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Illinois Basketball: Best Illini 3-on-3 basketball teams

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 21, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders run on the court before a basketball game against the Missouri Tigers at Scottrade Center. Illinois won 75-66. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders run on the court before a basketball game against the Missouri Tigers at Scottrade Center. Illinois won 75-66. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 23, 2017; New York, NY, USA; A view as the ball goes in the basket during practice the day before the East Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2017; New York, NY, USA; A view as the ball goes in the basket during practice the day before the East Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

Team 10: Bruce Douglas, Doug Altenberger, Efrem Winters

The oldest 3-on-3 team that is put together dates back to the early 1980’s. Bruce Douglas, Doug Altenberger and Efrem Winters could hold their own against just about any Illini trio you put out on the court.

Douglas would lead the way at point guard with his great passing abilities, and he could also score at times as well. Each of his four seasons in Champaign were legendary as far as distributing is concerned. He averaged 5.9 assists in 1983 as a freshman and that ranked No. 7 all-time in Illinois basketball history. He then averaged 5.7 assists in 1984 and 1985 and both of those ranked No. 9 in the history books. His senior season he averaged 6.2 assists in 1986. This number ranked No. 4 all-time.

Having one of the best point guards in the history of the program in Douglas distributing the ball is huge for this team. You then have Doug Altenberger helping with the outside shooting. He averaged over 11 points per game in three of his four seasons with the Illini. He was also a nice three-point shooter as well. He finished his senior season averaging 13.6 points per game and was shooting 47.5-percent from three-point land.

This team now has a great point guard and shooter, the only thing missing is a nice big man. That is where Efrem Winters would come into play. He stood about 6-foot-9, 240-pounds and was a nice piece for the Illini. He finished his career averaging 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

Next: Illini roster with Greg Eboigbodin

These three players were also a part of back-to-back Sweet 16 runs and they made the NCAA tournament ever year they were in college. It would be tough to take down this trio in a 3-on-3 contest.

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