5 big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Maryland Eastern Shore

4. You can see the potential with Morez Johnson Jr.

This topic goes hand-in-hand with the second slide of this article. I talked about how Brad Underwood teases Illinois by going deeper on his bench in games that are out of hand.

Well, we got to see Morez Johnson Jr. for extended minutes against Maryland Eastern Shore, and he continued to impress me. Johnson is someone who I think could start for numerous programs, and he should get more minutes on the Illinois roster.

Johnson logged 14 minutes against the Hawks on Saturday. In that time, he put up 10 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, and one block. He was also 3-of-5 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free throw line.

Underwood has been slow-feeding Johnson minutes. In games that don’t matter much because they get out of hand, Johnson is getting around 15 minutes per game. In the two games that have been close, Johnson is averaging 8.5 minutes per game.

When Johnson does take the court, you can see the star potential in the kid. He is a monster in the paint. While he isn’t the most gifted shooter in the world, he is one of the most dangerous forces Illinois has had in years within five feet of the basket.

I love Johnson’s ability to rebound the basketball, and he showed his rebounding prowess against the Hawks. The fact he can pull down 13 rebounds in 14 minutes is incredible. That is nearly a rebound a minute.

I am not sure how many players can log a double-double in just 14 minutes of action against another college program. I don’t care how bad the other team is, that is a great feat as well.

Johnson has a great combination of power and size. His wingspan enables him to snag rebounds left and right too. He is someone who has a ton of potential, and when Underwood starts giving him more minutes, the second rotation will start thriving more.