Illinois Basketball: 5 reasons Illini fans should be optimistic about the future

2. Andre Curbelo

This past season was amazing for Illinois fans everywhere. We got to see a ton of winning basketball, and there were a couple of freshmen who will help continue building this program. One of those freshmen is Andre Curbelo.

It has been a long time since I have seen a freshman like Curbelo. Illinois has put out some great freshmen in recent memory, but there hasn’t been one player who has wowed me more on the court than Curbelo.

The development of Curbelo’s game in year one was amazing. In the first 21 games he played for the Illini, the star guard averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in just 19.9 minutes per game. In that time, he also averaged 2.5 turnovers per game. These are good numbers for a true freshman, and you would expect sloppy play.

But this Illinois basketball team needed more out of Curbelo if they wanted to win at a high level. Curbelo was able to live up to the challenge and was sensational in the final 10 games of the year.

In this final 10-game stretch, Curbelo was getting 25.1 minutes per game, so about a five-minute boost. With more time on the court, Curbelo was able to shine. He increased his averages to 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4 assists per game in the final 10 games. And even with a minute’s increase, Curbelo’s turnovers stayed about the same at 2.8 turnovers per game. That is what I like to see. More court time and turnovers not really increasing.

So, if you are down right now about Illinois basketball, just think about the future with Curbelo. This kid is a star in the making, and it will be his team next season. Get your popcorn ready.