5-Star SF Recruit Will Riley Commits to Illinois Over Kentucky, Arkansas, More
Jun 23, 2024
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 04: A cheerleader waves a flag with an Illinois Fighting Illini logo before the college basketball game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 4, 2024, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Class of 2025 small forward prospect Will Riley has committed to Illinois over Kentucky, Arkansas and other programs, per 247Sports' Jeremy Werner.
Riley, a Malvern, Pennsylvania, native, is a 5-star prospect considered to be the No. 12 overall player, the No. 3 small forward nationally and the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania by 247Sports composite.
Along with offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky and others, Riley also had professional opportunities before ultimately picking the Fighting Illini, according to Werner.
2025 5-star Will Riley just committed to Illinois🔥
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) June 23, 2024
With a 0.9955 247Sports Composite, Riley is Illinois' highest-ranked recruit since the start of the Composite era in 2003. Brad Underwood, who took over as head coach in 2017, has been responsible for the six-highest recruits in the last 22 classes, Werner noted.
Riley is the second commit for the Illini for the Class of 2025 with the other being Jeremiah Fears, a 4-star combo guard and the No. 32 player nationally, according to 247Sports composite. It's still early in the year, but Illinois currently has the top recruiting class for the Class of 2025.
Illinois is coming off a strong 29-9 season where it lost to eventual champion UConn in the Elite Eight—its best finish during Underwood's tenure. The Fighting Illini lost a handful of players to the transfer portal and star player Terrence Shannon Jr. to the draft, but they're looking to post another promising season as they await Riley's arrival in 2025.
NBA Draft Prospect Terrence Shannon Jr. Found Not Guilty of Rape, Sexual Battery
Jun 13, 2024
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 30: Terrence Shannon Jr. #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini warms up against the Connecticut Huskies during the Elite Eight round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at TD Garden on March 30, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Former Illinois basketball player and current NBA draft prospect Terrence Shannon Jr. was found not guilty of rape and not guilty of aggravated sexual battery on Thursday, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports and Danny Connolly and Amanda Brennan of WCIA.
A jury in Kansas cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing with the ruling.
Connolly and Brennan previously reported on the case and noted Shannon was initially charged in December when a then 18-year-old woman "accused him of digitally penetrating her at a bar called the Jayhawk Café in September."
She performed a sexual assault examination kit, although there was not enough DNA evidence to match to anyone.
Illinois suspended him from the basketball team as a result of the allegations, although he returned for the club's Jan. 21 game against Rutgers after U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless ruled the school violated his civil rights with the punishment and issued a preliminary injunction that allowed him to play.
WAND reported on the trial, noting it started with jury selection Monday, included multiple days of witness testimonies and came to an end with Thursday's closing arguments and a ruling.
Shannon, who pleaded not guilty, was among those who took the stand and said that while he went to the Jayhawk Café on the night in question, he had never interacted with the alleged victim and saw her for the first time during last month's preliminary hearing.
He also said he had approximately four drinks and two shots that night, which he said was not enough to forget the events of the evening.
As part of his testimony, Shannon pointed to the lawsuit he previously won that allowed him to keep playing for the Illinois basketball team. However, prosecutors argued that it was not a criminal trial and had different standards than these proceedings.
Shannon played the rest of the season for Illinois following the injunction and helped lead it to the Elite Eight, where it lost to eventual national champion UConn.
He is now preparing for the NBA draft. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Shannon as the No. 33 pick in his latest mock draft.
Judge: Terrence Shannon Jr.'s Legal Team Allowed to Show Video Evidence at Rape Trial
Jun 7, 2024
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 28: Terrence Shannon Jr. #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at TD Garden on March 28, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Former Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr.'s legal team will be able to show video evidence at his rape trial that is scheduled to begin next week.
During a Friday hearing in Lawrence, Kansas, Judge Amy Hanley ruled that the video evidence will be permitted, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf.
Medcalf noted the judge's ruling was in response to Shannon's lawyers arguing "that the video evidence they will present during the trial will show another man standing next to the alleged victim the night of the alleged sexual assault" at the same Lawrence bar.
Hanley called the evidence "relevant" to the case in her ruling.
