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Illinois Basketball: Grading the projected Illini lineup for 2020-21

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 05: Illinois head coach Brad Underwood during a college basketball game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Illinois Fighting Illini on January 5, 2020 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 05: Illinois head coach Brad Underwood during a college basketball game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Illinois Fighting Illini on January 5, 2020 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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LADERA RANCH, CA – JULY 19: NY Jayhawks guard Andre Curbelo brings the ball up the court during the adidas Gauntlet Finale on July 19, 2018 at the Ladera Sports Center in Ladera Ranch, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

No. 1 Guard – B+

  • Andre Curbelo (FR)

The No. 1 guard position heading into the upcoming season is probably going to be manned by incoming freshman, Andre Curbelo. That is not a bad thing by any means. He is a superstar guard who hails from Puerto Rico but played his high school ball up in New York.

Curbelo comes into the Illinois program as a four-star recruit who was rated as the No. 44 player in the class of 2020. This kid is the entire package and more. He can score the ball from anywhere on the court, but his specialty is getting to the rim. Curbelo also has handles with the best of the best.

I am not giving Curbelo a grade of B+, though. I am giving the position at B+ because of the lack of backup to Curbelo. I do not see who will take over for Curbelo when he needs to rest. Honestly, as of right now, it will probably be a backup-by-committee situation. I see Trent Frazier, Adam Miller, or Da’Monte Williams shifting over and taking over the ball-handling duties when Curbelo is resting.

Brad Underwood and the Illinois coaching staff need to really take a hard look at the No. 1 guard spot moving forward. Not having a solid backup is one of my concerns. Let’s also not forget, if Curbelo has a great year, he could depart for the NBA. That would leave the Illini without a No. 1 guard in the future. This needs to be addressed.

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