Illinois Basketball: Remembering the careers of the Illini seniors
![Feb 11, 2017; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Tracy Abrams (13) and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Lamar Stevens (11) compete for a loose ball during the second half at State Farm Center. Penn State beat Illinois 83 to 70. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports Feb 11, 2017; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Tracy Abrams (13) and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Lamar Stevens (11) compete for a loose ball during the second half at State Farm Center. Penn State beat Illinois 83 to 70. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/71d95b38812eaa8d838593650b46c90e66589998df7896f3fa2a586586a5f45c.jpg)
Jaylon Tate
There is one player that I gave the most guff to throughout his career and that was point guard Jaylon Tate. He was a kid out of Chicago and I hoped he would be a diamond in the rough but that didn’t happen.
Tate was thrown into the starting role when Tracy Abrams went down in back-to-back seasons with injuries. This was the backup plan to Abrams and while I was upset at times with his play, I always appreciated his hustle.
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Tate shouldn’t be the starter because that wasn’t the plan. It was to have a healthy Abrams start and then Tate come off the bench with hopefully other point guard help in recruiting.
I will always remember how hard Tate worked on the basketball court. He took criticism from a lot of people, including myself, but he kept on moving forward.
Even after Tate was benched for a true freshman point guard he still was a good team guy. He never caused a scene in the locker room and he was always someone that would be there for his teammates.
I always appreciated the attitude that Tate brought to the table and that will be missed.