Former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. walked into the Gameday Spirit Fanstore on Saturday afternoon to cheers and applause. Numerous fans lined up in the store and outside in the cold weather, waiting to meet the legendary Illini guard before his honored jersey ceremony that night for Illinois’ game against Michigan State.

“I did not expect to see this many people,” said Treanette Redding, Shannon’s mother. “I was shocked, actually. But, it was a good feeling just to see how many people support (Shannon) and still think so highly of him and wanted to come and show their support and what he meant to them.”

Fans could purchase Shannon’s Nike Illinois jersey, an exclusive bobblehead, photos or a basketball if they wanted an item signed. Children, University students, families and alumni waited in line to meet Shannon. He took his time chatting with them and taking photos with everyone who asked.

“This whole week has been nothing but getting ready for today,” said Cory Shumard, manager of the two Champaign Gameday Spirit locations. “The response has been, if I may say, overwhelming. I don’t think we’ve ever had this kind of line, this kind of excitement, this kind of build-up to his visit … We’re glad to have him for two hours today.”

Brendan Unes, sophomore in Business, was the “No. 0” fan in line after winning a contest on Gameday Spirit’s social media. 

“I had no clue that I would get it,” Unes said. “By the time I was entering into it, there was already like 80 people. Super lucky that I got it.”

Unes got to meet Shannon before any other fan in the building. As a freshman, he watched Shannon dominate his final season of college basketball. This made Unes a huge fan, and he still follows Shannon’s journey with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Minnesota, having a veteran-heavy roster this year, has not given Shannon many minutes in the NBA yet. However, his last two games were a complete change. Shannon played 20 minutes on Wednesday, scoring 11 points off 4-7 shooting and followed that up with a 13-point performance the next day in 29 minutes.

“(Meeting Shannon) was kind of intimidating for a bit,” Unes said. “It was really cool. He’s definitely my favorite basketball player in the NBA right now, so it’s awesome to meet him.”

Just a few hours after finishing the meet and greet, a banner with Shannon’s name and No. 0 jersey will be raised to the rafters during a halftime ceremony at State Farm Center. He will appear in front of the Orange Krush and a full arena of Illini fans for the first time since his final home game on March 5 last year. With his family, including his mother at his side, Shannon will forever be immortalized in Illinois basketball history.

“Just to unveil the banner and just to be there to share that moment with my son — I’m going to just live in the moment,” Redding said. “I’m looking forward to the whole ceremony. Just to see him being honored is a momentous occasion.”

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