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

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Dec 21, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; A general view of the Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders warming up before the game against the Missouri Tigers at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Team 7: Kiwane Garris, Jerry Hester, Deon Thomas

The early 1990’s was a time to forget for Illinois basketball fans. They were marred by NCAA allegations and the team wasn’t terribly successful either. But, that doesn’t mean there weren’t good players out there on the court.

Kiwane Garris leads the way for this Illinois basketball 3-on-3 team. He was a sensational player from the start for this Illini program. He averaged over 15 points per game in every season in the Orange and Blue. He finished his senior season averaging 19.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. He could score at will, rebound and handle the ball well. His presence on this team would be huge.

Garris would be passing to a dominant forward in Jerry Hester. Hester was a solid 6-foot-6 player who could score and rebound well. He averaged over 10 points in all but one season he played for the Illini and put up 14.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game his senior season. He would be hard to stop just about anywhere on the court.

The big man for this 3-on-3 team might be the best scorer in the history of the program. Deon Thomas, who is 6-foot-9, would be the third player on this team. He averaged over 15 points per game every year in Champaign. He finished his senior season averaging 19.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Having Thomas paired up with Garris and Hester would make for a championship contending 3-on-3 team.

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