Boys Basketball: Billy Durkin, Hinsdale South recognized on ESPN SportsCenter's 'Senior Night'

Hinsdale South senior guard Billy Durkin just wanted to find a quiet place to ponder his thoughts.

After the IHSA canceled the boys basketball playoffs — minutes before the tipoff of Hinsdale South’s Class 3A sectional semifinal home game against Benet on March 12— over the growing threat of the coronavirus, Durkin spent significant time with his teammates and coaches before eventually seeking comfort away from everyone.

He discovered a private spot at center court in Hinsdale South's main gymnasium, the place where Durkin experienced countless memories in a three-year varsity career. The Hornets (30-3) were one of 17 Class 3A teams to have their title dreams end abruptly.

“We were already in the field house for an hour, but I asked to go to the main gym,” Durkin said. “I sat there thinking of all the good memories. There was so much good stuff that happened, all the way back to my first game as as sophomore and running out on the court for the first time. All those memories came back at once.”

Soon enough, the video and picture of Durkin sitting alone, his gym bag and brown shoes to his left, at center court went viral.

“It didn’t bother me at all because I had no idea it was happening and that the camera was going,” Durkin said. “It was actually cool because it was such a raw moment. When I saw it, it threw me off-guard. I know it was not staged, it was just how I felt and raw. I put my heart out there. I probably sat there for 30 minutes. It was a tough moment.”

The 6-foot-3 Durkin, a Lewis recruit, said he was shocked that the image led off Scott Van Pelt’s SportsCenter edition honoring Senior Night on Sunday night.

“I just wish they showed a picture of the whole team,” he said. “I felt bad it was just one person they were showing. That picture didn’t mean anything if I didn’t have all 14 of my teammates who made us the best team in school history. I wish Daeshawn (Amy), Aaron (Tims), James (Ruzicka), Bobby (Durkin) and the rest of the teams would’ve gotten recognized.

“What the coolest part was is when I saw it live on SportsCenter. They didn’t tell us anything, just to watch it tonight. We didn’t know what that even meant. We were surprised it was the first one they showed, out of the thousands of submissions. We were like that was crazy, all my friends were talking about it. We grew up watching SportsCenter.”

Durkin said missing an opportunity at playing two possible sectional games on his home floor was painful, but he will cherish the time spent with his teammates. He finished 22 points shy of the 1,000-point career mark.

“There’s not one specific (favorite) memory but all the little things, from being on the court, before our practices and the bus rides,” he said. “We were so close as a team. The behind the scenes stuff were the best memories, the stuff nobody else besides the teams gets to see.

“We had a chance to go far. It definitely helps that our team is getting recognized now. It still feels empty that we didn’t get to finish what we started. It hurts knowing what we could’ve done. Losing is part of the game. You can come to terms with a loss, if you gave everything you had. We had no closure to the season. It’s hard to digest.”