Stephen Bardo to Speak at Opening Ceremony

The Harper College athletic department will be welcoming another prominent figure for the opening ceremony on Monday, Aug. 24. Former University of Illinois standout basketball player and professional basketball player as well as current college basketball analyst and motivational speaker Stephen Bardo will be on campus to speak to Harper College student-athletes.

Bardo was a member of the 1989 University of Illinois men's basketball team known as the "Flyin' Illini" that made it to the Final Four that year, his junior season. He was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and All-Big Ten selection. Bardo averaged 9.7 PPG and 4.7 APG his senior season and was drafted in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.

In addition to playing in the NBA for three different teams, Bardo played professionally in France, Italy, Japan, and Venezuela as well as playing in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for Quad City, Wichita Falls, and Chicago. He retired in 2000 after a 10-year professional playing career.

Bardo currently lives in Chicago and is a father to his two sons, Landon and Stephen Paul. He works as a color analyst for the WNBA's Chicago Sky while also doing color commentary for the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1. He also previously served as a color analyst for the Illini Sports Network as well as a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports, ESPN, and Fox.

Bardo, who earned a speech communications degree from the University of Illinois, also works as a motivational speaker, and he wrote the book How to Make The League Without Picking Up The Rock.

He hopes to impart some wisdom to Harper student-athletes.

"I want them to understand that they are not much different than I am. I've just had longer to work on my dreams," Bardo said. "People can connect with you through pain, not successes. There have been a lot of not positive things that have taken place in my career, but they haven't stopped me."