Stephen Bardo

In his second appearance for the West Suburban Illini Club, Stephen Bardo brought out a lively crowd to hear about his years leading The Flyin' Illini and some of his insights into the upcoming Illini and Big Ten season.

A STORY OF A LIFELONG PASSION REALIZED

“I dreamed of playing in the Final Four when I was a little boy. Growing up, I watched every Final Four, from the age of 6 to 18. To almost recall all of them – at least something about them – and to be able to play in it with the special team that we had, that Final Four run was definitely one that was burned into my memory. I can recite it all in a moment’s notice, if anyone’s ever interested.

I’ve been on teams in the NBA, I’ve been overseas, and I’ve been on other Illinois teams – this team was more competitive than any team that I’ve ever been on. The practices that season were better than some of the games that we played. Some of the best plays and some of the most intense competition, no one saw it but the coaching staff. It was just an incredible competitive environment.”
- Stephen Bardo