Terrence Shannon Jr. assists Illinois basketball with scout of Lamar Wilkerson

Terrence Shannon Jr. was in Champaign, Illinois, while the NBA was on its annual all-star break. Shannon Jr. has been struggling with a leg injury, which kept him out of NBA action since December. However, he is slowly making his way back to the court and has been called up to the Timberwolves roster after spending two games in the NBA G-League. While many players tend to rest and relax in their homes, Shannon Jr. made the trip to Champaign and actually helped the Illini scout one of the best players in the conference. CBS Sports’ Broadcast initially shared that Brad Underwood had Terrence Shannon Jr. play the role of Lamar Wilkerson on the scout team prior to the Illini matchup vs Indiana.

Wilkerson is one of the best players in the country. He is an electric shooter who averages 21.2 points per game on 38.4% from the 3pt line; on top of that, he averages 3.3 three-pointers made per game. It is remarkable that an Illini legend would even take the time to play a member of the scout team, but it goes to show how humble and loving of his alma mater Shannon Jr. is. Additionally, this was quite the “welcome back” moment for Kylan Boswell, who played his first game in almost four weeks.

Wilkerson ended the game vs Illinois with 21 points on 8 of 14 from the field. Still an impressive game for Wilkerson, however, Illinois ended up winning the game 71-51.

CBS Sports’ broadcast stated that former #illini Terrence Shannon Jr. actually played Lamar Wilkerson on the scout team as Illinois got ready to face Indiana.

Quite the preperation

— Armchair Illinois (@ArmchairIllini) February 15, 2026

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