Henson selected to college basketball Hall of Fame

Former Illinois basketball coach Lou Henson, the winningest coach in Fighting Illini history, will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame this fall.

The enshrinement ceremony will be held on Nov. 20 at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland in Kansas City.

Joining Henson in the 2015 class of inductees are coaches Don Donoher (Dayton) and C. Felton "Zip" Gayles (Langston) and players Rolando Blackman (Kansas State), Quinn Buckner (Indiana), John Havlicek (Ohio State), Ed Ratleff (Long Beach State) and Charlie Scott (North Carolina).

Henson's career spanned 41 years at three programs. He spent four seasons at Hardin-Simmons (67-36) and nine at New Mexico State (173-71), leading the Aggies to the 1970 Final Four before taking over the Illinois program in 1975.

In his 21-year career with Illinois, he amassed a 423-224 record, highlighted by 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Henson's Illini won the 1984 Big Ten Championship and advanced to the Elite Eight. His most successful season came with the Flyin' Illini, a team that won a then-school record 31 games and advanced to the 1989 NCAA Final Four. Henson ranks fifth all-time among Big Ten coaches in total wins (423) and conference wins (214).

Following his retirement from Illinois, Henson returned to the sidelines at New Mexico State, leading the Aggies for seven more years and collecting a 116-81 record.

In all, Henson won 779 games; ranking 16th on the all-time NCAA wins list.

"I am deeply humbled to be included in this 2015 Hall of Fame Class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame," Henson said in a statement released by Illini athletics officials. "When I began throwing a ball of rags through that handmade hoop on the side of our barn, I never could have imagined that the game of basketball would bring me to this point in my life."

Illinois head coach John Groce said the honor was "well-earned" by Henson.

"He is a legend in the coaching profession and had a profound impact on both the University of Illinois and Fighting Illini basketball," Groce said. "I can't say enough about the respect and admiration I have for him and the job he did here. The longevity and sustained success he achieved is both amazing and inspiring. It is a blessing to sit in the same chair he occupied and to wear the orange jacket as a tribute to him and the countless lives he touched during his 21 years leading this program."