There are numerous ways to build a program, and the Illinois basketball team has found a good recipe.
Brad Underwood had an experienced team last season. We had a ton of upperclassmen with a key freshman sprinkled into the mix. This led to a Final Four appearance.
Heading into the 2026-27 campaign, Illinois has the same framework for success. We are once again laced with upperclassmen, and then the program will have one or two key freshmen who can be sprinkled in.
What this experience does for the Illini is it takes the pressure off the freshmen. Last season, the expectations were low for Keaton Wagler to start the season, but he blossomed into a star for the program.
A big reason for that stardom is the fact that there were so many upperclassmen who could be the focus of the opponent. Wagler wasn’t expected to do much, and when he became the star, teams couldn’t just focus on him because of the talent around him.
That is why I think Quentin Coleman is entering the perfect situation for him to succeed at Illinois.
The projected starting lineup for the Illini this upcoming season is stout. We have at least two seniors starting and two coming off the bench in Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Jake Davis. David Mirkovic is back as a sophomore and was a full-time starter for the program last season. Illinois also landed sophomore Stafan Vaaks, who was a full-time starter with Providence.
Those six players will take so much heat off Coleman in year one. This will give him the freedom and flexibility to do whatever he needs to do on the court. If he went to another team that didn’t have this type of depth, the focus would be on him, and he would likely struggle as a freshman.
With so many weapons, Illinois can put Coleman in a great spot. He can work and develop early on, and then by midway through the non-conference, we can unleash him, like Wagler did last season.
Quentin Coleman isn’t the only Illinois basketball freshman who will have an impact on the team in 2026-27
All eyes are on Coleman right now. He not only has the Illinois fanbase excited because of his potential and five-star abilities, but NBA scouts are starting to watch him as well.
Illinois had a great class of 2026, though. Coleman isn’t the only freshman who will make noise this season.
I love what we have in Lucas Morrilo and Zavier Zens. Both are 6-foot-7, but they are different players. Illinois will have options for where to play both of these players.
Lincoln Williams intrigues me, too. He might not get the playing time of the other freshmen, but he is someone who could spell minutes for the Illini.
What is crazy is that all of the freshmen on the roster are between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-7. We don’t have any smaller players coming in. Underwood went away from that a few years back and hasn’t changed. Coleman and this freshman class could end up being pretty special.
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