Most people nowadays know Jim McIlvaine as the tall guy with the awesome Marquette pants at the Bradley Center who plays the drums sometimes before games.

But from 1990 to 1994, McIlvaine was one of the most intimidating paint presences in the country, leaving Marquette as its all-time leading shot-blocker. He played under head coach Kevin O’Neill and was part of a team that made the Sweet Sixteen in 1994, the first trip that far into the postseason for the program since the 1977 national championship team coached by Al McGuire.

From there, he went on to play in the NBA from 1994 to 2001 with the Washington Bullets for two seasons, the Seattle Supersonics for two and New Jersey Nets for his final three. Playing 14.8 minutes per game, McIlvaine blocked, on average, 1.7 shots, scoring 2.7 points and grabbing 3.1 rebounds.

After retiring from basketball, McIlvaine kept himself busy and still does as an eCare Manager for OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. And since 2005, he has been the color analyst for the Marquette Basketball Radio Network, where he broadcasts games with Steve “the Homer” True.