After signing with Northwestern before his senior season, guard Phoenix Gill has led Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius to one of the best starts in the state.
The Wolfpack have been on the prowl from the jump, standing at 20-4 and ranked 24th in the Chicago Sun-Times' latest Super 25.
Gill has been the hyper-efficient alpha dog for the Wolfpack.
"I've been playing well, way better than last year," he said. "Last year I struggled with efficiency, I was taking 17 or 18 shots a game to get to around 17 points. This year it's 19 or 20 points per game and I've been shooting like 13 shots."
Gill ballparks his averages at 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a couple steals per game. He is shooting 56/35/81 splits.
"My efficiency has really ratcheted up, I'm still rebounding," he said. "You've gotta stay rebounding, of course, but I've also started to share the ball a lot more.
“I know at Northwestern, I'll play more of a facilitating role. I want to make sure I'm ready for the next level and I have the IQ to produce at the next level."
St. Ignatius has won 24 games several times in its history, including the 24-win state semifinalist seasons when Gill was a freshman and a sophomore.
But this season, the Wolfpack is on the brink of pushing past even those banner campaigns. The crown jewel among their 20 wins was a 62-59 road victory over now-No. 5 Chicago Brother Rice, with Gill dishing a game-winning assist to Ryan Cavanagh for the winning 3-pointer.
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"I would say Brother Rice is our signature win. We lost to Mount Carmel the week before and we had to bounce back," Gill said. "The [Chicago] Catholic League is no joke, so we had to go to a tough Brother Rice gym and we beat them on a game winner. It felt great."
Another early triumph to boost their confidence and build out their resume was a 70-62 win over now-No. 9 Benet Academy at the Loyola/New Trier Thanksgiving Tourney.
Gill has spearheaded St. Ignatius' turnaround from a 16-15 record in 2023-24, and he's their only Division I commit or offered player at the moment, though forward Chris Bolte could get interest in the 2026 cycle.
But Gill is just as quick to credit his teammates as he is to blow past a defender.
"We've all bought into our roles and exceeded expectations," he said. "They probably had us being a .500 team, being not so good, but we've shocked a lot of people."
Gill's goals for the rest of the season are straightforward. He wants to set a new St. Ignatius single-season win record of at least 25. He's been on the precipice, reaching 24 twice as an underclassman. The Wolfpack have six regular season games, and the playoffs, to get it done.
"We're close right now," he said. "We're trying to get into the history books and to be one of the best teams to come out of Ignatius."
St. Ignatius has moved up in the course of the last two years from 3A to 4A, the top tier of Illinois basketball. Gill wants to win it all.
"I want to win a state championship," he said. "I've been downstate a couple times, but I'm not satisfied with that. I know it's a tougher road in 4A and with our sectional, but I think we have all the makings of a great team that could get there."
Gill tacked on a personal goal, as well: Illinois Mr. Basketball.
"I'm trying to go for Player of the Year," he said. "I've been thinking about it the past three years. Of course, a state championship comes first, but [winning Mr. Basketball] would be a great accomplishment and I hope to finish the season strong so I can be in those talks and win the award."
Winning Mr. Basketball would put Gill in illustrious company, with the likes of Jon Scheyer, Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker and Jalen Brunson. Not to mention he'd join his future coach, Chris Collins, who won the honor in 1992 at Glenbrook North.
Gill will be the only player in Northwestern’s Class of 2025 from Illinois and he has been to plenty of Wildcat games over the years. This season, he was in town for the season opening win over Lehigh, as well as the loss to Michigan State in early January.
He also attended Northwestern’s game at Illinois with his family, including father, Kendall, an Illini basketball legend, and mother, Wendy, a Northwestern grad. Dad’s Illini won that day to split the season series.
Gill said he’s looking forward to playing at Welsh-Ryan Arena as a Wildcat.
"I haven't been to as many games as last year but the games I've been to have been really fun," he said. "The environment is crazy, the fans are crazy. They love and support the team no matter what.
"The coaches and players are very cool to be around. It's obviously going to be home [soon], but they make it feel like home."
