SAVOY — Thousands of Illini fans circled around the Flightstar entrance at Willard Airport eagerly awaiting the arrival of the now Final Four-bound Illini. A humongous crowd began gathering almost two hours before the Illinois basketball team ultimately touched down on the tarmac and returned from Houston just after noon on Sunday. It kept growing bigger and bigger as they waited to embrace the team that had just etched its place in program history.
Illini head coach Brad Underwood was the first to emerge from the doorway with two fists lifted in the air. The Illini head coach walked through that same entrance nine years ago with Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman. Except that time, there wasn't anybody waiting for him on the other side. Just an empty parking lot and a struggling basketball program searching for the right person to bring it back to prominence. Turns out Underwood was that person.
"Thank you, Whitman!" one fan yelled as Underwood took the microphone to address the sea of orange in front of him.
"I say that same thing, 'Thank you, Josh," Underwood replied. "Nine years ago, about this time I was walking through the airport taking this job. I'm honored to be the basketball coach here; I'm the most blessed guy in the world that I get to coach basketball in front of a group of fans like yourself who care."
One by one, assistant coaches and their families filed through the door, each greeted with booming cheers. Support staff and managers followed next. Then came the players, ones who will forever be remembered in the town as winners.
It was only fitting that Kylan Boswell, a Champaign kid, led the way, hoisting the South Regional trophy high above his head as the loudest ovation of all erupted. One of the best teams in Illinois history officially received its hero's welcome.
"There's a group of guys down here that are very resilient, very tough and very focused," Underwood said, pointing to his team. "And along the way, they're unbelievably talented basketball players who took great, great pride in the name on the front of the jersey, getting Illinois back to where it belongs."
Illinois punched its ticket to the program's third Final Four in the modern era on Saturday, defeating No. 9 seed Iowa, 71-59, and completing a dominant run through the South Region with four straight wins by double digits.
Mark Haas, an Illini fan for over 50 years, still remembers coming to the same airport to greet the 2004-05 team after their national title game loss to North Carolina.
"We didn't have social media back then, so we were listening to the radio to hear when the team was going to land," Haas said. "They all came out and there were probably 5,000 people that just erupted with joy. It was a neat experience."
Sunday's crowd was just about as big. There were plenty of older fans who had lived through all three of the Illini's Final Four runs in the modern era — 1989, 2005 and now 2026. And there were also plenty of young children and college students experiencing the euphoria of a Final Four appearance for the very first time.
That's what a magical run like the one this Illini team has been on can do. It creates a lifelong memory for fans of every age and era to share. It rallies an entire community with high-fives, cheers and smiles. What seemed like practically all of Champaign County flooded together, decked out in orange jerseys, hoodies and graphic tees to show their appreciation for a team that will now be a part of this area's identity forever.
"Even though it's a major college thing, it's still a small-town feel," Haas said. "I think it's important to show the players they're giving all they can give. It's a good boost for the whole community."
The players, all with unique journeys, all got their individual moments to soak it all in and fully grasp the magnitude of what they had just achieved.
Boswell, who grew up just a few minutes down the road, spent nearly 30 minutes signing autographs and laughing with fans before finally slipping away to his car to drive off. Not long ago, he was one of those same kids asking for autographs and dreaming of one day being on the other side of them.
It also wasn't long ago that David Mirkovic was only a little-known 19-year-old prospect playing for a club team in Montenegro. Less than a year later, he was piled with "Mirk! Mirk! Mirk!" chants as he made his way across the parking lot donning a cowboy hat, taking hundreds of photos with little kids wearing No. 0 jerseys, by far the most popular jersey in the crowd on Sunday. He's basically the king of Champaign now, if you ask most people in attendance.
Ben Humrichous spent the first three years of his college basketball career at Huntington University a small NAIA school in Indiana. Long after his teammates had left and the airport had almost emptied, Humrichous stayed to make sure every fan who waited got an autograph, probably signing more than his former school's entire 1,087-person enrollment before he finally finished.
Like the Illini's Final Four teams of the past, this one seems to have captivated the fanbase with its personality and character. Their play on the court has certainly been a joy for fans to watch play, but at the heart of all of it is a likable group of guys with very wide-ranging journeys. A group that got its rightful showering of love and appreciation on Sunday from thousands of people who will likely never forget it.
"This group is just so incredibly fun to watch," said Jackson Sharpe, a diehard Illini fan and University of Illinois graduate. "They're likeable. They're entertaining. They're personable. They're so easy to root for because the guys on this team are great people. So, it's awesome to be out here and get to take it all in with everybody else."
The party has officially begun to celebrate this all-time Illini team that will now forever be iconic. It started on Saturday when thousands of students flooded Green Street and climbed atop the famous Alma Mater statue. It continued on Sunday at Willard Airport when thousands of fans and alumni from all over came together to show their pride. And it will likely last for decades to come.
Rockstar status achieved.
"This team will always be remembered," Sharpe said. "These are the types of memories that never go away."
Underwood, though, made sure to note that he expects to create an even greater memory a week from now. He's hoping an even bigger 'welcome home' celebration awaits them next week when they return from Indianapolis.
"We are going to turn Indy orange and blue," Underwood remarked to the crowd. "And we're gonna kick everybody's ass there."
