4 minute read
Jim Mini, St. Bede
Jim Mini
ST. BEDE ACADEMY
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Accomplishments
● Star basketball player at SBA where he graduated in 1957 as all-time leading scorer ● Averaged 31 points per game his freshman year at
LPO Junior College, helped
Apaches to NJCAA National
Tournament for the first time ● Transferred to Loyola
Chicago, averaged 15 points per game as a junior & 16.9 points per game as a senior co-captain ● Member of six halls of fame: two-time member of the St.
Bede Hall of Fame, two-time member of the IVCC Hall of
Fame, member of IBCA Hall of Fame, member of Loyola
Chicago Hall of Fame
By Bobby Narang
Jim Mini can sum up his extensive sports career in a tangible fashion.
One hundred sixty-two pages.
That’s the number of pages in Dr. Mini’s autobiography. Considering he wasn’t blessed with extraordinary height — 5-foot-7 — nor extreme athleticism, Mini’s vast accomplishments are worthy of considerable number of words and pictures. Mini, a 1957 St. Bede graduate, rode an excellent shooting touch and unrelenting work ethic to unparalleled success in basketball. One of 15 Class of 2022 inductees into the NewsTribune’s Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame, Mini is one of the most accomplished basketball players in Illinois Valley history. Even Mini is astonished regarding his success considering his NOW WHERE are they height.
“Nobody was smaller than me,” he said. “I had a jump shot, which first came out in the early 1950s. It was a new shot, where even a small man can get it off
See Mini Page 18
by shooting above your head.”
Mini, a 1961 Loyola graduate, practiced countless hours with his older brother, Ron, at the local gymnasium in Dalzell. He regularly picked up the keys to the gym, allowing him unlimited access to work on his craft.
“I would go out there every night,” Mini said. “There wasn’t much heat, but I would keep shooting all night, and eventually they were right about the jump shot – if you could practice it a lot, you would be a great shooter. I was fast, like a rabbit.”
Mini carved out a career at exceeding expectations — and beating the odds. He joked he was the shortest player in major college basketball and could “take a shower in the urinal.”
But Mini could do one of the key aspects of basketball with astonishing ability — scoring. When he graduated, he was the Bruins’ all-time leading scorer with 997 points.
However, Mini’s sports and professional career eventually took an unexpected detour that led him down a life-changing path. He wanted to attend West Point Military Academy, but he wasn’t admitted due to an insufficient number of teeth.
Yes, that’s right, he was short — no pun intended — on teeth.
“My dad had a small grocery store, and my job was the candy counter,” he said. “I probably ate more than we sold. I had some teeth pulled in the back. I guess that was a mistake.”
Short on options due to the late denial, Mini decided to attend L-P-O Junior College, now known as Illinois Valley Community College. Mini’s speed and shooting fit L-P-O coach John Strell’s fast-paced philosophy.
At L-P-O, Mini led the NJCAA in scoring, averaging just over 29 points in 1958-59. He guided the Apaches to the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., scoring a game-high 31 points in a thrilling 93-92 win over Wilson to become the first L-P-O team to advance to the national tournament.
As the smallest college in the tournament, the Apaches failed to reach the title game, though Mini set a single-game program record with a 48-point explosion in the consolation round.
Mini’s high-scoring prowess caught the eye of Loyola coach George Ireland, who bucked his philosophy of recruiting a junior college player.
“I didn’t go for them,” Ireland said in Mini’s book. “I figured if they couldn’t get into a four-year school academically, they couldn’t make it at Loyola.”
Throughout his hoops career, Mini mastered the art of overcoming expectations, and Loyola was no different, just it occurred on a national stage.
“I wanted to be a pharmacist after West Point, so I asked Coach Ireland if they had a pharmacy school. They didn’t, but he said they have a medical school, so that was close enough,” said Mini, a 1965 Loyola Medical School graduate.
Mini became a national sensation, scoring a gamehigh 25 points against highly-ranked Ohio State at the Chicago Stadium. His scoring and short stature quickly made him a fan favorite at Loyola.
He also played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and he’s been inducted into several halls of fame.
“I really enjoyed basketball,” Mini said. “I have a beautiful family, with a son and four daughters. I practiced medicine for 33 years. When I talk basketball with the guys, I’m real quiet about my past. I don’t think they would believe me if I told them I led the nation in scoring. Maybe they would say I drank too much because of how tall I am.
“When you’re young, you have big dreams. I was able to play all over the country at Loyola. It’s been a great life.”
Congratulations
to the Class of 2022
