Illinois basketball received some big news for their best player on Wednesday afternoon.
The USA Today announced their awards for the season, and Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu earned National Player of the Year honors. This is a big accomplishment for one of the best players in the history of the Illinois basketball program.
To go along with his National Player of the Year honor, the USA Today also announced that Ayo made the first-team All-American list. He has now landed on every first-team All-American list that has been published.
Joining Ayo on the All-American list is his right-hand man, Kofi Cockburn. Kofi didn’t make the first-team list, but he did receive the second-team All-American nod, which is a great honor in itself. The Illini couldn’t be where they are today without either of these two legends.
How did Ayo end up winning the National Player of the Year?
It is pretty simple, the kid balled out. Ayo was sensational for the Illini this season. He isn’t just a scorer, though. The Chicago legend is an all-around great player in every facet of the game.
From an individual standpoint, Ayo has put up amazing numbers. Heading into the postseason, he is averaging 20.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is also shooting 48.8-percent from the field. All of these are great metrics.
As an effect on his team, Ayo’s presence is invaluable. Illinois was a dumpster fire before Ayo arrived in Champaign. He took a leap of faith that Brad Underwood wasn’t going to ruin his career and continue spraying gasoline on the fire.
Since Ayo arrived on the scene, Illinois has been a team to reckon with. Even during his freshman season, the Illini won a few games they weren’t supposed to win, and you could see the potential.
After a great sophomore campaign that would have resulted in an NCAA tournament berth, Ayo once again put on the cape and led his Illini team back to the postseason. Illinois now enters March Madness as a No. 1 seed, which is something I didn’t think I would see again. This kid is a legend.