The yard is lifeless now. But once, the voices of Ron Johnson and his three sons echoed in that same lawn outside their Des Plaines home.

Johnson, a 1969 NIU graduate and former Huskie basketball player, would play sports with his boys every afternoon.

“Basketball, soccer, football — you name it, we did it all together,” Johnson said. “That’s why we’re so close.”

Today, dirt patches left over from countless games of baseball and pickup football litter the lawn. Johnson, 54 and still living in Des Plaines, reflects on his sons’ accomplishments. Last month, his youngest, Lucas, helped the University of Illinois land a berth in the NCAA’s Elite Eight and also guided the Illini to a share of the regular season Big Ten title. The twins, Brian and Brad, starred for Maine West High School, and both went on to play Division I basketball. Brad finished two seasons at NIU, while Brian helped lead Illinois to the Big Ten regular season title in 1997.

“My kids have some traits that I didn’t have,” Johnson said. “That was their intensity — their toughness on the court and their dedication to the

game. And it shows in what they’ve been able to accomplish.”

Bouncing balls at NIU

A skinny kid at 6 feet 4 inches and 180 pounds, Ron “Palmer” Johnson didn’t exactly dominate the courts during his days in DeKalb in the late ’60s. Not having the greatest strength or finesse, he averaged just 2.5 points a game during his three years with the Huskies. But he could do one thing well.

The Iowa native developed a solid outside touch and became a pure shooter decades before the three-point shot made its way to NCAA courts.

“There was a story I used to tell my kids,” Johnson said. “The coach (Tom Jorgensen) would challenge us to shoot free throws. I made 76 free throws in a row until finally he said ‘That’s enough.'”

After leaving NIU, Johnson looked at his career and saw what he could have done better — then decided to make his sons reach their full potential. And he decided he would start them early.

Molding talent

Johnson moved into his Des Plaines home in 1971, shortly after he met his wife, Leslie Anderson. The three boys had all the ingredients to become great athletes — each stood taller than most other kids their age, and each loved playing sports. He enrolled them in basketball, football and baseball youth leagues.

“It was pretty evident when they were younger that they were talented,” Johnson said. “But it’s the years in between that count. It depends on their attitude and the circumstances.”

So Johnson made himself available to help his kids as often as he could. He coached their little league teams and youth basketball squads, spending countless hours at the local gym to develop their skills. In good weather, he would rush home from his job at United Airlines to find his kids waiting for him at the door, anxiously anticipating their afternoon sports.

He made sure his kids could hold their own in the lane — something he never did. He emphasized the importance of physical strength, so his kids would have the power to battle in the paint — something else he lacked while playing for NIU.

He continued to support his kids through high school, analyzing game tapes and working on drills. As the years went by, the afternoon practices turned into intense workouts.

“I remember I’m practicing left-hand layups until my hands bled,” Brian Johnson said. “We’d always go over game tapes and my dad would go over it with us. We had great coaches in high school, but we always had my dad at home being kind of the x-factor, breaking down the game.”

“My dad was always my biggest critic, which was really good for me,” Lucas Johnson said. “He would tell me what I needed to work on, and what I needed to improve.”

Ron realized the results of his efforts when all three of his sons became prep stars at Maine West. Brian and Brad formed a twin tandem for the Warriors that finished 25-3 during their senior year, marking the best season in school history.

That is, until Lucas’ senior year. In 1998, one year after brother Brad helped Illinois win the Big Ten title, Lucas led Maine West to a fourth-place finish in the state tournament, capping a 28-4 season.

Three more Johnsons on the court

When Illini fans saw Lucas Johnson compete this season, they saw the finished product of all of his father’s years of hard work. Intense, strong, athletic and a good shooter, Lucas often would provide a spark for the Illini with his enthusiasm and hustle.

In addition to his strength as a rebounder, he also has the same outside touch of his father. At every Illinois home game and even some on the road, Ron and his wife would be there to cheer Lucas on, as they did for Brian and Brad. Ron looks at his sons in awe, and thinks about the journey that began so many years ago.

“They were pretty good then,” the eldest Johnson said. “As they grow up and become good at each level, they keep getting better and better. And you look to where Lucas is now, and think ‘Wow.’ We’ve come a long way since from him being a little fourth grader.”

Brad and Brian both have finished their playing days, and Lucas will play his final year of college ball next year, but the Johnsons occasionally find time to return to the old backyard. On Easter, Johnson searched through his garage for the mitts used to play baseball. For short moments, he and his sons can relive those endless afternoons.

“It’s probably the thing that bonded us more than anything, being able to do that stuff together,” Ron said. “And we still do it.”