Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini lineup without Zacharie Perrin

No. 5 Center/Forward

Starter: Coleman Hawkins (JR)

I have heard people dispute my thoughts on the No. 5 spot. Most people seem to have Dain Dainja starting here, but there is no way Coleman Hawkins is coming off the bench for the Illinois basketball program in 2022-23. Hawkins is too good of a player and too valuable to this team to not start.

Hawkins should be the starting No. 5 big man for the Illini. He is more of a No. 4, but with the depth issues Illinois has right now, I think Hawkins would be best suited as a center. This past season, Hawkins averaged 5.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He was an effective scorer for the Illini, and his defensive ability really took off late. I love what he can do on the floor.

Backup: Dain Dainja (SO)

Dain Dainja was a huge transfer snag for Brad Underwood last season. He is finally going to get a chance to play for the Illini in 2022-23. I love Dainja’s size and athletic ability, but he hasn’t really seen the floor too much at the college level. That leaves some uncertainty for me.

I think Dainja will see the floor a lot this upcoming season, but I also believe he will be in the second rotation for much of the year. It wouldn’t shock me to see him get a couple of starts, but I think having someone of Dainja’s athletic ability coming off the bench would be great for the Orange and Blue.

Backup: Brandon Lieb (JR)

I love to see the progression of Brandon Lieb physically and on the basketball court. The kid has great size, but I don’t see him playing much again this year.

The most playing time Lieb should get is in blowout situations. But weirder things have happened. If Underwood sees a bigger role for Lieb, then he might be one of the surprises for the 2022-23 season.