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Illinois Basketball: 3 reasons Ben Stanley should pick the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 11: A basketball rolls off the court during a timeout in the Big Ten Conference game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 11, 2017, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 11: A basketball rolls off the court during a timeout in the Big Ten Conference game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 11, 2017, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – FEBRUARY 18: Trent Frazier #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates a win after a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center on February 18, 2020 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – FEBRUARY 18: Trent Frazier #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates a win after a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center on February 18, 2020 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

2. Winning

As previously mentioned, Ben Stanley was a monster with Hampton this past season. The kid put up 22 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 57.4-percent from the field. Those are incredible numbers.

But, even with those numbers, the Pirates failed to win games consistently. They finished their 2019-20 campaign with a 15-19 record overall and an 8-10 conference record. Failing to win with someone like Stanley putting up huge numbers is disheartening.

Illinois would be a welcoming place for those types of numbers, and the Illini can win ball games as well. The Illini proved this past season that winning is something that can still happen in Champaign. They knocked off the No. 5, No. 9 and No. 18 teams in the nation en route to a 21-10 record overall and a 13-7 Big Ten record.

That type of winning gets you noticed. Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn both put up good numbers and now have the NBA scouts eyeing them. If the Illini would have lost more games, I would bet those two wouldn’t get near the attention they are getting now. But winning helps tremendously.

Stanley could come to Illinois and contribute right away to the winning culture. If he can put up 12 points and 5 rebounds per game, with a winning program, then there is no doubt he could get to the next level. Illinois can make that happen.

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