3 Storylines Before Illinois Basketball’s Spain Trip

3 Storylines before Illinois Basketball’s Spain Trip

It has been quite some time since Illinois Basketball had an offseason overseas trip. Obviously Covid-19 was a thing the past few years, however Illinois Basketball last travelled to Italy in the 2019-20 season. As the world has practically left the pandemic era, Illinois Basketball will travel to Spain from August 4th to August 14th. This will be an exciting opportunity for the Illinois Basketball team to bond on and off the court. Travelling together will certainly foster team chemistry and will allow for the players to attempt to gel against unfamiliar competition.

Coach Brad Underwood and his staff can also experiment with different lineups. The team has some important newcomers who will need to contribute at a high level. Before this trip, these are three storylines I have my eye on.

1)Which NBA prospect asserts themselves

I say this every single article, but great college teams are made of players who could have gone pro and decided to return. Illinois Basketball had their peak when Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn decided to run it back during the Covid year. Illinois Basketball will return two NBA hopefuls in Terrence Shannon Jr and Coleman Hawkins. Both were projected to be late second round picks, however similar players actually went undrafted in this past year’s draft. Shannon Jr and Hawkins both return as two of the better players in the conference, however still have much to improve on.

Both players need to show more offensive assertiveness. Shannon Jr struggled with starting games off aggressively and with half-court offense. Coleman struggled with offensive indecisiveness and did not shoot the ball as well as player of his skillset should have. In their final year of eligibility, who steps up? Who asserts themselves as the go-to-man on this squad?

2)How do the new guys fit?

Illinois lost pieces in the transfer portal and to graduation, however they gained some experienced and hungry players from non-power five conferences. Statistically, these new Illini should fit in well and have solid roles. However, we have to factor in the jump up in competition. Guerrier also played more of a support role in Oregon, however Marcus Domask and Justin Harmon will have to find ways to be effective with less volume. Harmon will likely be a primary ball-handler off the bench in relief of Ty Rodgers. Domask will also have to be a secondary playmaker on the wing and play as one of the best shooters on this roster.

Additionally, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has an athleticism and explosiveness that no one, outside of Shannon Jr, has. Amani Hansberry is arguably the best rebounder on the squad. Both freshmen have capable skillsets, but are also behind some vets.

3)Ty Rodgers: Illinois Basketball’s Point Guard?

The main question is how Ty Rodgers fares. No one needs to be reminded of the RayJ Dennis saga, however Brad Underwood has gone all in as Ty Rodgers as the point guard. Rodgers has the skillset and the Moxy to, however there are very obvious questions. Does his lack of a jump-shot and perimeter game limit him and the rest of the team? Can he find a way to be effective with Dain Dainja clogging up the pain? Can he run offense?

These are all valid storylines that may not be answered until the middle of the season, however I look forward to getting a glimpse of what could be.