HJ0056 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0056 LRB102 20900 MST 29784 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is necessary to recognize those who are dedicated to the betterment of the State of Illinois and their communities; and

WHEREAS, Jack Wayne Sikma was born in Kankakee to Grace and Clarence Sikma; he lived in rural Wichert while growing up and attended St. Anne High School; and

WHEREAS, Jack Sikma was a guard his first three years of high school, before his height reached 6'10" as he entered his senior season; with the nickname "the Wichert Wonder", he led the St. Anne High School Cardinals to a fourth-place finish in the 1974 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class A boys basketball tournament, scoring 100 points in his four tournament games; and

WHEREAS, Jack Sikma played collegiate basketball at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington; he majored in accounting and graduated in 1977; after being heavily recruited by many Division I schools, he decided to enroll at Illinois Wesleyan, swayed by his close relationship with Illinois Wesleyan Coach Dennie Bridges and being able to immediately play as a freshman; he also liked that Illinois Wesleyan had several Division I schools on their schedule; and

WHEREAS, At Illinois Wesleyan University, Jack Sikma was a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division III) All-American and averaged 27.0 points and 15.4 rebounds as a senior; he was chosen as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Most Outstanding Player for three straight years; he was later inducted into the D3 Hall of Fame (2012) and the Small Schools Basketball Hall of Fame (2017) and was a member of the D3 50th & 75th All-Anniversary Teams; he was also a two-time Academic All-American and was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Jack Sikma remains Illinois Wesleyan University's all-time leading scorer and rebounder; he averaged 21.2 points (2,272 career points) and 13.1 rebounds (1,405 career rebounds); in each of his last three seasons, the Titans won College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Conference Championships and advanced to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Tournament; and

WHEREAS, Jack Sikma was a first round pick, drafted with the eighth overall selection in the 1977 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics; due to the relatively small size of his alma mater, he was considered an unknown quantity compared to the "established, well-publicized stars" taken before him; and

WHEREAS, As a rookie in 1977-1978, Jack Sikma averaged 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds, as the SuperSonics played in the NBA Finals, losing to the Washington Bullets in seven games; he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1978; and

WHEREAS, The next season, 1978-1979, Jack Sikma averaged 15.6 points and 12.4 rebounds and became an All-Star; he averaged a double-double of 14.8 points and 11.7 rebounds in the playoffs and, along with teammates Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams, and Paul Silas, defeated the Washington Bullets and Wes Unseld in an NBA Finals rematch; his final free throws were the last points scored by the SuperSonics to win the series; and

WHEREAS, In 1984, Jack Sikma signed a five-year contract with the SuperSonics; General Manager Les Habegger remarked, "After careful consideration, we concluded that we could look far and wide and never obtain another center of his caliber."; he continued his All-Star caliber play but was forced to undergo finger surgery in 1985; and

WHEREAS, In 1986, Jack Sikma and Seattle's 1988 second round draft pick were traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Alton Lister and Milwaukee's first-round draft picks in 1987 and 1989; Milwaukee Coach Don Nelson felt that with this trade he gained the missing piece of a team that had frequently dominated the regular season before being exposed at the center position in the playoffs; Milwaukee struggled with injuries leading to the playoffs; and

WHEREAS, In the initial playoff series, Jack Sikma scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to get past Charles Barkley and the Philadelphia 76ers; in the next series, the Bucks were defeated by the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series, in which he was one of eight players fined for fighting or leaving the bench to join the brawl; and

WHEREAS, During the pre-season, Jack Sikma and the Bucks participated in the diplomatically-oriented Basketball Open, a round-robin, exhibition tournament that included a match with the U.S.S.R. national team and the Italian national team; and

WHEREAS, With the Bucks, Jack Sikma showed his superb shooting skills and made the playoffs every year for the remainder of his career; despite being the team's center, he was one of the most effective free throw shooters in the league and would shoot technical free throws for the team; he set a then-record of 51 games without a free throw miss; his late-career three point shooting was cited as a sign of league-wide adoption; and

WHEREAS, In 1989, Jack Sikma faced his former team in what was then the longest game in the shot clock era, winning in the fifth overtime; he remained an effective big man into his final season, playing 77 regular season games and three playoff games, including twice grabbing 14 rebounds in a game; and

WHEREAS, In five seasons and 392 games with the Bucks, Jack Sikma averaged 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, shooting 45% from the floor and 88% from the line; and

WHEREAS, With the SuperSonics, Jack Sikma was selected to seven consecutive All-Star Games, from 1979 to 1985; in nine seasons and 715 games with Seattle, he averaged a double-double of 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, along with 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks, shooting 47% from the field and 83% from the line; and

WHEREAS, Jack Sikma was a pioneer as one of the earliest sharp-shooting big men, a role that would become common after the turn of the 21st century; as a center, his distinct shot and uncharacteristic accuracy allowed him to play a role outside of the paint; his signature Sikma-1/Sikma-2 moves were key to future agile centers; instructional coach Pete Newell wrote on Sikma's signature move in his 2008 book, "Playing Big" as "baseline moves for loose defenses"; towards the end of his career, where his lack of athleticism prevented him from using his eponymous move and no other big men appeared to be able to replicate it, he stated that coaches were inquiring about the technique even though he believed it would be defunct upon his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Jack Sikma's overall strength and height, combined with his shooting ability and rebounding, became a more common prototype long after his retirement, with protegees like Yao Ming and Kevin Love becoming quality players in the NBA; on a January 2019 NBA TV segment, former players Chris Webber, Isiah Thomas, and Kevin McHale discussed his unexpected influence on modern-day basketball play with a segment entitled "Jack Sikma's moves still being used today" and focused on common moves taller players have since adopted to utilize their shooting and passing abilities; the "stretch 5" has since become common in the NBA, with the number of three pointers made by centers sharply increasing; his moves remain widely taught in amateur basketball, including being one of College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bo Ryan's five required skills for his team's big men, being cited by local girls' basketball coaches in 2019, and being strongly touted by college players born well after his retirement; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the portion of Illinois Route 1 from Wichert Road to St. Anne as the "Honorary Jack Sikma Road"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name of the "Honorary Jack Sikma Road"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Jack Skima and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.