Basketball / 2019-21

Ayo Dosunmu was the USA Today National Player of the Year and Bob Cousy National Point Guard of the Year after an outstanding junior season in 2021. He was named an NCAA Consensus First-Team All-American, named to the five-player first team by each organization and news outlet that selects teams. Dosunmu was a finalist for every National Player of the Year honor, including the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Oscar Robertson Trophy. He was the only NCAA player since 2010 to average at least 20 points (20.1 ppg), six rebounds (6.3 rpg) and five assists (5.3 apg). Dosunmu was named the 2021 Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player and to the All-Tournament Team. The U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named him the District V Player of the Year and he was named unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten in 2021 after also earning First-Team All-Big Ten recognition as a sophomore in 2020. Dosunmu was named the Dike Eddleman UI Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 and 2021, and was just the fourth basketball player ever to repeat as the school’s top athlete award winner. He finished his career ranked No. 12 on the Illini career scoring list with 1,504 points and No. 2 among players after three seasons, while becoming the first player in school history to lead the team in scoring as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Dosunmu was chosen in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, where he played until traded to Minnesota during the 2025-26 season.