Illinois Basketball: Which Illini football players make the best starting five?

A fun statement was posted on Twitter during the Illinois basketball game on Tuesday night.

Joey Wagner of the Herald & Review told his Twitter following, “Give me your five #Illini football players you would want to see suite up for the second half of this basketball game.” This got me thinking; what would really be the best five you could put out there for the Illini?

I think the two main players on any basketball team are the No. 1 (point guard) and No. 5 (center). These two make the entire process work, in my opinion. So, the No.1 needs to be the play-caller. This person needs to be the leader on the court. I think it is easy to go with Brandon Peters here. The No. 1 is sometimes even called the quarterback.

Who would play at the No. 5 spot? I want someone who has good size. He doesn’t need to be extremely tall, but he needs to have girth and athletic ability mixed into one dangerous package. I also want this player to have great hands because he has to be able to handle the entry pass. I think Luke Ford would be the perfect option right here.

Next, I want to look at the No. 2 guard. I want someone who is quick, explosive and can change the game in a matter of a few minutes. Illinois has a few of these players on the team right now. I think the obvious choice here would be Reggie Corbin.

The No. 3 and No. 4 are a little more difficult. I want someone in the No. 3 spot to be a matchup nightmare. This player needs to be athletic and can play multiple roles on the team. They should also be able to change the game with their defensive prowess. I think the perfect option here would be Tony Adams.

Illinois’ No. 4 would need some size. He also needs to be able to play the perimeter as well as post up on the inside at times. That means this player needs to be versatile as well as have some girth on him. I am looking for a Draymond Green type of player in this spot. I am going to go with Kendrick Green in this spot.

I even added a bench to the statement by Wagner. Coming off the bench for the Illini would be Justice Williams, Jake Hansen and Blake Hayes. Williams has played three different positions while with the Illini. He is willing to do anything to win. Hansen is arguably the grittiest guy I have ever seen wear an Illini uniform. And Hayes has precision like no one else. He also has great size. Here is how the team would look.

PG – Brandon Peters
SG – Reggie Corbin
SF – Tony Adams
PF – Kendrick Green
C – Luke Ford

Bench – Justice Williams, Jake Hansen and Blake Hayes