Illinois Basketball has one lone bright spot this past month

Illinois basketball has taken it on the chin this past month. What started as minor injuries turned into multiple illnesses and players throwing up at halftime. The Illini have lost seven of their last twelve games and with freshman standout, Morez Johnson Jr, out indefinitely, the rest of the season appears bleak. On top of that, guards Kasparas Jakucionis and Kylan Boswell have simply struggled in the past weeks. Jakucionis has turned the ball over too much and has thrown up some strange shots.

Boswell on the other hand, simply looks uncomfortable and has almost added nothing on the offensive side of the ball.

There has been one major bright spot, however, from the past month and the Illini must keep this player heading into a pivotal offseason.

Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn

On Wednesday’s loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had 17 points, 4 rebounds, and five assists. He was able to get his three-point shot going, but the most important factor that DGL brought was his consistent intensity. Gibbs-Lawhorn is a smaller guard and can be prone to a silly foul or turnover, however, there is no one on this team that plays as hard as he does. Illinois basketball means something to Gibbs-Lawhorn and that shows on the court.

He plays with purpose and an edge, something that junior guard, Kylan Boswell, has lacked for the past month.

It’s time that Brad Underwood embraces Gibbs-Lawhorn. In a time when players transfer in and out of schools at will, how nice would it be to have a junior guard in his third year in the program next year? Dra has the potential to be the next beloved Illini much like former guards Trent Frazier, Ayo Dosunmu, and Andres Feliz.

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