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Illinois Basketball: 2018-19 Illini season wrap-up for Ayo Dosunmu

By Rees Woodcock

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) in action during the Big Ten Super Saturday College Basketball game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 26, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) in action during the Big Ten Super Saturday College Basketball game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 26, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Brad Underwood and the Illinois basketball team was able to snag one of the best players in the class of 2018. His name is Ayo Dosunmu.

Here is the 2018-2019 season wrap-up for Ayo.

Expectations

Heading into this past season, my expectations for Ayo Dosunmu were probably a little higher than they should have been. This kid was a top 40 recruit in the nation and was the best player coming out of Chicago. The expectations should have been high.

I was expecting Ayo to come into the Illinois program and start from day one. I wanted to see this kid make an impact on the game. He wasn’t just a scorer in high school. He could do everything. That is what I wanted to see as well. I also wanted to see leadership from him on the floor.

Reality

When the final game ended for the Illini this season, I would say Ayo lived up to the expectations that I had for him. He did, pretty much, everything I was expecting. Illinois didn’t have a ton of bright spots this year, but Ayo was one player who shined the brightest.

Ayo finished the season averaging 13.8 points, 4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He shot 43.5-percent from the field and 35.2-percent from three-point range. His presence in the stat department was there.

The only issue I had, albeit small, was his leadership on the court. I wanted to see Ayo come in and command the offense and communicate on defense. But, from what I saw on the court during games, he didn’t have the greatest of leadership skills. He was just a freshman, though.

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Future

The future is bright for Ayo, of course. He put up massive numbers as a freshman for the Illini. I expect him to be around for one more season with the Orange and Blue and then head to the NBA Draft.

Ayo is going to come back as the man for this team. He is now an experienced player who can take control of this program and get them to the postseason. He made the Big Ten All-Freshman team this past season, and I expect him to be First Team All-Big Ten next year. This kid is special, and I can’t wait to see what he can do for the Illini during his sophomore campaign.

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