Austin Colbert’s contributions might not be the most notable on the stat sheet, but his hard work has paid off.

Although fellow sophomores Malcolm Hill, Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate have taken most of the publicity with their play of late, Colbert has played meaningful minutes after working his way into for the Illinois men’s basketball lineup.

Both his teammates and coaches have credited Colbert’s improved play as a factor in the Illini’s recent success.

“(Colbert) made some plays, really contributed, and helped us win the game,” head coach John Groce said after Illinois’ win over Penn State on Jan. 31.

Recent injury woes have boosted Colbert into more minutes with the second unit. But there was a time earlier in his Illinois career in which Colbert found it hard to get on the court at all.

Colbert, a four-star recruit out of New Jersey, came to Illinois as one of seven newcomers to the team last year. He played in 22 of the Illini’s 35 games and averaged 1.3 points per game during his freshman year. Groce said his play, along with that of the other freshmen, was based on need and not on merit. Illinois’ depth was an issue throughout the 2013-14 season.

Through the ups and downs of his first year, Colbert kept up his enthusiastic attitude and continued to encourage his teammates from both the bench and the floor, an attitude that has carried over to this year.

“We love his attitude,” Hill said. “He’s always excited for us. He talks to us, even when we’re on the bench, and tells us to keep our heads up when things are down. He’s been a really great teammate.”

In the nonconference portion of this season, Colbert saw more consistent playing time, only missing the Missouri game.

But as Illinois’ entered Big Ten play, Colbert fell out of the rotation. He didn’t see the court in the team’s first six Big Ten games.

“It has definitely been challenging,” Colbert said. “Just trying to figure everything out as far as playing time and my role on the team. At the same time, it has been a good test because it shows how mentality focused you are.”

Colbert realized he needed to provide consistent energy, both in games and in practice, if he wanted to play more. So he started to work harder and took practice more seriously. The coaches took notice and Colbert started to get regular minutes.

After seeing the floor against Purdue on Jan. 21 and not playing when the Illini traveled to Minnesota on Jan. 24, it looked as if he would be riding the bench for the remainder of the season. But Colbert performed well against Penn State and hasn’t looked back — he’s built confidence along the way.

“(The coaches) want me to keep playing hard and keep doing what I’m doing,” Colbert said. “Until everybody gets back in the full rotation, they just want me to remain consistent and keep working hard.”

During Illinois’ current three-game win streak, Colbert has tallied four points, snagged seven rebounds and recorded an assist in 28 minutes of playing time.

After the Illini’s win over Rutgers last Tuesday, Groce commended Colbert for his defensive presence and unselfishness. Colbert finished the game scoreless but contributed to the win with three rebounds and an assist on the night.

“Colbert was really good,” Groce said. “He had great awareness tonight defensively. Good length. I thought he did some good things.”

Hill added that Colbert’s improved play has meant a lot for the Illini, who have had to regroup after losing both Rayvonte Rice and Aaron Cosby to injury and suspension earlier in the season.

“We need everybody,” Hill said. “For him to come in and make contributions on the court, that’s big for us.”

For Colbert, the extra time is a positive, but not something he’s taking for granted. After dealing with infrequent playing time for a majority of his first two years, Colbert’s continuing to work as hard as he can to get quality minutes and help his team improve in the process.

“I’m just trying to do everything that I can to stay on the floor and be positive in my production and get as many wins as we can,” Colbert said.

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