Illinois Basketball: Top 5 Illini players to ever wear the No. 1

1. Trent Frazier

• Best: 13.7 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 2.6 Ast, 1.4 Stl, 40.5 3Pt
• Career: 11.4 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 2.9 Ast, 1.3 Stl, 35.1 3Pt
• 3 NCAAs, 1 B1G Regular Season, 1 B1G Tourney, All-B1G, 2 All-B1G Defense, B1G All Freshman

DJ Richardson and Trent Meacham were both good players who helped Illinois win games, but they don’t compare to No. 1 on this list of the best players to ever don the No. 1 jersey.

Trent Frazier takes the cake as the best No. 1 ever. He is someone who all Illinois fans love, and they should love him because of what he did for this program. Frazier committed to Illinois and stuck with his commitment through a coaching change.

Frazier was the man in year one, but for the team, he swallowed his pride and let Ayo Dosunmu take over the program. This enabled Illinois to win games, but that couldn’t have happened if Frazier didn’t do what was best for the Illini.

In Frazier’s best year, he averaged 13.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and shot 40.5% from three-point range. His career averages at Illinois consisted of 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 35.1% from three-point range.

Illinois had tremendous success due in large part to Frazier being on the court. We qualified for three NCAA tournaments and played in two of them thanks to COVID. Illinois was able to win the Big Ten regular-season and the Big Ten Tournament during Frazier’s time in Champaign.

Frazier’s personal accolades consisted of making an All-Big Ten team, and he was a two-time All-Big Ten defensive player. There is no question in my mind that Frazier is one of the best to ever put on an Illinois jersey, and he is easily the best No. 1 in the history of the program.