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Illinois Basketball: 2017-18 lineup without Jalen Coleman-Lands

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 23, 2017; New York, NY, USA; A view of game NCAA basketballs during practice the day before the East Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2017; New York, NY, USA; A view of game NCAA basketballs during practice the day before the East Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Dec 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Wright State Raiders guard Mark Alstork (24) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State defeated Wright State 72-50. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3 Guard/Forward

Starter: Mark Alstork

The newly committed player for this upcoming season is Mark Alstork. He announced the decision of committing to the Illini on Wednesday. He picked Illinois over other programs like LSU, Pittsburgh and South Carolina.

Illinois needed Alstork. They already lost DJ Williams to the transfer market and they just lost Jalen Coleman-Lands as well. If he didn’t commit to Illinois, the team would be even thinner than it is today.

Look for Alstork to be the starting No. 3 guard/forward heading into the season. Underwood is going to want to play three guards at a time a lot, and having Alstork will enable him to do so.

Backup: Da’Monte Williams

The goal in mind was to redshirt Da’Monte Williams this upcoming season so he could rest his torn ACL he suffered back in December 2016. That might not be able to happen, though.

If Williams is healthy and can play basketball, the Illini will need him on the court. The team is already thin right now, so they need another guard/forward to fill this role. Getting him in the class of 2017 was huge for the Illini.

Expect Williams to be the backup to Alstork this season if the Illini fail to get more transfers. He will be important to spell minutes wherever it is needed.

Open Scholarship No. 1

Illinois needs to use one of their scholarships to get a combo guard/forward.

Open Scholarship No. 4

Illinois needs to use one of their scholarships to get a combo guard/forward.

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