Passion, work ethic important during Frazier’s time at Illinois
By Brandon Simberg, Staff Writer
September 20, 2020
Throughout his four years at Illinois, Trent Frazier’s passion for the basketball program has never wavered. In an era where players transfer constantly, Frazier decided to stick things out at Illinois through the good and the bad. The West Palm Beach, Florida native certainly could have left the program. H...
Highly-touted freshman Adam Miller looks to bring shooting touch to Illinois
By Brandon Simberg, Staff Writer
September 17, 2020
The prize of Illinois’ 2020 recruiting class was 4-star guard Adam Miller. The Illini offered Miller back in 2016 and had pushed hard to get him, though Miller finally committed to Illinois in November 2019 before signing his letter of intent in April. After diving into film, there's a reason th...
Hutcherson prepared for lofty expectations at Illinois after year off
By Brandon Simberg, Staff Writer
September 14, 2020
Shooting the three-pointer was anything but easy for Illinois in the 2019-2020 season. As a team, they shot 30.3% from behind the arc, finishing dead last in the Big Ten and 311th in the country. Improving on shooting is a must for Illinois this season. Enter redshirt junior Austin Hutcherson. Hutcherson sat out l...
Hutcherson has rediscovered his love for the game through injuries, tribulations
By Brandon Simberg, Staff Writer
September 12, 2020
When Austin Hutcherson steps on the court at Ubben Basketball Practice Facility, he knows he defeated the odds to get there. Constant injuries and setbacks defined Hutcherson’s high school career. Limited to just one AAU season, Hutcherson had little time to get noticed. The Freehold, New Jersey nati...
Illini look to fill void left by Feliz, Griffin
September 9, 2020
In the second half of the game at Iowa last season, Hawkeye’s star center Luka Garza grabbed a rebound and was moments away from starting a Hawkeye fastbreak. That was until 6-foot-2-inch Illinois guard Andrés Feliz snuck in and ripped the ball away from Garza, finishing a lay-up and giving a boost to...
Illini miss out on two major 2021 targets
By Brandon Simberg, Staff Writer
September 3, 2020
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and his staff have had a very successful run on the recruiting trail. They secured one of the top 2020 classes in the Big Ten and locked in sharpshooter Luke Goode for 2021. The program endured a rough stretch, however, when two top 2021 targets, Brandon Weston and ...
Miller marches in protest, voices support for Black Lives Matter movement
By Gabby Hajduk, Sports Editor
September 3, 2020
Adam Miller showed up to the Illinois athlete-led protest on Monday evening at the last minute. The highly-anticipated Illini freshman guard was out of town earlier that day but knew how important it was for him to attend the march. Miller has voiced his support for Black lives on his Instagram and Twitter acco...
Big Ten explores earlier football start dates
By Josh Pietsch, Staff Writer
September 3, 2020
The Big Ten seems to be more unsure than any other conference about what to do regarding a college football start date. After commissioner Kevin Warren and the league announced on Aug. 11 that the fall season would be postponed to the spring, the Big Ten is now discussing a possible late-fall or early-...
Andre Curbelo brings speed, versatility to Illini
By Brandon Simberg, Staff Writer
September 2, 2020
Illinois’ 2020 recruiting class finished as 17th nationally and third in the Big Ten. While Adam Miller enters as the top recruit (No. 33 in the country, per 247Sports), Andre Curbelo may be the player most ready to make an impact. Let’s break down what makes the Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, native so sp...
Cockburn speaks against racial injustice in America
By Gabby Hajduk, Sports Editor
August 31, 2020
Illini center Kofi Cockburn was the most dominant freshman in the Big Ten last year. He’s known for his glass-rattling dunks, his game-winning blocks and his intimidating stature, but on Thursday, he made the statement that he is more than an athlete. His statement, however, didn’t need to be ...
Cockburn looks to build on strong freshman season
August 30, 2020
Before making his decision to return to Illinois for his sophomore year, Kofi Cockburn first had to go home. The imposing center went back to New York to weigh the decision with his mom and his brother, who played a huge role in Cockburn coming to the United States to play basketball. But Cockburn had a...
Illinois basketball fans of all generations set high expectations for upcoming season
By Brandon Simberg, Staff Writer
August 27, 2020
Cam Shaffer has been an Illini fan for as long as he can remember. After all, his grandfather taught at the University for over 20 years. His dad grew up in Urbana and also attended Illinois. Some of Shaffer’s earliest Illinois memories include the 2004-2005 national championship run and when the ...
