According to the announcer, The Illinois Basketball head coach has name another…
After an offseason of major roster departures, but also an influx of top-tier transfers and a highly ranked recruiting class, the Fighting Illini are facing a whole lot new under sixth-year head coach Brad Underwood.
There’s no lack of depth and versatility to work with in Champaign, and a 68-27 record over the last three seasons suggests that Illinois can once again finish near the top of the Big Ten and reach the NCAA Tournament.
That being said, the Illini still lost their top five scorers from last season. All-American center Kofi Cockburn is with the Utah Jazz. Alfonso Plummer and Trent Frazier have also gone to the top ranks. Jacob Grandison moved to Duke, while Andre Curbelo headed to St. John’s.
The headliner is clearly Cockburn, who was the heartbeat of the Fighting Illini over the last three years. The 7-foot Jamaican recorded 1,546 points and 861 rebounds in three years in the program, the most of either for any player in Illinois program history over that time span.
Much of what Underwood has done in recent years revolved around Cockburn, who was the only player in the NCAA to average more than 20 points and 10 boards per game last season. And rightly so, for Cockburn gave the Illini a clear advantage. But life without him brings new chance. We’ll get to that in a few moments.
As for the newcomers to the roster, Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech) and Matthew Mayer (Baylor) were two hot names in the transfer portal this offseason, and they figure to start for Illinois as Underwood tries to piece together a new-look roster.
e freshman class, ranked seventh in the country according to 247 Sports, includes four-star recruits Skyy Clark, Ty Rodgers, Jayden Epps and Sencire Harris. Clark and Rodgers have the best chance to impact this year’s team as part of a backcourt with a very different look.
The Illini have made the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Underwood has led the team to a Big Ten Tournament title in 2021 and a regular season championship this past season. There’s a rich buzz over the program’s recovery, with student section tickets selling out in just 36 minutes this past week.
