Aaron Cosby has always been a stellar shooter.

But when Cosby arrived at Illinois, there was something that may have stood out to head coach John Groce, other than his shot.

“When he came in here, I didn’t think he competed every day,” Groce said. “I thought he was a pick and choose guy.”

After sitting out a year after transferring from Seton Hall, Cosby has turned that initial negative into a positive.

While Cosby may have lacked a competitive drive on a daily basis, Groce said he has seen the biggest improvement from the junior shooting guard in that aspect.

A year away from competitive basketball can do that.

Cosby excelled on the offensive end of the floor when he was at Seton Hall. He averaged 10.1 points per game over his 65 games with the Pirates and shot 38.8 percent from three during his college career.

“Not playing made me even more competitive,” Cosby said. “I looked at practice differently than I ever have. That was the only competition I got. So I’d try to raise the level of competition in practice.”

While he transferred to be closer to his family in Louisville, Kentucky, Cosby’s move to Illinois also makes sense in terms of fitting into the system.

The Illini lacked outside shooting threats last year, and the addition of both senior point guard Ahmad Starks and Cosby’s ability to shoot the long ball provides two deep threats for the Illini.

On multiple occasions, Groce has praised Cosby’s shooting ability.

“Cosby can make shots off cuts,” Groce said. “Think of Ray Allen or Rip Hamilton or Reggie Miller. Those are not easy shots to make either. Cosby has a gift with that.”

When asked where he can help Illinois the most, Cosby was quick to respond that his offense will help space the floor better.

“I can help the team shooting the ball, scoring the ball,” Cosby said. “I’ll have some attention on me just being a shooter, and it’ll open up opportunities for everyone else. It will make everyone else’s job a little easier.”

When the Illini hit the road last year, Cosby and other fellow transfer Ahmad Starks would go to Ubben Basketball Complex to get in extra practice time.

While Cosby built up his level of daily competition against fellow Illini in practice, he’s ready to move past playing only Illinois players.

“I know he’s itching to get back on the court and ready to play against someone else,” center Nnanna Egwu said. “I know he’s told me he’s tired of playing against us. He wants to play against someone different, so I can’t wait to see him out there.”

Cosby will get his chance when Illinois starts its season with an exhibiion against Quincy on Nov. 7.

While he’s improved his game in a number of areas, his level of competition will stand out this season. When Cosby takes the court, the competitiveness that was once a weakness will be one of his greatest strengths.

“He hates to lose,” Groce said. “He’s got that streak in him and he’s living that out every day. He’s much more of an every day guy now than he was when he first got here.”

Nicholas can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @IlliniSportsGuy.