"Additionally, the defendant, the third-party defendant, to be very carefully precise, the third-party defendant is alleged to have been present at the scene of this case and this alleged crime," she said. "The court finds that that evidence is relevant and admissible and the defense will be allowed to present that evidence."
Medcalf noted that Shannon's legal team is arguing the "third-party defendant" had been accused of sexually touching another woman in a nonconsensual manner two weeks earlier at the same bar where the alleged victim in Shannon's case "told police in September that a man had sexually penetrated her with his fingers."
The third-party defendant, per Shannon's legal team, was standing in "exactly" the same spot and within "arm's length" of where the woman in the case said Shannon was standing on the night of the alleged assault.
According to Medcalf, a Kansas basketball player who was standing next to the third-party defendant will testify in Shannon's defense. The third-party defendant was previously charged with sexually assaulting a woman prior to the accusations against Shannon, but those charges were eventually dropped.
Shannon was charged with "rape, sexual intercourse without consent and use of force" in an arrest warrant that was issued by the Douglas County district attorney's office on Dec. 27. He was suspended from all team activities by the University of Illinois.
After turning himself in and posting bail, Shannon was released from custody on Dec. 28. He was allowed to join the Illini basketball team on Jan. 19 after a judge granted his request for a temporary restraining order.
Shannon has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree felony rape and felony sexual aggravate battery. The trial is set to begin on June 10.
ESPN: Kasparas Jakucionis Commits to Illinois; Projected 1st Round in NBA Draft 2025
May 28, 2024
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 05: Kasparas Jakucionis, #43 of FC Barcelona warm up prior the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 19 match between FC Barcelona and Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz at Palau Blaugrana on January 05, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)
Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis has committed to play his college basketball at Illinois during the 2024-25 season, ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported Tuesday.
Givony noted that Jakucionis is one of the top international prospects in the class of 2024, and is projected as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Jakucionis is set to join an Illinois program that has made four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and reached the Elite Eight last season.
Per Givony, the 6'6" Jakucionis is one of the youngest players to ever suit up for FC Barcelona, as he debuted for the squad in a Liga ACB game at 16 years of age.
Jakucionis, who turns 18 on Wednesday, also made his Euroleague debut with Barcelona in January.
Although Jakucionis' statistical output at Barcelona was modest, the fact that he was entrusted to play at all in a major professional league against many former NBA players speaks to his potential.
So far this year, Jakucionis has starred at the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Camp and the Nike Hoop Summit. Givony noted that Jakucionis averaged 17.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in 34 contests across multiple competitions.
With Jakucionis in the fold, the Fighting Illini figure to be contenders to both win the Big Ten and potentially vie for a national championship next season.
According to 247Sports, Illinois has the 16th-best incoming transfer class for the 2024-25 season and the 29th-best class of incoming players overall when also taking high schoolers into account.
Jakucionis is the second major international prospect to commit to Illinois this offseason, joining 7-foot Croatian center Tomislav Ivišić.
Ex-Illinois CBB Player Terrence Shannon Jr. to Face Trial on Rape, Battery Charges
May 10, 2024
MADISON, WISCONSIN - MARCH 02: Terrence Shannon Jr. #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Kohl Center on March 02, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
A Kansas judge ruled during a preliminary hearing on Friday that former Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. will stand trial on June 10 as he faces first-degree felony rape and felony sexual aggravated battery charges, per ESPN's Myron Metcalf.
Shannon entered a plea of not guilty after being arraigned, but the judge ruled that there was enough probable cause to proceed with the case.
The impending trial stems from a woman alleging that Shannon "digitally penetrated her vagina without her consent" at a Kansas bar on Sept. 9, according to court filings (h/t CBS News). The woman identified Shannon after finding his picture through a Google search and informed police.
Police arrested Shannon and charged him with "unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly [engaging] in sexual intercourse with a person ... who did not consent to the sexual intercourse under circumstances when she was overcome by force or fear, a severity level 1 person felony." Shannon's attorneys requested before the preliminary hearing that the DNA evidence not be admissible in the trial.
Illinois suspended Shannon indefinitely in December, but he only missed six games after a federal judge granted him a temporary restraining order that allowed him to return to the team on Jan. 19. He played the rest of the season, appearing in 32 games total.
