On Friday night, Illinois basketball fans got a sample of what is to come during the 2022-23 campaign.
The Illini had a chance to knock off some rust and begin the gelling process in an exhibition against Quincy. As expected, Illinois would win by a large margin, 87-52, but there are always some pros and cons to take away from a game this early in the season.
Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball win over Quincy.
1. Illinois has Steph Curry confidence
It has been well-documented that the Illini are entering the 2022-23 campaign with a pretty much new roster. This is exciting and scary all at the same time.
The first exhibition against Quincy gave Illinois fans a sneak peek about what we are going to see come the regular season. Overall, it was a pretty positive tune-up game, but there were some things from this game I will be watching in the future. One of those things is three-point shooting.
Illinois chucks up the three-point shot with Steph Curry confidence. Shooters shoot, so I don’t want this team to stop shooting three-point shots, but man, we were not hitting against Quincy.
I believe the most accurate shot from deep was Coleman Hawkins and he was 1-of-3 or 33.3%. As a team, Illinois would go 6-of-34 from three-point range, which comes out to 17.6%.
Listen, it is an exhibition game, so I am not sounding the alarms. At the end of the day, Illinois is going to shoot much better than 17.6% during the regular season. The one thing I did like about our three-point shooting was the fact no one stopped shooting the deep ball. Nine different Illini players attempted a three-pointer.
I am excited to see what this team looks like a few games into the season. This stat will surely improve.
2. Sencire Harris was impressive
Illinois had quite the recruiting haul in 2022. We had a top 10 class in the country with some of the best players in the nation deciding to play in Champaign.
Some of the big names like Skyy Clark and Ty Rodgers are going to be really good for the Orange and Blue, but the player that impressed me the most out of all of the freshmen was the lowest-rated recruit, Sencire Harris.
Harris was a borderline top 100 recruit who didn’t have the same shine as the other players. He is the most decorated out of all the recruits, though. He won back-to-back state titles in Ohio, and he is a big-time scorer and playmaker.
On Friday night, Harris displayed his abilities, and I was extremely impressed with what he brought to the table. He would end up finishing the game with four points, one rebound, and one assist while going 2-of-5 from the field, but his offensive game isn’t what piqued my interest the most.
Harris has a defensive game that is going to not only wow Illinois fans, but it is going to quickly earn him playing time with Brad Underwood.
I was amazed by how well Harris stayed in front of his man. He did have five fouls, but that was purely based on him being a little too aggressive defensively. Harris ended the night with two steals as well. He was all over the court, and this is exactly what Illinois needs this season. I love Harris’ entire game.
3. This is a different team without Kofi Cockburn
I know, that sounds like an obvious statement. Illinois is different without their 7-foot big man on the court. What I mean by this is the mentality of the Illinois basketball program is completely different.
There used to be a gravitational force around Kofi. When the ball would cross the timeline, the main focus was always the big man, whether or not the ball actually got down to him. But he was the center of attention, and we would have him as a safety blanket in case nothing was going on around the perimeter.
That isn’t the case anymore, though. Illinois didn’t seem to have much in the way of an inside presence against Quincy. The starter at the No. 5 was Coleman Hawkins, who likes to play everywhere on the court. He is a good rebounder, though. That is a big plus for the Illini.
Dain Dainja did come in as Hawkins’ backup, but there are some concerns with him. My first impression is that he is a massive human being, but he doesn’t have much of a game. In high school, he probably dominated with his pure size, but that doesn’t happen in the college game. Dainja isn’t polished whatsoever. While he did finish with eight points and five rebounds in 16 minutes of action, I am not confident he can do that against Big Ten competition.
So, it is no wonder Illinois put up 34 three-pointers in the game. We don’t have Kofi and there isn’t anyone on the team right now who commands the attention Kofi commanded. This is going to be a major adjustment for the program. The next month or so is going to be crucial.
4. Illinois has an athletic freak in Terrence Shannon Jr.
The transfers that Brad Underwood was able to land this offseason are going to be huge for the program. Yes, Matthew Mayer didn’t look great, as he was 0-of-4 from three-point range, but his game will come around.
I think Terrence Shannon Jr. is the transfer I am most excited about moving forward. He spent a few seasons with Texas Tech before coming back to Champaign to finish up his college career with the Illini.
Shannon’s numbers were good with the Red Raiders, but I wasn’t exactly sure what I was expecting out of him with Illinois. Well, in the exhibition against Quincy, I was pleased with what I saw out of Shannon.
By the game’s end, Shannon would finish with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal. He was only 3-of-10 from the field but managed to hit all five free throws. The stat line is really good for Shannon, but his athletic ability is what really jumped off the page to me.
Shannon is extremely quick and has hops that I didn’t know he had. He can get through the lane easily and beat just about anyone on a fastbreak. His abilities and athleticism remind me a lot of D’Angelo Russell.
I think there is a strong chance that Shannon emerges as the go-to guy here in the near future. He has that feel about him. This could easily turn into his team in the next month.
5. The second unit showed me a lot
Coming into the exhibition game against Quincy, I had the starters nailed down. Skyy Clark, Terrence Shannon Jr., RJ Melendez, Matthew Mayer, and Coleman Hawkins were the ones who hit the court first.
Honestly, they didn’t wow me by any means as a unit. There were some great moments from individual players in this unit, but they didn’t blow me away. I was really impressed with what I saw from the second unit, though.
The first player off the bench was Ty Rodgers, which wasn’t a surprise. With Luke Goode on the mend, Rodgers immediately stepped into that sixth-man spot. After Rodgers, the main second unit consisted of Jayden Epps, Sencire Harris, and Dain Dainja.
I am excited about what Rodgers’ future holds. He is a really talented player who is going to be a first-round NBA Draft pick down the road. He put up an effortless seven points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals while shooting 2-of-3 from the field. He also had a play in the lane where he drove, did a spin move, and had an easy layup.
Harris and Epps were also exciting for the Illini. I talked about Harris’ game in an earlier slide. He has the lockdown defensive ability that I love. Epps ended up playing 22 minutes, which was the most of any bench player. You can tell he is wanting to put up a big number in the points department. He would finish with seven points, two rebounds, and one assist but only shot 3-of-9 from the field.
In an earlier slide, I also mentioned Dainja. He is definitely a work-in-progress, but the framework is there for a good player. It will be fun to see what Brad Underwood can do with him on the court.
Overall, the second unit is super young but they are good. I would argue they could take on the first unit and give them a legit game. I am excited by the fact Illinois can go nine deep this season.