Over the past week, the Illinois basketball team has been reenergized with key additions and returning players.
I can’t tell you how excited I am about the potential of the Illini. Brad Underwood has brought in some interesting additions that could take the program from good to great quickly.
Illinois also returns players from the previous year’s squad. This is not the norm, as we had to completely rebuild two seasons ago, but Underwood managed to actually bring back talent and even a couple of starters.
One player who just announced his return is Ben Humrichous. The 6-foot-9 forward spent three seasons at Huntington University before transferring to Evansville for a season. He then entered the transfer portal again and landed with Illinois for the 2024-25 campaign.
Illinois was getting a player who was coming off a season with the Aces, where he shot 41.4% from three-point range. I didn’t expect Humrichous to shoot that number again, as the competition is tougher at this level, but I wanted somewhere in the high 30s.
That didn’t happen. Humrichous shot 34.3% from three-point range, and to say his season was a roller coaster might be one of the biggest understatements I have ever made. To put it bluntly, Humrichous’ first season at Illinois was a massive disappointment.
The hope is there for Ben Humrichous to turn things around at Illinois
So, why should any Illinois fan be excited about Humrichous’ return to the program? Well, as one of the staunchest detractors, I have actually found a reason why I believe there is not just hope but optimism when it comes to Humrichous next season.
I have thought about this for a while, and it seems to be true. When you have been in the college game for a minute, and then you change coaches, that first year is usually tough. You have adjustments to make, and by the time you start getting comfortable, the season is over.
With Humrichous, I am just looking at three-point shooting. That is why he was brought to Illinois. There is a decent sample size of other transfer or new college players to the Underwood system at Illinois as well.
The main subject is Terrence Shannon Jr. He transferred in from Texas Tech and struggled a bit in his first season at Illinois. Shannon shot 32.1% from three-point range that first season. In year two, he upped his shooting from deep to 36.2% and became a first-round NBA Draft pick.
In Jacob Grandison’s first season at Illinois, he shot 41.5% from three-point range, but he only took 41 three-point attempts. In year two with the Illini, he shot 134 three-point attempts and kept his average the same at 41%.
Preceding those two players was Aaron Jordan. Before Underwood took over, Jordan had shot a total of 84 three-pointers and hit them at a clip of 33.3%. Underwood then went to work. Year one in his system, Jordan shot 95 three-pointers and converted at a rate of 46.3%. In year two, his shooting percentage was still at 41.5% despite taking 142 three-point shots.
With these transfer portal players or college players who are new to the Underwood system, it takes a minute to adjust. There are examples where players develop rapidly and transform into great shooters and productive members of the program. I think there is a solid chance that it happens with Humrichous.
By season’s end, I fully expect Humrichous to be shooting near 40% from three-point range. I think 2024-25 was a fluke. He had to make some adjustments. Humrichous is about to take a massive step forward in what should be a great season for the talented shooter.