Basketball

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio

January 4, 2023

Jaylon Dean-Vines immediately makes an impression upon those watching his games for Dallas Kimball. He is an athlete extraordinaire and at 6’3”, he plays both SG and SF. He can demonstrate his athleticism in dramatic ways. Quite frankly, he gets up, up and away. His quickness at leaping is evident in blocked shots as he gets off the floor immediately and has that ability to jump quickly for a second time as well.

“My athleticism and ability to facilitate the ball.” is Jaylon’s response to what defines his game, “Most people don’t have the ability that I have, so I try to make the best out of it.” This athleticism has been a key to averaging 14.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game, and 2.1 steals per game.  

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

January 3, 2023

The year 2024 appears to be off to a great start for Illinois freshman phoneme Jaxon Davis, a 6-foot-0, 160-pound guard from Gurnee, Illinois, home of former Illini guard Brandon Paul (Warren Township HS.)

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

January 3, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

Enjoy it Illini fans, because 30-point wins don’t happen very often in conference play The Illini were clicking on all cylinders on Tuesday night as they dominated Northwestern by a score 96-66. Marcus Domask had 32 points and 6 assists to lead Illinois as they moved to 11-2 and 2-0 in Big Ten play. Northwestern falls to 9-3 and 1-1 in the Big Ten. 

Here’s a recap of what we saw. 

These 3 Things

Booty Ball and More - Yes, Illinois used the dreaded booty ball from Domask and Rodgers to create double teams and then hit cutters and shooters when it came, but they did more than that.

By IlliniGuys Staff January 2, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

In his recent media conference, Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman produced two scenarios where Terrence Shannon Jr. can have his indefinite suspension from the basketball program immediately lifted.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 2, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — Two scenarios could potentially reverse the indefinite suspension of Terrence Shannon Jr. from the University of Illinois men’s basketball program.

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman laid out the two options where Shannon Jr., who was arrested and charged with felony rape, could again be playing college basketball and they both involve the ‘Student-Athlete Conduct Panel’ formed through the university athletics department athlete conduct/discipline policy.

The panel is a three-person committee consisting of one faculty athletics representative, one representative from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs department, and one faculty member from the College of Law.

In the same sentence of an answer in his Dec. 28 media conference, Whitman suggested

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

January 2, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Big Ten is here. The 9th ranked Illini will host Northwestern in their Big Ten home opener on Tuesday night at 8PM. Illinois will again be without Terrence Shannon as they look to navigate the gauntlet of 19 remaining Big Ten games without the star Guard. Illinois has won 3 straight since losing at Tennessee, and have been climbing up the rankings. 

The Wildcats come in with one of the best wins in the country in their home victory against #1 Purdue, and one of the worst losses in their home loss to Chicago State. 

It should be fun. 

Setting the Stage

#9 Illinois (10-2, 1-0 B1G) vs. Northwestern (10-2, 1-0 B1G) 

Jan. 2, 2024 // 8 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center 

TV: BTN – Connor Onion (Play-by-Play), Robbie Hummel (Analyst) 

Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular and Big Sports Radio

Cover photo courtesy of Brandon Rowell, BGREAT Athletics

January 2, 2024

On Christmas 2023, Bryce Dixon a 6’4” SG from Deron Williams country (The Colony High School in north suburban Dallas) tweeted out that he had an offer from the University of Illinois. Coach Cleve Ryan, who was an assistant coach during Deron’s high school career noted that Deron won The Colony a lot of games.

After watching Dixon play in their holiday tournament, Dixon has a lot of strengths that show on the court. The first is his size. He’s only 15 years old but he’s 6’4” and still growing. He also has a big frame, and he will clearly be able to carry more weight as he grows. He is the definition of a big guard.

By IlliniGuys Staff

January 1, 2024

10) Illini men’s golf team reaches NCAA quarterfinals – Mike Small’s program has made reaching elite success commonplace,

By IlliniGuys Staff December 31, 2023 (Cover photo courtesy […]

(From Illinois DIA Office) December 31, 2023   Illinois […]

According to the student-athlete conduct policy, Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is slated to have a review by the ‘Student-Athlete Conduct Panel’ to assess his suspension. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 29, 2023

CHAMPAIGN — If Terrence Shannon’s indefinite suspension continues to resume, the 2024 NCAA Tournament selection committee will likely be forced to judge an Illinois resume differently starting right now.

ESPN.com analyst Joe Lunardi confirmed to IlliniGuys.com that Brad Underwood’s Illini squad will have a different skeptical eye upon its results now that Shannon, a first-team All-Big Ten guard averaging a team-high 21.7 points per game and 40.8 percent of his three-point attempts, will not be on the active roster for the foreseeable future. 

Brad Sturdy, Co-Host Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio, […]

By IlliniGuys Staff December 29, 2023 (Cover photo courtesy […]

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman says neither he nor anybody in his department were aware for three weeks of a document time-stamped on Dec. 5 consisting of felony charges being made against Terrence Shannon Jr.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 29, 2023

CHAMPAIGN — Josh Whitman’s answer to the reason no disciplinary action was taken against Terrence Shannon Jr. immediately following a charging document being filed on Dec. 5 in Douglas County, Kansas District Court is simple. 

He hadn’t seen it and neither did anybody else in his office.

The official stance of Whitman, the athletics director at the University of Illinois, is that nobody in his department - including himself - was aware for over three weeks that such a document existed.

According to the student-athlete conduct policy, Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is slated to have a review by the ‘Student-Athlete Conduct Panel’ to assess his suspension. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 29, 2023

CHAMPAIGN — The next step for Terrence Shannon Jr. and his indefinite suspension from the Illinois men’s basketball program is a three-person committee to determine if his punishment should stand.

Terrence Shannon Jr. surrendered to authorities in Douglas County, Kansas Thursday morning on rape charges after an arrest warrant was issued the previous day. Citing the university’s student-athlete misconduct policy, Shannon Jr. was immediately suspended indefinitely from all activities regarding the men’s basketball program.

In his media conference Friday night inside State Farm Center before No. 11 Illinois hosts Fairleigh Dickinson University, Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman confirmed the next step in the process for Shannon under the university’s student-athlete misconduct policy is an official review by the ‘Student-Athlete Conduct Panel’