With local high school boys basketball coaches a month away from welcoming their teams back into the gym to start practicing for the upcoming season, here’s a look at who could be considered the best among them in several categories:
Best coach: Gene Heidkamp, Benet
It’s hard to look at Heidkamp’s 18 years at Benet and argue for anyone else. Benet basketball has a profound identity, credited largely to a coach held in the highest respect by colleagues and counterparts.
There’s also the obvious: results.
Heidkamp has built arguably the best program in the state — a model of consistency with a winning percentage of 74% over nearly two decades. His Redwings brought home a state championship in March 2025 after runner-up finishes in 2014, 2016, 2023, and were runners-up again last season.
Best coach outside the Chicago area: Lee Bennett, Centralia
The tradition-rich Centralia job isn’t an easy one; it’s one of the few that come with legit basketball coaching expectations. And Bennett has flourished in leading the Orphans.
When watching Bennett, who surpassed 700 career wins in 2025, there always seems to be great attention to detail with his teams — and a sense of purpose with each possession.
Bennett’s teams have averaged 24 wins a season in his 19 years in charge, including a whopping 29 wins a season over the past five years. Centralia has won 13 regional championships, three sectionals and his 2011 team finished second in the state in 3A.
Best young coach in the state: Justin Dehm, Metamora
The 38-year-old had the unenviable task of taking over for the best coach in the state no one talked about, Danny Grieves, who retired in 2024 — and after Metamora won 30-plus games for three straight years and captured a state title in 2023.
Dehm, who played at Peoria Richwoods in high school and put together a solid four-year college career at Furman, is off and running. He’s impressed as he begins his third season as head coach, winning 28 and 21 games the past two years and sporting what is now one of the better young teams in the state.
Best coach without a state title: Mike Ellis, Evanston
In 23 years, Ellis has accumulated more than 500 career victories while leading two powerhouses in Peoria Richwoods and Evanston. He has done everything but win a state title, although he has been close with five state tournament appearances, including runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2010 with Richwoods and 2019 with Evanston, as well as eight sectional championships.
His Wildkits have the potential to capture another trophy in Champaign in March, possibly taking Ellis off the list of those who’ve never won the big one.
Most overlooked coach: Tom Livatino, Loyola
Only true high school hoops junkies are likely to know the Ramblers have averaged 23 victories a year in their last 13 full seasons under Livatino. They’ve picked up eight regional titles in that time, as well as a sectional title in 2014. Their 30-4 team in 2019-20, arguably Livatino’s best, was set to play for a sectional title before the COVID-19 pandemic shut every-thing down. Livatino also averaged 20 wins a season in five seasons at Lincoln Park, where the Lions won three regional titles.
Still, perhaps the strongest indicator of Livatino’s impact is that opponents hate the tough, defensive-minded grind they have to deal with when playing Loyola.
Most consistent head coach: Mike Oliver, Curie
Oliver has built quite the résumé with the Condors, leading them to a Class 4A title in 2016 and three city championships, the last in 2024. Although many of their achievements aren’t appreciated enough outside the city, the long history of success can’t be denied. Perhaps no coach in the state has won as consistently for as long as Oliver has, building a
578-176 record in 30-plus years. It isn’t just about the win totals, either — the consistency also applies to his style and approach, the type of players on his teams and the expectations of his program.
Most underrated coach: Eric Millstone
There were some lean years after Millstone first started at Palatine, but he has quietly and clearly put his stamp on the program over 18 seasons by instilling discipline, maximizing talent and implementing a defensive scheme that has transformed the Pirates into an effective force.
Over the last five seasons, Palatine has averaged 24 wins. They had a breakthrough in 2024 with an appearance in Champaign, where they finished fourth in the state tournament in Class 4A. They also won a school-record 29 games last season.
Benet’s Gene Heidkamp tops our list of high school basketball coaching awards 2026
IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-10-07 04:19:24
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