Illinois Basketball: Thank you to the departing Illini players

The past 48 hours have been pretty rough if you are a sports fan, particularly if you are an Illinois basketball supporter.

Let me preface this by saying, I realize basketball and sports are comparatively irrelevant to human life. I would rather have us be too cautious than not cautious enough. With that being said, let’s get back to sports talk.

Illinois fans were all geared up to watch their team play on Friday afternoon. We snagged the double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament with a huge win over No. 19 Iowa. Following the Big Ten Tournament, we were going to hear our name called on Selection Sunday. Everything was supposed to be magical. But, sadly, the Iowa win was the last game of the season.

The abrupt end to the current college basketball campaign means the likely end to the run some of the players had on the Illinois basketball team.  So, I wanted to take a few minutes to thank a few players.

I am going to first start off with a big thank you to Kipper Nichols and Samson Oladimeji.

Kipper, you have been with the Illinois basketball program since 2016. You have been through a lot. The head coach who brought you in, John Groce, was fired. You had every chance to transfer out of the program like some of your teammates did. But you didn’t. You stuck with the Orange and Blue for your entire career. That is something special. I wanted to let you know the entire fanbase appreciates your hard work and dedication to this team.

Samson, I didn’t get a chance to see you play much. But you have been here the same number of years as Kipper. You could have transferred out and played somewhere else too. But you stuck with this team through thick and thin. It is greatly appreciated.

I want to say thank you to Tyler Underwood too. You came into the program with your father and had every chance to be a leach. You could have been a prime example of nepotism, but you worked your butt off and contributed to this team. When you were in the game, even down the stretch, you were an asset. Thank you for your hard work.

There are two more players I want to thank. The first one is Andres Feliz. You transferred into the program two years ago as one of the best JUCO recruits in the nation. You lived up to the hype. But, more importantly, you were willing to do whatever it took for the team to win.

Brad Underwood started you, then sent you to the bench and then started you again. During this time, your dedication and team effort didn’t waver. I can’t express enough how thankful I am you decided to pick the Illini. Thank you for everything you did for this program.

The final player I want to thank is Ayo Dosunmu. I know you aren’t a senior and could return next year, but something inside of me says you are going to the NBA. So, I wanted to take this chance to thank you for everything you have done for this program.

Ayo, you picked Illinois over some other teams who have had more recent success. You decided to stay local and win with the Illini. Even after a rough first year, you continued pushing forward and led by example. Your hard work was incredible, but your ability to bring the fans and players together was even more impressive. The talent you bring to the court night in and night out was something to marvel at. Thank you for everything you have done and the sacrifices you have made to be a part of this program.

All of these players I have mentioned need a big thank you from the entire Illinois fanbase. They have given us one of the best seasons we have witnessed since the national title run. Even when things weren’t going well the past few years, they still stuck with this team. From the bottom of this Illini fan’s heart, thank you for everything.