Illinois Basketball: Terrence Shannon Jr. returning to the Illini

The Illinois basketball program is getting back their star guard for one more season.

Before last season started, the Illini ended up landing a transfer in Terrence Shannon Jr. who would come in and give the program some big-time minutes. His electric play on the court was only topped by his ability to rally the team when we were down.

On April 12, Shannon decided to enter the 2023 NBA Draft. He would still keep his eligibility in case the feedback from NBA scouts wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

On Wednesday night, Shannon made the news official. HE. IS. BACK.

Terrence Shannon Jr. has a chance to do something truly special with the Illinois basketball team

After spending three seasons with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Shannon finally found his way back home and played for the Illini in 2022-23. In his lone season in Champaign, Shannon had the best year of his career putting up 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

Shannon also had some pretty special moments in an Illinois jersey. He helped rally the troops against No. 8 UCLA with 29 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 8-of-9 from three-point range in the 79-70 win. For the season, Shannon would have 11 20-point games for the program.

As soon as Shannon declared for the NBA Draft, I didn’t think there was a chance for him to come back. I thought his college time was over, and he was ready to go to the NBA. I believe that staying in the NBA Draft is the best move for him.

The 2023 NBA Mock Drafts that I have seen have Shannon going in the middle of the second round. He is right around where Coleman Hawkins is projected to be selected.

But I was completely wrong on Shannon. He shocked me on Wednesday by announcing he was coming back to Illinois. This changes everything. Illinois is a serious title contender next season. Welcome back, Terrence.