Illinois Basketball: 2022-23 preview of Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr.

The Illinois basketball program had quite the offseason that featured a near complete overhaul of the roster.

This overhaul featured some big pieces for the Illini leaving the team. With so many departures, Brad Underwood needed to bring in some talent. He was able to secure a top-10 recruiting class and a few crucial transfers.

Terrence Shannon Jr was one of the transfers who decided to come to Illinois. He is going to be an important piece to what the Illini want to do this season.

Here is the 2022-23 preview of Illinois basketball guard Terrence Shannon Jr.

Past Development

Illinois fans should be excited about what they are getting with Shannon. He had a great run with Texas Tech that featured him scoring at a high clip and improving his game nearly every year.

In his final season with the Red Raiders, Shannon averaged 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. There were some key metrics he improved on as well. In his final season, Shannon improved his field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, and assists per game. He also lowered his fouls per game.

Shannon also brings a winning mentality to the Illini. He would have made three-straight NCAA tournaments if it wasn’t for the pandemic. Two years ago, Shannon made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, and this past season, Texas Tech would advance to the Sweet 16.

Present Impact

It really is amazing how much production Illinois lost from the team last season. We need to find a good consistent scorer, and that is what I want with Shannon.

Shannon has career averages of 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. The only thing I want to see higher this upcoming season is scoring. I think Shannon needs to score around 14 points per game. The other statistical categories are fine right where they are.

I think Illinois is going to have a pretty balanced scoring attack, but Shannon should be one of the highest scorers on the team. He needs to be the certified bucket-getter that I believe he can be for the Illini.