Metcalf noted that Shannon's attorneys said there is an expectation that his trial will be completed before the NBA draft on June 26-27.
Shannon's legal team released a statement on Friday following the judge's ruling.
"Our legal team is neither shocked nor disappointed by the outcome of this event," Mark Sutter, one of Shannon's attorneys, said. "A preliminary hearing is a procedural process that merely speaks to the threshold of evidence and whether a question of fact may exist for a jury. It has nothing to do with guilt or innocence. Those issues will be decided at trial, and we continue to look forward to our day in court."
Illinois Closes Terrence Shannon Jr. Investigation Over Sexual Assault Allegations
Apr 11, 2024
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 30: Terrence Shannon Jr. #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini warms up against the Connecticut Huskies during the Elite Eight round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at TD Garden on March 30, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The University of Illinois is closing its investigation into the sexual assault accusations made against basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr., according to ESPN's Shwetha Surendran.
The school's director of the office for student conflict resolution, Robert Wilczynski, wrote to Shannon on April 5, noting that the school didn't have sufficient evidence to prove there was a violation of the student code.
Per that letter, the school wasn't given "access to the complainant, the complainant's witness." Additionally, "the complete Lawrence Police Department file was not available to the investigator."
Shannon, 23, was arrested and charged with rape, sexual intercourse without consent and use of force on Dec. 28 after a woman accused him of digitally penetrating her without consent in September at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas.
He posted a $50,000 bond and one of his attorneys, Mark P. Sutter, said Shannon has maintained his innocence "from the beginning" and has "cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation."
He is still facing criminal charges in Kansas, with a preliminary hearing slated for May 10.
Shannon was suspended indefinitely from the team in January but sued both the school and its president, Timothy Killeen, and also filed for an injunction. A federal judge granted him a temporary restraining order in January, allowing him to return to the court. He has since dropped the lawsuit.
He then helped lead the Illini to the Elite Eight in the NCAA men's tournament. An April 10 post on social media suggested he will declare for the 2024 NBA draft:
Robert Lang, Shannon's attorney, said the senior guard "fully cooperated with the university's investigation, and the university did as thorough of an investigation as possible that spanned several weeks."
Illinois Reaches Elite Eight with Win vs. Iowa State, Impresses March Madness Fans
Mar 29, 2024
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 28: Coleman Hawkins #33 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates a basket against the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at TD Garden on March 28, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
It wasn't always pretty, but Illinois is moving on to the Elite Eight.
The Fighting Illini beat Iowa State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night, 72-69, behind Terrance Shannon Jr.'s 29 points.
Illinois advanced despite struggling from both three (9-of-29) and the free-throw line (15-of-29), allowing Iowa State to hang around in game that saw the Cyclones get off to an incredibly slow start on the offensive end.
Awaiting Illinois is the defending champion UConn Huskies, a brutal matchup for any team, but the Fighting Illini received their flowers on social media after a hard-fought win:
UConn vs Illinois has game of the tournament potential.
Both teams will probably feel as though they didn't offer their best basketball on the evening. While Illinois struggled massively from the free-throw line, costing themselves easy points, Iowa State snuffed multiple easy looks at the rim and became careless with the ball late in the second half with the game on the line.
A lot of focus on Illinois at the FT line but this has been just as big if not bigger. https://t.co/CpjmaznILq
The reel of missed gimmes will haunt everyone on that Iowa State team for the rest of their lives if Illinois holds on. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like it. https://t.co/1fvxTX5Dvv
Not the prettiest performance from these Cyclones, though they deserve credit for fighting through their early struggles. Illinois jumped out to an early 11-2 lead, led by as many as 13 points in the first half and took a 10-point advantage into the intermission.
Iowa State continued to claw back but never completely erased the deficit, as the Fighting Illini led wire-to-wire.
UConn will present far more issues for Illinois. The Huskies have now won their last nine NCAA tournament games over the past two seasons by an average margin of 22.9 points, a remarkable stretch of dominance.
Illinois can score with the best of them. But if they don't clean up some of their execution, namely at the free-throw line, UConn won't let them hang around.
