Illinois Basketball: 3 Players Who’ve Risen to the Occasion

Losing Terrence Shannon to suspension was undoubtedly a blow for Illinois Basketball on the court, but there are a few players who have made big strides since his departure.

Player 1: Marcus Domask

After dropping 33 points on a talented (but extremely, emphasis on extremely, flawed) FAU basketball team, Domask went on a bit of a cold streak for Illinois. He wasn’t looking like himself and seemed to be in his head a bit after that big game. Since Shannon has been out, however, the script has flipped.

In the last two games against Purdue and Northwestern, Domask has put up 32 and 26 points respectively, giving Illinois their alpha dog who can score the basketball and create his own offense. He has looked excellent and has been efficient, from mid-range. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Domask was wearing a #11 Chicago Bulls jersey.

In the four games proceeding Northwestern and Purdue, Domask was taking, on average, 5.5 threes per game. His efficiency from beyond the arc in those games was abysmal, shooting just over 10%. However, against Northwestern and Purdue, Domask only took three 3-pointers total. He did all his work from where he was most comfortable, the mid-range. With Shannon often operating downhill, I think Domask had been trying to figure out where he fits, often resigning himself to a catch-and-shoot three type of player. Now that Shannon is out of the lineup, Domask has been able to create for himself, and clearly, the mid-range is his sweet spot.

It helps that guys like Coleman Hawkins and Quincy Guerrier have come alive for Illinois, especially when it comes to shooting the basketball. Hawkins is hitting a career-best percentage of his threes, and Guirrier has become a knock-down shooter with the ability to drive. The space has opened up for Domask, who is feasting on favorable matchups.

Player 2: Justin Harmon

Justin Harmon has been a welcome surprise for Illinois over these last two basketball games. He’s been playing, anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes a night, but against FDU and Northwestern, Harmon was unleashed. He made 8 of his 12 three-point attempts opening up the court for guys like Domask who operate best inside the arc. Harmon also showed the ability to finish at the rim too, converting on about 60% of his 2-point attempts.

The caveat for Harmon is that Purdue was certainly not his best basketball game for Illinois, but that’s okay. Mackey Arena is a tough place to play. I am interested to see how Harmon continues to adjust his game as defenses adjust to him. Illinois can certainly use his ability to shoot the basketball and space the floor as the season continues.

Player 3: Quincy Guerrier

Quincy Guerrier started to figure things out during that loss to Tennessee in Knoxville (a loss that still haunts me, a former Knoxvillian, to this day). The three-ball finally started to drop for him, going 3-8 from deep that day. Since then, he has only become more aggressive shooting the basketball for Illinois. Before the Tennessee game, Guerrier had only attempted 8 or more total shots in a game three times. Since Tennessee, he’s done it four times in 5 games.

The three-point shot has rounded into form, a big reason for Illinois Basketball’s offensive resurgence. But his 2-point shot, the ability to take guys off the bounce and finish at the rim is what has turned him into one of Illinois’ best players.

Illinois will need Guierrier to continue scoring the basketball down the stretch, especially if Shannon misses a lot more time. He’s proven so far in his absence that he is capable of huge performances and sometimes carrying the team offensively.

**All stats sourced from Sports Reference**