Illinois Basketball: Player expectations for 2017-2018 season

March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; General view of the court before the game between the Oregon Ducks and the Iona Gaels in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; General view of the court before the game between the Oregon Ducks and the Iona Gaels in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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Illinois basketball
Mar 23, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; A general view of the NCAA Sweet Sixteen logo is seen on the court during practice the day before the South Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Trent Frazier

The previous coaching regime landed Trent Frazier for the class of 2017. The best part about Frazier committing is that he committed to the school and not just the team. That showed when he stayed with his pledge and he will be loved even more because he did that.

Coming out of the class of 2017, Frazier is regarded as a top 100 recruit. He is a four-star prospect who is the No. 85 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 21 point guard in the nation. He was a huge get for the Illini and someone who will be important for the depth.

Frazier was projected as one of the starting guards before Underwood took over and the Illini snagged Smith and Alstork for next season. This moved Frazier to the backup role but that doesn’t mean he won’t receive many minutes.

Expect Frazier to still get around 17 minutes per game. He will be rotated in the No. 1 and No. 2 spot depending on who needs to take a rest. This is when Frazier will shine and give a spark to the team.

In the time Frazier receives, he will likely average around 6 points and 2 assists per game. Those are realistic backup numbers for next season and expect his game to develop over the next four years.