Illinois Basketball: The rise of Austin Hutcherson could be rapid

Illinois basketball is entering the 2021-22 campaign looking to make another splash in the college basketball world.

Coming off a Big Ten Tournament title and a run in the NCAA tournament, the Illini lost some production that needs to be replaced. A transfer from one of our young superstars and the departure of Ayo Dosunmu leaves Illinois looking for players to supplement the lost numbers from those two important pieces.

You can look to the returning talent to replace some of the production. Trent Frazier is poised to have a big year. Andre Curbelo will take a step forward in his career. Kofi Cockburn is likely to have the best season of any big in Illinois history. But I don’t want to overload them too much. So, where should the Illini look?

The answer for the Illinois basketball program might be Austin Hutcherson.

Hutcherson is a junior this season for the Orange and Blue. After transferring from DIII Wesleyan University in 2019, Hutcherson had to sit out a year due to the NCAA transfer rules. He then dealt with a back injury last season, leaving the 2021-22 campaign the first year he is going to suit up for the Illini.

I don’t think anyone is expecting Hutcherson to put up the numbers he did with the Cardinals as a sophomore. He dazzled in the DIII ranks averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. The best part about Hutcherson’s game was his three-point shooting percentage relative to his shot volume.

Hutcherson was hitting his shots from the perimeter at a clip of 39.2-percent, which is an outstanding number. Usually, when a player is hitting hit three-pointers at a clip that high, the volume is relatively low. That isn’t the case with Hutcherson. He was taking 6.6 three-pointers per game with Wesleyan.

While the numbers Hutcherson was able to put up with Wesleyan were spectacular, they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Illinois isn’t exactly playing competition like Middlebury and Hamilton. This is the Big Ten, and the level of competition is arguably the best in the country.

There is still a lot of hype around the potential Hutcherson can bring to the Illinois basketball program. Just a few days ago, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweeted out that “Highly placed spies in Champaign continue to rave about Illinois’ Austin Hutcherson.”

Tweets like that of Rothstein’s gets me excited for what Illinois could get out of Hutcherson the next couple of seasons. So, I wanted to look a little deeper into who he compares to among prior Illini players. In the end, I think I have come across a pretty accurate comp.

I needed to find someone who had a nice high release of the basketball. Hutcherson has tremendous form when shooting the ball. He is very calculated with his moves. He moves with or without the ball and has a purpose when doing so. The calmness about his game, like he is a silent assassin, is underrated as well. Hutcherson’s game is extremely smooth, especially when he gets in the paint. He has a controlled chaos when going to the rim. He can finish at the rim and will draw a ton of fouls this season.

When I went back and watched some highlights on some of the former Illini that I had in my head, I landed on one prominent player. Hutcherson, almost to a T, has the game of Malcolm Hill. The form on their shots, the driving ability, the smoothness of their game. They are really similar players.

Now, if Illinois can have Hutcherson play like Hill played while with the program, then there could be some special seasons ahead. I also think the starting lineup would need to be adjusted if this ends up being the case.

Hutcherson could end up starting most of the season for the Illini if he can show that he has Hill-level talent in game situations. Who would Hutcherson replace in the starting lineup? As of right now, I would say Jacob Grandison.

I know Hutcherson is more of a No. 3, but Brad Underwood has been known to go small in the No. 1 through No. 4 spots. Having a 6-foot-6 Hutcherson at the No. 4 spot would be the best option. That would leave Andre Curbelo, Trent Frazier, Alfonso Plummer, Hutcherson and Kofi Cockburn as the starting five. That is a high-powered offensive machine.

Illinois basketball is still months away, but this program has one of the deepest squads I have seen in years. Hutcherson’s availability only makes the Illini deeper. If he ends up being as big of an asset as I think he could be, then the Orange and Blue have a chance to be one of the best teams in the country the next two seasons.