Illinois' Marcus Domask 1st in MCBB Since Ja Morant with March Madness Triple-Double
Mar 21, 2024
OMAHA, NEBRASKA - MARCH 21: Marcus Domask #3 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives the ball up the court against the Morehead State Eagles during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at CHI Health Center on March 21, 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Illinois senior forward Marcus Domask made history during the team's 85-69 win over Morehead State in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.
Domask recorded a triple-double by scoring 12 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists in 36 minutes on the floor. Although he shot just 5-14 from the field, he connected on two of his four attempts from three-point range.
He became the first player to record a March Madness triple-double since Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, as Morant achieved the feat during Murray State's win over Marquette in the opening round of the 2019 tournament. Domask is now one of nine players to ever record a triple-double in the NCAA tournament.
Players to record triple-doubles in men's NCAA Tournament history:
◽️ Gary Grant ◽️ Shaquille O’Neal ◽️ David Cain ◽️ Andre Miller ◽️ Dwyane Wade ◽️ Cole Aldrich ◽️ Draymond Green (2x) ◽️ Ja Morant
Marcus Domask has recorded the 10th official triple double in NCAA tournament history, joining Gary Grant, Shaquille O'Neal, David Cain, Andre Miller, Dwyane Wade, Cole Aldrich, Draymond Green (twice) and Ja Morant. Domask finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
"It's definitely a cool accomplishment to have my name up there with some of the greats, and so few have done it so far," he said after the game, per the Associated Press (h/t CBS Sports). "At this point in my career I'm past the personal accolades. At this point in March, it's all about winning. That's all I'm trying to do."
Although Domask had never recorded a triple-double in his collegiate career prior to Thursday's action, he's remained an effective all-around player for head coach Brad Underwood. In 34 starts during the 2023-24 season, he averaged 16.0 points and 4.9 rebounds to go along with a team-leading 3.7 assists per game.
Illinois advanced to the second round of the tournament for the third time in the past four seasons with Underwood. Now, the team will face off against Duquesne after the Dukes' upset win over BYU.
Illinois Commended by CBB Fans with Big Ten Tournament Title Win vs. Wisconsin
Mar 17, 2024
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 17: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) goes up for a shot over Wisconsin Badgers forward Steven Crowl (22) during the first half of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament championship game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Illinois Fighting Illini on March 17, 2024, at the the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
It wasn't the easiest of victories.
The Illinois men's basketball team trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half and looked like the latest victim of a surging Wisconsin. Instead, the Fighting Illini locked it down and grinded out a 93-87 victory over the Badgers to secure their first conference championship since 2021.
Illinois improved to 26-8 on the season and earned a key piece of hardware and momentum going into the NCAA tournament.
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Terrence Shannon Jr. led all scorers with 34 points, while Marcus Domask was next with 26. The Illini won the rebound battle 37-30, 24 of which came from the defensive end.
This big Marcus Domask 3 was made possible by Ty Rodgers' work on the glass. 😤#B1GMBBT x @IlliniMBB
Illinois fully leaning into wing ball after a lack of point guard play killed their chances last season has been a strong pivot. A true five wing, spread-n-shred offense with relentless rim pressure and shooting threats everywhere. Feels like a 2015 fever dream come to life.
ILLINI ARE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPS MY FAVORITE PART OF THE SECOND HALF DOUBLE DIGIT DEFICIT WAS THE FRIENDS WE MADE ALONG THE WAY HOLY COW I NEED A BATH I L L pic.twitter.com/tSzpPhWd2P
I’ve made no secret that Illinois basketball is not my cup of tea, they certainly aren’t my Boilers.
But in most years, they were good enough to win the regular season title and they can definitely make a run in March. So I’m glad they got this tournament title.
Isn’t it funny how Chicago’s Justin Fields Era was initiated by an Illinois men’s basketball Big Ten Championship and was immediately followed by an Illinois Big Ten Championship?
Illinois will now look to use this experience to do some damage in March Madness. The Fighting Illini have not advanced past the second round since 2017, and fell in the second round last season against Iowa State.
Wisconsin will hope to wipe the loss from its memory and make a deep run in March as well. It finishes its pre-tournament season 22-13.
Selection Sunday will take place today at 6 p.m. ET.
