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Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here are numbers 30-23.
After reaching the Elite Eight during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood had a lot of work to do, with much of his roster graduating or portaling.
Two years later it is quite amazing what Underwood and his Illinois coaching staff were able to add.
Through the portal, Illinois brought in Jake Davis from Mercer, Kylan Boswell from Arizona, Carey Booth from Notre Dame, Tre White from Louisville, and Ben Humrichous from Evansville.
Internationally Illinois added Tomislavic Ivisic from Croatia and Kasparas Jakucionis from Lithuania.
With freshman Morez Johnson Jr. entering the fold and Ty Rodgers and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn returning, Illinois seemed to have rounded out its roster quite impressively.
Of course, the Illini were not done, getting late into the recruitment of my 22nd favorite Illini of all time, Will Riley.
A 6'8'' string bean of a forward from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Riley was entering his senior season of high school before deciding to reclassify.
Apparently, Illinois Assistant Coach Orlando Antigua fell in love with Riley's game at an AAU competition, watching him score 40 something points in one game.
With Riley deciding to skip his senior year of high school, Illinois entered the fray with Kentucky, Alabama and Arizona for the Canadian phenom. Ultimately, the Illini would win out, with Riley announcing his intentions to come to Illinois in the middle of July of 2024.
Instantly, Riley became Illinois' highest-rated recruit during the composite rankings era, with the understanding being that he would be a one-and-done for the Illini.
During his one season in Champaign, Riley was a true bucket, dropping 31 points in his first game against Eastern Illinois, setting a scoring record for an Illini freshman in his debut game. By the way Riley was only 17 years old at the time of this contest!
From the season opener forward, it was pretty apparent that Riley had a talent for scoring, a smooth operator at all three levels of the floor. Especially fun with Riley's game was his ability to get four-point plays, making threes while getting fouled. Riley also had no fear attacking the basket, whether pulling up in the lane or going to the rim, proving to be a guy who could get his shot whenever he wanted it.
Earning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award after averaging 12.6 points per game, Riley would score at least 20 points in six games and double figures in 22 games.
Of course, Riley's most important game was his 22 point effort against Xavier in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, during which he took over in the second half.
Prior to what Illinois just witnessed with Keaton Wagler this past season, Riley and Jakucionis put together freshman seasons that were quite phenomenal in the Orange and Blue.
Personally, I have always been a sucker for players who provide instant offense, thus Riley has to be on my list of all-time favorite Illinois players.
Even if Riley's time in Champaign was short, it was certainly sweet!
Two years later it is quite amazing what Underwood and his Illinois coaching staff were able to add.
Through the portal, Illinois brought in Jake Davis from Mercer, Kylan Boswell from Arizona, Carey Booth from Notre Dame, Tre White from Louisville, and Ben Humrichous from Evansville.
Internationally Illinois added Tomislavic Ivisic from Croatia and Kasparas Jakucionis from Lithuania.
With freshman Morez Johnson Jr. entering the fold and Ty Rodgers and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn returning, Illinois seemed to have rounded out its roster quite impressively.
Of course, the Illini were not done, getting late into the recruitment of my 22nd favorite Illini of all time, Will Riley.
A 6'8'' string bean of a forward from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Riley was entering his senior season of high school before deciding to reclassify.
Apparently, Illinois Assistant Coach Orlando Antigua fell in love with Riley's game at an AAU competition, watching him score 40 something points in one game.
With Riley deciding to skip his senior year of high school, Illinois entered the fray with Kentucky, Alabama and Arizona for the Canadian phenom. Ultimately, the Illini would win out, with Riley announcing his intentions to come to Illinois in the middle of July of 2024.
Instantly, Riley became Illinois' highest-rated recruit during the composite rankings era, with the understanding being that he would be a one-and-done for the Illini.
During his one season in Champaign, Riley was a true bucket, dropping 31 points in his first game against Eastern Illinois, setting a scoring record for an Illini freshman in his debut game. By the way Riley was only 17 years old at the time of this contest!
From the season opener forward, it was pretty apparent that Riley had a talent for scoring, a smooth operator at all three levels of the floor. Especially fun with Riley's game was his ability to get four-point plays, making threes while getting fouled. Riley also had no fear attacking the basket, whether pulling up in the lane or going to the rim, proving to be a guy who could get his shot whenever he wanted it.
Earning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award after averaging 12.6 points per game, Riley would score at least 20 points in six games and double figures in 22 games.
Of course, Riley's most important game was his 22 point effort against Xavier in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, during which he took over in the second half.
Prior to what Illinois just witnessed with Keaton Wagler this past season, Riley and Jakucionis put together freshman seasons that were quite phenomenal in the Orange and Blue.
Personally, I have always been a sucker for players who provide instant offense, thus Riley has to be on my list of all-time favorite Illinois players.
Even if Riley's time in Champaign was short, it was certainly sweet!
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