Basketball Hall of Fame

The Rams finished the season with a 31-1 record, including a perfect 14-0 mark to win the Mid-State 10 Conference title.  Ranked No. 1 in the state all season and No. 5 in the USA Today high school basketball national rankings, Manual defeated state No. 2 Rock Island High School and eventual state champion East St. Louis Lincoln High School during its undefeated regular season.  Its bid for the state title was derailed in a classic Elite Eight game, however, as the Rams were knocked out of the state tournament when Quincy ended an epic, triple-overtime game with a 25-foot buzzer beater.  Manual’s starting lineup in 1986-87 included three players who went on to play NCAA Division I basketball – Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Famers David Booth (DePaul) and Curtis Stuckey (Drake/Bradley), as well as Lynn Collins (Arizona State).