Hall of Fame
Had St. Francis basketball coach Pat Sullivan traveled further south on the recruiting trail back in 1978, he just might have had one of his "most complete players" for the maximum four seasons. The fact that he did not turned out to be a blessing for St. Francis opponents, not to mention those players who currently rank among the elite in the St. Francis record books. Sullivan did eventually make the ride down Interstate 55, but it came two years later, when he stopped at Lincoln Land Community College, an hour north of Dyke Buerkett's hometown of Hillsboro, Illinois. A three-sport athlete at Hillsboro, Buerkett made his name in basketball, where he was a two-time all-conference selection and an honorable mention all-state performer as a senior. After a two-year stop at Lincoln Land, where he was a two-year starter and all-region selection as a sophomore, Buerkett arrived at St. Francis in 1980. A spot starter at guard for the Saints while learning their system during his junior season, he finished the year averaging 8.0 points per game, fifth-best on the squad. One winter later, Buerkett posted one of the most complete campaigns in St. Francis history recording top 12 single-season numbers in steals (51/4th), field goal percentage (.544/11th) and free throw percentage (.783/12th). Each of the former two figures represented team highs with the field goal mark enabling the Saints, as a team, to register one of their top three shooting marks for a season (.506). Buerkett's 61 assists also led the team that year, a season in which he garnered both all-conference and all-district recognition, while averaging 14.3 points per game. Buerkett's basketball success continues to this day, but in the coaching ranks now. A three-time coach of the year recipient during his nine seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, he led Hillsboro to its best-ever season one year ago when the Hilltoppers went 30-1 and advanced to the Class A supersectional game.
