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Illinois Basketball: Top 5 Illini wing-forwards of the 2010s

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Mike Davis #24 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to get the fans to make noise during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Assembly Hall on January 22, 2011 in Champaign, Illinois. Ohio State won 73-68. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Mike Davis #24 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to get the fans to make noise during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Assembly Hall on January 22, 2011 in Champaign, Illinois. Ohio State won 73-68. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 7: Tyler Griffey #42 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is lifted up by teammates after scoring the game-winning basket against the Indiana Hoosiers during the game at Assembly Hall on February 7, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated No. 1 ranked Indiana 74-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Despite the lull in performance for the Illinois basketball team in the 2010s, there were some talented players at the wing-forward positions.

I wanted to highlight some of the best Illini to ever do it at the wing-forward. This top five includes players who could play the wing or those who were more traditional forwards in the paint. Since there wasn’t enough talent to have each category separate, I combined them.

Here are the top five Illinois basketball wing-forwards of the 2010s.

5. Tyler Griffey

It was difficult to determine who was the No. 5 wing-forward on this list. But the player I had to include in the mix was Tyler Griffey.

The stats aren’t amazing by any means. It was honestly between Griffey and Kipper Nichols for the fifth spot. The fact Griffey is an Illini legend for, arguably, the biggest shot in program history is one of the big determining factors.

Griffey’s best season with the Orange and Blue came as a senior. He finished that year averaging 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. Illinois had a solid team that season as well. They started the year 12-0 but then hit a rough patch that saw them drop down to 15-8 overall.

For most of the John Groce era, Illinois lived on the bubble. But during the 2012-13 campaign, Griffey helped the Illini into the only NCAA tournament for the program during the Groce era.

Having lost six out of seven games, Illinois welcomed in No. 1 Indiana. Down 12 points at halftime, Illinois would storm back and have the game tied, with the ball, with 0.9 seconds left in the game. Indiana players got lost on a few screens set by the Illini, and a great inbound pass led to a Griffey game-winning layup.

The stats aren’t great, but Griffey cemented himself on the top five wing-forwards of the 2010s with his incredible game-winner against No. 1 Indiana. The dude is a legend.

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