No. 2 Guard
Starter: Mark Smith
There isn’t a doubt in any Illini fans mind that Mark Smith is going to be a great player for the basketball program. He is a highly rated recruit coming out of high school, and he won the prestigious Illinois Mr. Basketball award.
Big-time programs were after Smith’s commitment late in the recruiting process, but Illinois came away victorious as he eventually signed with the Orange and Blue. With the talent he has shown on the court, expect Smith to be starting at the No. 2 guard spot for the Illini.
Backup: Aaron Jordan
Last season was very strange for Illini fans as they watched talented shooter—Aaron Jordan—ride the pine for the majority of the year. This was always a confusing matter to many people in the Illinois community.
But, there is a new head coach in the building, and Jordan is clearly committed to this program. He has the chance to resurrect his career completely under Underwood.
Jordan will likely be the backup No. 2 guard behind Smith. This makes the most sense because he doesn’t have the quality minutes to start, and he needs to continue to develop. He is only entering his junior season, though, so he still has some room to grow.
During his freshman season, Jordan averaged 3.4 points in the 11.8 minutes per game he was receiving. But, during his sophomore season, he only averaged 1 point per game in the 6.9 minutes he received. Something went wrong there and I hope things are changing.