During Brad Underwood’s tenure with the Illini, there has been no shortage of talent within the program. He has flipped the program dramatically since his arrival. We have seen some of the highest recruits in program history under his watch, as well as multiple Illini drafted to the NBA in the first round for the first time in 20 years. This made me think about what a possible starting 5 with all of Underwood’s best Illini would look like.
Point Guard- Trent Frazier
A few of these choices are easier than others here, this qualifies
as one of the tough ones. While Underwood has had a few good point guards in recent years, none of them had the type of longevity and impact Trent Frazier had. A career 11 PPG scorer when he was constantly taking a backseat offensively to Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu shouldn’t go unnoticed.
What solidifies his place here is his on-ball defense. He was undoubtedly one of the Illini’s best on-ball defenders for 3+ seasons. While his efficiency scoring the ball wasn’t the greatest, he could score with the best of them when he got hot. Did I even mention he committed to the Illini before John Groce was fired? He is an all-time Illini, even if he doesn’t quite match up to some of the other program greats.
Shooting Guard- Ayo Dosunmu
This choice should come as no surprise to many of you. Ayo Dosunmu is one of the best players in program history. The All-American averaged nearly 17 points for his career, and had one of the most dominant seasons an Illini has ever had, averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists leading the Illini to a 1 seed for the first time in over 15 years.
He improved significantly every season he was in Champaign. Not only that, but he was a Chicago kid who finally decided to stay home and was also the first major recruit Brad Underwood landed. The only thing that truly could have made his career as an Illini any better would have been a deep tournament run. Aside from that fact, he met just about everyone’s lofty expectations for him. A true program legend.
Small Forward/ Third Guard- Terrence Shannon, Jr.
While only in Champaign for 2 years, Terrence Shannon had a big impact on this program. Scoring over 1,000 points in 2 seasons, taking the Illini to the Elite 8 for the first time in 2 decades, and set the single season Illini scoring record with 736 points. His combination of speed and strength was just too much for many teams to stop.
Another Chicago kid who will always be beloved by fans. That 2023-24 season was just pure domination for him, especially late in the season. Although the ending wasn’t what many fans wanted that season, many of us will always remember his powerful one-handed dunks and one-man fast breaks. Arguably one of the greatest Illini players in history.
Power Forward- Coleman Hawkins
I realize Coleman Hawkins had arguably his best season playing center for the Illini. However, if you ask him or Brad Underwood, that was more out of necessity rather than what the team had wanted. His smaller frame was often taken advantage of when he had to play the five position, and he really is best suited as a stretch four. A four-year Illini, who didn’t let slim playing time his freshman year hold him back. A lot of players in his situation may have not done the same, and he was able to reap the benefits of sticking it out with this program.
Coleman Hawkins came on strong late in his sophomore year. And although there were plenty of ups and downs throughout those 2 ½ years of him starting, he really never looked back after his strong play late in the 2021-22 season. His versatility both on offense and defense was always fun to watch, and he was the perfect stretch four for the offense Brad Underwood wants to run recently.
Kofi Cockburn-Center
Did you really expect anyone else? Kofi Cockburn was arguably the most dominant player in the country during his three years in Champaign. The two-time All-American could have broken every Illini scoring and rebounding record had he played a full 4 seasons. With an impressive career average of 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game, he has been undoubtedly Brad Underwood’s best post player at Illinois.
At times, the Shaquille O’Neal comparisons didn’t feel so far fetched. You always wondered if the backboard was going to make it through the whole game when he was on the floor. He was just a physical specimen, and the staff worked wonders in developing his footwork and post game. There was nothing like having a center that you could count on for 20 and 10 almost every night, and it’s a big reason Kofi Cockburn is in this spot.
Reflecting back on the first eight years of Brad Underwood’s tenure, there has been so much talent and this list was not the easiest to make. There were many other players deserving, but I felt many of them didn’t have long enough careers for the Illini to be considered part of this list. I felt these five players defined a new era for Illinois basketball. Who knows, maybe in a few years we will be updating this list with even more great players.
