Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini roster breakdown for 2017-18

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Feb 18, 2017; Iowa City, IA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Leron Black (12) completes a slam dunk as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Nicholas Baer (51) looks on during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4 Forward

Starter: Leron Black

The development of Leron Black has been a little slower than I would have liked. He has so much potential that hasn’t been tapped into just yet.

Black has shown flashes of being a dominant player through the course of him being in Champaign. He led the team in rebounding this past season with 6.3 per game and I expect that to increase next year as well.

I think Black will end up being the starter at the No. 4 spot heading into next season. He has the ability and I think with Underwood’s run and gun style of play, Black will flourish on the court.

Backup: DJ Williams

Another mystery this past season was what happened to DJ Williams. He was supposed to have a huge year but we barely saw him on the basketball court.

Williams only received time in 17 games this past season and in those games only averaged 8.8 minutes, 2.3 points and .9 rebounds. He was shut down by the coaching staff for reasons unknown.

But, like most of the people I have already mentioned, I think Williams has talent that is hidden inside. I think he could be a special player with the right coach and I hope that coach is Underwood.

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