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Illinois Basketball: 5 biggest storylines for the Illini in 2019

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 14: The Illinois Fighting Illini huddle up before the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs at State Farm Center on December 14, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 14: The Illinois Fighting Illini huddle up before the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs at State Farm Center on December 14, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 05: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Tevian Jones (5) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da’Monte Williams (20) high five fans in the tunnel that leads to the locker room at the conclusion of the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 5, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Depth is suspended

Like I mentioned in the intro slide, not every storyline in 2019 was positive. There were a couple that hurt the team. One of the storylines that have hampered the team to start the 2019-2020 campaign was the suspension of Tevian Jones.

Coming out of high school in California, Jones was rated well by the recruiting sites. He was a four-star recruit who had a wide range of programs vying for his commitment, including the likes of Arizona. But Illinois was able to pull this kid from the west coast.

Jones showed tremendous promise during his freshman campaign. He only received 9.2 minutes per game but, in that time, he averaged 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. The athletic ability of Jones is what really jumped off the page. He was a nightmare on the wing and was someone who could take a defender to the hoop if he had to. He was also starting to develop a nice shot.

I was expecting Jones to take a bigger role on the team heading into this season. He was a reserve as a freshman, but he should have seen a big minutes increase as a sophomore. Sadly, that didn’t happen in 2019.

On October 26, 2019, Illinois basketball announced the indefinite suspension of Jones. The reports are that it is due to a violation of team academic policies. He has now served out that suspension, but could it have cost the Illini a win or two?

That is a question that can’t be answered, but this is one of the biggest storylines of 2019. Illinois lost a huge depth piece for the first 10 games this season. Let’s see how they work Jones back into the mix.

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