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Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini roster for 2020 season

By Rees Woodcock

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 09: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Oklahoma State Cowboys reacts from the bench during the quarterfinal game of the Big 12 Basketball Tournament against the Iowa State Cyclones at the Sprint Center on March 9, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 09: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Oklahoma State Cowboys reacts from the bench during the quarterfinal game of the Big 12 Basketball Tournament against the Iowa State Cyclones at the Sprint Center on March 9, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 7: Illinois Fighting Illini fans cheer against the Indiana Hoosiers during the game at Assembly Hall on February 7, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated No. 1 ranked Indiana 74-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

No. 4 Forward

Starter: Kahlil Whitney

Underwood’s system thrives on athletic forwards who can move the ball up and down the court at a high pace. That is why snagging Kahlil Whitney was a huge pickup for the Illini. He is an extremely talented player who plays for the Mac Irvin Fire. His career really started to take off early, and he was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 50 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 13 small forward in the nation.

Illinois needed forward help in 2019 and that is what they got with Whitney. He was a big piece to the NCAA tournament team that year and become the starter during his sophomore campaign. He will continue to develop under Underwood and his skills might even send him to the NBA after his junior season. That is how talented this kid is and why he is going to be starting year two.

Backup: EJ Liddell

A solid backup forward Underwood picked up in the class of 2019 was EJ Liddell. He is a perfect supplement to Whitney at the No. 4 spot and a player who will help the Illini not miss a beat when he is in the game. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 137 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 3 player in the state of Illinois.

I am a big fan of Liddell and what he can do for the Illini. His freshman season was solid. He didn’t play a ton but that was because Illinois had some depth. He will get between 10 and 16 minutes per game as the backup for Whitney, though. This will help Illinois tremendously as they make their mark in the NCAA tournament.

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