“We want Marcus, we want Marcus.”

The chants rang out throughout the crowd in the NOW Arena, home of the Windy City Bulls, during the fourth quarter of their Dec. 7 game against the Iowa Wolves.

Former Illini Marcus Domask sat on the bench smiling while his teammates clapped with the crowd. Domask has been a fan favorite for Windy City this season, just as he was a year ago for Illinois. During his lone season in Champaign, Domask won Big Ten Newcomer of the Year and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team.

“It’s been cool,” Domask said at the G League Winter Showcase on Dec. 20. “Through the ups and downs of the season, it’s fun to have a steady, kind of Illini, Southern Illinois presence in the crowd. I’m always signing autographs after a game, before games. So it’s kind of cool to just have that fan support behind no matter what’s going on (on) or off the court.”

The Illinois support has remained strong for Domask, who holds a special place in the hearts of Illini fans. Domask was one of the primary offensive options for Illinois. He averaged 15.9 points per game, good for second-best on the team behind first-round NBA draft pick Terrence Shannon Jr., who averaged 23 points per game that season.

However, after jumping to professional basketball, Domask is in a completely different situation than in college. As a rookie, he’s a role player adjusting to what the NBA wants out of its wings instead of playing so-called “booty ball” like he did in college.

“On the court, it’s a way different role,” Domask said. “I’m kind of in the corner a lot more, and I don’t really have the ball in my hands as much. It’s a way different role than I had in Illinois. So, you know, it takes a little bit to adjust and get used to that.”

Domask averaged 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 21.4 minutes per game during the 15 games he played in the Tip-Off Tournament portion of the G League season. Domask started the season slow, playing less than 15 minutes in each of Windy City’s first four games, including two scoreless nights.

In the last 11 games of the Tip-Off Tournament, however, Domask started multiple games and played over 25 minutes in seven games. That included his best game of the Tip-Off Tournament, a 23-point performance on 10-10 shooting in 35 minutes against the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

“I think at Illinois, because the ball was in my hands most of the game, I could kind of control more of the game,” Domask said. “Now opportunities, sometimes they come to me, sometimes I don’t get as many. So it’s all about taking advantage of the opportunities that you get and just staying ready. You never know when you’re going to get 15 shots a game versus when you’re going to get two shots a game.”

Despite having to adjust offensively, one thing that Domask has brought with him to the G League is defensive energy. The 6-foot-6 swingman had the best defensive rating on Windy City during the 16-game Tip-Off Tournament.

“I think defensively, I’ve been really solid,” Domask said. “I know coach has been really happy with that. In my different role, I’m expending less energy on offense compared to Illinois. So, you’ve got to try to play better defense and focus on that area.”

The G League is, first and foremost, a development league, but the competition level is still extremely high. NBA players, current and former, take the floor every night. Defense will keep Domask on the floor, and he’ll have time to adjust to his new offensive role throughout the rest of his rookie season.

“Definitely want to keep my shot getting better, just keep getting more comfortable in a different role,” Domask said. “It’s not anything specific, number-wise, anything like that. I think it’s more just my feel. You know, as a basketball player, how you feel on the court and how your game feels, so I think just continue to get my feel better for the game.”

Even though his focus has been on his career, the Windy City Bulls are only three hours north of Champaign. This made it easy for Domask to return to his former program earlier this year.

While he received his Elite Eight and Big Ten Championship ring in the mail, Domask made an appearance at the State Farm Center on Nov. 25 for the Illini’s matchup against the Little Rock Trojans.

“I like what they (the Illini) are doing,” Domask said. “They’ve lost a couple close ones, but I think as the season goes, they’ll continue to mature and get better pretty rapidly.”

Domask will always have the Illini support behind him, especially playing in the Chicago area. That, combined with his recent uptick in production and mentorship from experienced teammates like seven-year NBA veteran Ryan Arcidiacono, should bode well for his success in the 34-game G League regular season.

Domask got the start in Windy City’s first regular season game on Dec. 27, scoring 17 points on an efficient 7-13 shooting. He followed that up the next day in the second game of a back-to-back with a 26-point performance on 10-14 shooting. Domask also racked up nine rebounds and six assists. All of those numbers were career highs for Domask.

With Bulls two-way guard DJ Steward being waived on Saturday and high-scoring guard Javon Freeman-Liberty seemingly being out for the near future, Domask is primed to have a bigger role in the coming weeks and will have the opportunity to continue producing on the court at a high level.

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