No. 1 Guard
Starter: Andre Curbelo
The departure of Ayo Dosunmu after this season is going to hurt the Orange and Blue but, thankfully, Brad Underwood and the Illini coaching staff were able to land a talented replacement like Andre Curbelo. He is a player who is going to come into the program and enable a seamless transition from Ayo.
Curbelo is a 6-foot, 170-pound point guard from Long Island Lutheran High School in New York. He originally hails from Puerto Rico, though. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 56 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 9 point guard in the nation. He is also the best player from Puerto Rico. I love this addition by the Illini. Curbelo should be sensational.
Backup: Da’Monte Williams
Da’Monte Williams will be in his final season for the Illinois basketball program. He has put in some solid seasons of being the gritty guy on the team. I think he enters next season as the backup No. 1 guard on the Illini.
Williams isn’t much of a scorer, but he can do the other things well. He has the ability to rebound the ball, and he can run the court. I see the Illini, potentially, adding another guard down the road but, for now, Williams is slotted in as the backup No. 1.