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Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini roster breakdown for 2017-18

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 18, 2017; Iowa City, IA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) shoots the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cordell Pemsl (35) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Illinois won 70-66. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; Iowa City, IA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) shoots the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cordell Pemsl (35) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Illinois won 70-66. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 28, 2017; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Tony Carr (10) holds the ball as Illinois Fighting Illini guard Te’Jon Lucas (3) defends during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State defeated Illinois 71-67. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Tony Carr (10) holds the ball as Illinois Fighting Illini guard Te’Jon Lucas (3) defends during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State defeated Illinois 71-67. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1 Guard

Starter: Te’Jon Lucas

Toward the end of the 2016-17 season, Te’Jon Lucas moved into the starting role where he would flourish during his true freshman campaign.

It took a while for the previous regime to see that Lucas was the right man for the job, but when they did it was clear that he was going to be a starter for a long time. The future is bright for this talented young player.

Lucas finished the season averaging 20.7 minutes, 4.8 points and 3.1 assists per game. Like I said, he didn’t play a lot toward the beginning so these numbers aren’t the whole story behind how good he played.

I look for Lucas to be the starter heading into next season. He will be looked to for guidance on this team and I could see this becoming his team pretty quick.

Backup: Trent Frazier

I am excited about the entire class of 2017, but having a point guard of Trent Frazier’s caliber gets me pumped up about this position.

Every basketball team needs a one-two punch at point guard and getting a running-mate for Lucas was important. He will now have Frazier to spell some minutes as the backup.

Frazier is the No. 77 recruit in the nation and will be important for the Illini. Look for him to be another ball distributor who can score as well.

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