Illinois Basketball: Top 5 Illini players to ever wear the No. 13

3 of 5

COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – JANUARY 21: The Illinois Fighting Illini logo on a pair of shorts during a college basketball game against the Maryland Terrapins at the XFinity Center on January 21, 2022 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

3. James Griffin

Best: 13.6 Pts, 7 Reb, 1.9 Blk
Career: 9.1 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 1.3 Blk
1 NCAA

Illinois has had some pretty good big men over the years, and James Griffin is someone who goes forgotten most of the time. The 6-foot-10 center had a lot of talent and would eventually get selected in the 1982 NBA Draft.

Griffin spent four seasons with the Illini and his best year was as a senior when he averaged 13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. For his career, he would end up averaging 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.

The paint presence by Griffin helped Illinois win a lot of games. The Illini would average 20 wins per season during his time on the court. In 1980-81, Illinois would make the NCAA tournament and advance to the Sweet 16 where we would lose to Kansas State.

It was a pretty good run for Griffin at Illinois. He helped the program stabilize as this was during the first decade of Lou Henson being at the helm. With the help of Griffin and Co., the Illini would set the stage for one of the best stretches in program history in the 1980s.

Home/All-Time Basketball Lists