus Cocroft the Chiefs made back-to-back trips to the National Tournament in both 2009-10 and 2010-11. The Aurora West High School product did a bit of everything on the way to being named an NJCAA Second Team All-American his sophomore year. Showing the grit and toughness of the 'blue collar' Chiefs' program, Cocroft took an elbow to the head early in the Region title game that required stitches. He came back in the second half to lead his team to victory on the way to being chosen the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Heiss' 2016-17 team also earned a share of the ISCC title, the last of the dozen league titles he orchestrated. Paced by 6'3" small forward Tyrone Carey, a First Team All-Skyway and All-Region performer who finished in the top 10 nationally in points scored, Waubonsee made a return trip to the National Tournament. Before one of the biggest crowds ever in Erickson Hall Gymnasium, Waubonsee knocked off third-ranked Triton College 89-83 in overtime to win the Region Championship. Heiss' crew went on to take 12th place nationally and finish 26-10 overall.
And now Lance Robinson has carried on the Chiefs' successful tradition after taking charge of the program in 2019. Only the fifth head coach in program history, Robinson has pointed the Chiefs to new heights, particularly the last four seasons. His 2021-22 team overcame Covid pandemic related obstacles to win 20 games and reach the Region 4 title game where they fell by one-point to top-ranked and eventual undefeated National Champion South Suburban College. The following year, led by All-American guard Joey Niesman, the unranked Chiefs toppled fifth-ranked South Suburban, and 14th ranked Bryant & Stratton (WI) College for the Region 4 Championship. At the National Tournament Waubonsee knocked off another ranked opponent before a controversial five-point loss to the host school Danville Area Community College, with the Jaguars shooting 43 free throws and ending up with a 24-point advantage at the line. The loss denied the Chiefs a spot in the Final Four and Waubonsee went on to place eighth in the nation finishing 26-10 overall.
Last year the Chiefs were ranked as high as 11th nationally and shared the ISCC title with McHenry. However, Waubonsee lost to third ranked South Suburban in the Region title game. Despite having one of the best records in the country at 28-5 and residing among the national leaders in seven different statistical categories, the Chiefs did not receive one of the two at large bids to the National Tournament.
In response the 2024-25 team has shot its way toward the top of the list of highly successful teams in the annals of Waubonsee basketball. Robinson's crew is currently ranked 11th in the country and owns a 22-1 overall record, riding a new school record 22-game winning streak. They set that mark last Thursday evening when they registered a record-setting 131-115 win at home against McHenry County College. Three other program records were broken in the process as they eclipsed the single game mark of 129 points set in 2004, the 2023 mark of 70 points in a half with 73, and the most combined points in game which was 232 set in 2017.
Five players from last year's team returned, with only Zachariah Hayslett and Aboubacar Sidibe seeing any significant playing time. Those two, along with fellow sophomores Jermaine Theodore, Dimetris Gayden and Dimetrius Butler, will by season's end likely be part of the most wins ever in a two-year span of the program. Robinson and his assistant coaches, former Chiefs' player Michael McAllister, long-time Aurora University coach James Lancaster, and Mike Boatright, added key players to the roster in building a team that's been a force to be reckoned with thus far.
The 6'5" Christian Meeks has been a powerful presence in the paint, leading the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game (ppg) and averaging 7.5 rebounds per contest. Hayslett, a two-year starter, averages 14.9 ppg to go along with three assists per game and a team-leading 48 three-point baskets. Sidibe, the Chiefs' slick and slender point guard called "Booka" by his teammates, is contributing 12. 3 points, 4.2 assists and two steals a game while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor. Sophomore transfer Tim Taiwo lends his all-around game to Waubonsee's balanced attack. The 6'2" shooting forward averages 11.8 points, 3.0 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game. Oswego East High School alumnus Pat Robinson chips in with 10.9 points a game, has nailed 33 shots from long range and posted an 84.0 percent (42 of 50) free throw percentage. A trio of guards, Tylon Toliver, Malik Petty, and Metea Valley High School graduate James Parker come off the bench to provide a spark for the Chiefs. Toliver averages 9.9 points per contest on the strength of 37 baskets from beyond the arc. Petty contributes 8.4 points a game and is shooting 87.5 percent (49 of 56) from the foul line, with the 5"8" Parker serving as the back-up point guard while shooting 46.1 percent from the field.
This crew has proven to be an unselfish group, evidenced by their average of 21.4 assists per game which is fourth nationally among all NJCAA Division II teams. The Chiefs routinely employ a rotation of up to 10 players throughout each game, with each a potential threat from three-point range and with the ability to get to the rim. Not surprisingly Waubonsee is currently second nationally in three-point baskets with 244, trailing only Elgin Community College's 289 baskets from long range. A potential shootout between the Chiefs and Spartans is set for this coming Thursday, February 6 in Elgin starting at 7:15 p.m. Waubonsee is also second nationally in free throw percentage at 76.4 percent, only one-tenth of a percentage point behind Blackhawk Technical College from Janesville, Wisconsin. In addition, the Chiefs' 409 made free throws places them fifth nationally and their 91.8 points-per-game average ranks 11th highest in the country.
As they look to keep their winning streak alive, the next milepost marker is the program record for regular season wins set just last year at 26. Along with that is a potential 19th Skyway Conference crown for the program which is within reach with six league games remaining. However, Morton College (6-1) is right on the Chiefs' (8-0) heels with just one loss which occurred on January 9 when Waubonsee downed the Panthers 88-79 in Sugar Grove. The rematch is scheduled for February 18 in Cicero with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. Robinson and company hope to also have a shot at the program's single season mark of 29 wins set 34 years ago by the 1990-91 team. Without a doubt, Robinson's crew aims to fully etch their mark in the ledger of Chiefs' basketball and add their own page to the storied history. If the previous three months are any indication, they may not finish writing their part of the story until March Madness concludes seven weeks from now. In the meantime, they have their sights set on only their next game, which is this evening, Tuesday, February 4 when Oakton Community College comes to Sugar Grove for a 7:15 p.m. match-up. The 'live stream' of that contest can be viewed at Fan.Hudl.com/WaubonseeChiefs.
1970-71 Skyway Conference Champs 1977-78 Skyway Conference Champs 1990-91 Region Champs and #2 ranked team
Hall of Fame Coach Dave Heiss 2017 Region 4 Championship versus Triton 2016-17 All-Region performer Tyrone Carey
2010-11 All-American Markus Cocroft 2018-19 All-American Josh McAuley 2011 sixth-seeded Region Champs