The shadow that follows second-generation athletes can be imposing.
Phoenix Gill might not receive the same level of publicity as Bronny James, but as the son of a University of Illinois Hall of Famer and member of the 1989 “Flyin’ Illini” Final Four team, the St. Ignatius guard faced high expectations.
So when it came time for him to make his college choice, he took a different path from his father, Kendall Gill, a 15-year NBA veteran and now a Bulls studio analyst for Chicago Sports Network.
“Everybody thought I was kind of set on Illinois, and I wasn’t that way at all,” said Phoenix, who led St. Ignatius to a school-record 25 wins this season and finished sixth in Mr. Basketball of Illinois voting. “I might have thought that my eighth-grade, freshman, sophomore year, but once I really narrowed it down, Northwestern was a clear choice.
“Illinois definitely had a shot, but they didn’t recruit me like Northwestern.”
He said academics and campus life were factors in his decision, but coach Chris Collins’ pitch is what separated the Wildcats from his other offers, which included Illinois, Iowa State and Stanford.
“Coach Collins basically told me straight up that he wants to get me out of my dad’s shadow,” Phoenix said. “Of course, his dad (former Bulls coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Doug Collins) played in the league, was a big-time coach, too, with Michael Jordan. He wants to help me build a legacy so that I’m Phoenix Gill, not Kendall Gill’s son — just how he did it — and that kind of sold it for me.”
Phoenix still is following in a parent’s footsteps: His mother, Wendy, is a Northwestern alumna. And Kendall was sold on Northwestern and even echoed Collins about Phoenix becoming his own player.
There was an initial nudge toward Champaign, though.
“A little bit at first for sure,” Phoenix said, “but once we narrowed it down, he was all with me. He’s really helped me throughout the whole process. And it really helps when you don’t have your dad screaming at you to go to Illinois.”
When people would ask Kendall why Phoenix chose Northwestern, he had a ready answer.
“It’s the place for him,” Kendall said. “Everybody thought that he was going to go to Illinois, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’m glad the Gill name and No. 13 will be worn once again in the Big Ten, and I think that he’s going to do really well.”
A three-star recruit ranked No. 5 in the state in the 247Sports composite, the 6-foot-2 Phoenix is part of a five-player signing class for the Wildcats that ranked 23rd in the country and second in the Big Ten behind Washington.
He averaged 19.1 points as a senior, the most since 2000 for St. Ignatius, and is in the Wolfpack’s single-season top five in field goals (230, first), points (611) and rebounds (239).
“Phoenix is another Chicago product that we’re excited to add,” Collins said in a statement on signing day in November. “He’s been around the game his whole life. Phoenix is a combo guard who’s athletic, can attack the basket and play with the ball in his hands. He’s a terrific two-way guard that we’re really looking forward to getting here to Northwestern.”
While Phoenix conceded the expectations of being the son of an NBA player “can be rough, annoying and just a lot,” he’s also grateful to carry the Gill name into the next generation.
“He’s taught me so much, and the advice he’s given me has been second to none,” Phoenix said of Kendall, who starred at Rich Central before becoming the Big Ten scoring leader at Illinois and the No. 5 pick in the 1990 NBA draft. “I’m sure a lot of people would want this life, so I cherish it every day.”
Kendall noticed during his son’s high school journey what comes with being an NBA player’s namesake, and he’s proud of Phoenix for remaining poised and not letting the pressure hinder his potential.
“I could see the weight that he carries on his shoulders when everybody says, ‘Your dad played in the NBA, you’re supposed to be this good, you’re supposed to be that,’” Kendall said. “It also helped him as well because he’s learned how to deal with the pressure of being an offspring of an NBA player, and he’s handled it very well.”
With an NBA veteran under the same roof, the wisdom Phoenix gets from his dad is unlimited. Kendall shared the best piece of advice he has given his son.
“He has to continue to work hard,” Kendall said. “A lot of guys get to the mountaintop — that could be college basketball, that could be pro basketball — and then they stop working. Success is not owned, it’s rented, and rent is due every day. If you’re not paying that rent every day, somebody else is catching you.”
Although at a different school, the Gill name will live on in the state and Chicago area. Both Kendall and Phoenix are excited to see how far it goes.
“There’s always motivation,” Phoenix said. “I think people will write (me) off because I’m a Gill — they’ll make sure to bring you down. I continue to prove them wrong every day (and) make sure that I’m putting the work in so that I can make the most of my career and carry the legacy.”
