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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 30-26.
Admittedly, I lost interest in Illinois basketball for a period during the last few seasons of the Jon Groce era and the beginning of the Brad Underwood era. In fact, I missed much of the 2019-20 season, which made the cancellation of that season's NCAA Tournament so disappointing to me as I couldn't wait to see the Illini back in March Madness.
Of course, the 2020-21 Illinois Fighting Illini are the team that got me back into Illinois hoops, with one game signaling to me that the Illini were back.
On March 2, 2021, red-hot Illinois was ranked #2 in the country as it traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan to face the #4 Michigan Wolverines. What ensued was a 23-point drubbing of the Wolverines, as Trent Frazier went off for 22 points with the Illini missing Ayo Dosunmu due to injury. From that game on, Frazier became an all-time favorite Illini as he hit three after three in the second half from the top of the key.
Consider me late to the party as many fans had already favored Frazier, a player who signed with Groce and stuck around through some tough times to get Illinois back to respectability.
Of course, there have been many key players who helped Illinois basketball get back to relevancy. Chicago's very own Dosunmu chose Illinois when he didn't have to. Kofi Cockburn was a big addition to the program as well. A glue guy like Damonte Williams cannot be forgotten. Role players like Andres Feliz and Jacob Grandison were also important in the rebirth, as were freshmen Andre Curbelo and Adam Miller. The list goes on and on.
To me, Frazier is the symbol of the Illini resurgence. Whether playing off guard or point guard, Frazier never worried about his stats. He was a guy who did whatever it took to win, especially on the defensive end. During his final season in Champaign, Frazier steadied an Illini team that was missing a sophomore Curbelo for a large point of the season, going back to point guard while forming a southpaw backcourt with Alfonso Plummer that I absolutely loved.
In every sense of the word, Frazier was a gamer, a player who left it all on the court and gave Illinois five incredible seasons, finishing as the #5 all-time leading scorer in program history and #1 in games started and minutes played.
Very few Illinois players had a heart as big as Trent's, and for that reason, he is a beloved Illini not only to me but many fans.
Of course, the 2020-21 Illinois Fighting Illini are the team that got me back into Illinois hoops, with one game signaling to me that the Illini were back.
On March 2, 2021, red-hot Illinois was ranked #2 in the country as it traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan to face the #4 Michigan Wolverines. What ensued was a 23-point drubbing of the Wolverines, as Trent Frazier went off for 22 points with the Illini missing Ayo Dosunmu due to injury. From that game on, Frazier became an all-time favorite Illini as he hit three after three in the second half from the top of the key.
Consider me late to the party as many fans had already favored Frazier, a player who signed with Groce and stuck around through some tough times to get Illinois back to respectability.
Of course, there have been many key players who helped Illinois basketball get back to relevancy. Chicago's very own Dosunmu chose Illinois when he didn't have to. Kofi Cockburn was a big addition to the program as well. A glue guy like Damonte Williams cannot be forgotten. Role players like Andres Feliz and Jacob Grandison were also important in the rebirth, as were freshmen Andre Curbelo and Adam Miller. The list goes on and on.
To me, Frazier is the symbol of the Illini resurgence. Whether playing off guard or point guard, Frazier never worried about his stats. He was a guy who did whatever it took to win, especially on the defensive end. During his final season in Champaign, Frazier steadied an Illini team that was missing a sophomore Curbelo for a large point of the season, going back to point guard while forming a southpaw backcourt with Alfonso Plummer that I absolutely loved.
In every sense of the word, Frazier was a gamer, a player who left it all on the court and gave Illinois five incredible seasons, finishing as the #5 all-time leading scorer in program history and #1 in games started and minutes played.
Very few Illinois players had a heart as big as Trent's, and for that reason, he is a beloved Illini not only to me but many fans.
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