Illinois Basketball: Remembering the careers of the Illini seniors

5 of 7

Feb 11, 2017; Champaign, IL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Mike Watkins (24) and forward Payton Banks (0) box out Illinois Fighting Illini center Maverick Morgan (22) during the first half at State Farm Center. Penn State beat Illinois 83 to 70. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports /

Maverick Morgan

The beginning of Maverick Morgan’s career wasn’t going too well. He only averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in his sophomore campaign. But, thanks to injuries he was thrown into the starting role his junior year.

Morgan wasn’t supposed to start during his junior campaign but incoming transfer Mike Thorne Jr. went down with an injury early on and Morgan had to learn on the fly.

Immediately, it was clear that Morgan had talent on the offensive end of the court. He could make a nice 10-foot jumper on command but on the defensive end of the court, it was a different story.

Morgan was a massive liability his junior season on defense. Many people, including myself, didn’t think he was going to transform into a solid starter.

But, Morgan entered his senior season and proved people wrong. He continued being a good offensive player averaging 9.9 points per game, but he also started to pull down rebounds. He averaged 4.5 rebounds per game his senior season.

The main thing I will always remember about Morgan is his development into a two-way player. He could play both ends of the court and he transformed into a go-to-guy for the Illini.

Home/Illinois Basketball