Illinois Basketball: Predicting the postseason awards for 2017-18

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: Te'Jon Lucas
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: Te'Jon Lucas /
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Illinois basketball
CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 27: Illinois Fighting Illinois fans cheer against the Michigan Wolverines during the game at Assembly Hall on January 27, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Michigan defeated Illinois 74-60. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Lou Henson Courage Award

The Lou Henson Courage Award goes to the player who takes the most charges for the season. This is a hard award to judge in the preseason. Last year, the winner of this award was guard Tracy Abrams. He played with grit and toughness for the Illini.

Charges are usually drawn by a smaller guy. Usually, a big man won’t draw a charge call when a guard is driving in the lane. So, I would give this award to a player who is 6-foot-6 or shorter.

In most cases, the player who is willing to throw their body in front of a freight train coming down the lane isn’t a prominent shooter. So, I can eliminate some of the Illini players based on that stereotype.

I can pretty much break this group down to Te’Jon Lucas, Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams. I love all three of these players but out of all of them, Lucas will play the most minutes and that will be the edge. He will be the winner of this award. He showed last season how much heart he has every night on the court. Look for Lucas to become one of the leaders on this team.

Winner: Te’Jon Lucas