| Illinois Probable Starters (from the exhibition games) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
13 |
Tracy Abrams |
6-3 |
185 |
Gr. |
10.7* |
3.5* |
3.2* |
Missed last 2 years (injury) |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
190 |
So. |
3.3 |
0.9 |
0.5 |
6 starts at true-frosh |
| G |
21 |
Malcolm Hill |
6-6 |
225 |
Sr. |
18.1 |
6.6 |
3.3 |
National POY Candidate |
| F |
43 |
Michael Finke |
6-10 |
230 |
r-So. |
7.5 |
3.7 |
1.0 |
Hit 40 3FG as RS Frosh |
| C |
22 |
Maverick Morgan |
6-10 |
245 |
Sr. |
8.3 |
3.5 |
0.6 |
16.5 ppg in 2 exhibitions |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
D.J. Williams |
6-7 |
210 |
So. |
2.1 |
1.4 |
0.3 |
Came on strong late last year |
| G |
1 |
Jaylon Tate |
6-3 |
170 |
Sr. |
1.8 |
1.3 |
2.5 |
3.1 A/TO ratio in 2015-16 |
| G |
3 |
Te'Jon Lucas |
6-0 |
170 |
Fr. |
- |
- |
- |
20.5 ppg, 7.8 apg in HS |
| G |
5 |
Jalen Coleman-Lands |
6-3 |
190 |
So. |
10.3 |
1.9 |
0.9 |
Freshman 3FG record (87) |
| C |
33 |
Mike Thorne Jr. |
6-11 |
280 |
Gr. |
12.9 |
8.5 |
0.3 |
Missed 26 games last year |
| G |
41 |
Clayton Jones |
6-0 |
170 |
r-Jr. |
- |
- |
- |
Junior college transfer |
| G |
44 |
Alex Austin |
6-4 |
185 |
r-Sr. |
1.3 |
1.3 |
0.6 |
Walk-on has 6 starts |
| Sitting Out |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
225 |
r-Fr. |
- |
- |
- |
Out fall semester (transfer) |
| G |
10 |
Drew Cayce |
6-1 |
165 |
So. |
- |
- |
- |
Sitting out season (transfer) |
| F |
12 |
Leron Black |
6-7 |
220 |
r-So. |
4.4 |
4.4 |
0.6 |
Suspended - Can return 11/21 |
| F |
45 |
Cameron Liss |
6-6 |
220 |
Jr. |
0.6 |
0.0 |
0.2 |
Redshirting season |
* 2013-14 Stats
Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 162-117/.581 (9th year)
At Illinois: 77-61/.558 (5th year)
Series Notes vs. Southeast Missouri
Series Record: Illinois leads 2-0
Series Streak: Illinois W-2
Record at Champaign: Illinois leads 2-0
Series Streak at Champaign: Illinois W-2
Last Meeting: Illinois 89, Southeast Missouri 64 (Dec. 28, 2005 at Champaign)
Groce vs. Southeast Missouri: First Meeting
Illini in Season Openers
Illinois opens its 112th season of men's basketball on Friday night, hosting Southeast Missouri State. The Fighting Illini have posted an all-time record of 97-14 (.874) in season openers.
Setting the Stage for 2016-17
This year's Fighting Illini squad has depth and experience, welcoming back a total of 12 letterwinners and approximately 77 percent of its points, 72 percent of its rebounds and 75 percent of its minutes from the 2015-16 campaign. Illinois returns six of its top seven scorers and will be strengthened by the addition of a number of key players who were limited last year with injuries.
Versatile Hill Does it All
With seven players combining to miss a total of 101 games and 14 different starting units, lineup changes existed throughout last season. One constant though for the Illini was the stellar all-around play of Malcolm Hill. Asked to play all five positions over the course of the year, Hill led the team in practically every statistical category while becoming the first player in school history to record 600 points, 200 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season.
Hill was the only Big Ten player to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists, earning second-team all-conference accolades. He ranked third in the league in scoring at 18.1 points per game, the highest average by an Illini in 13 years. He also averaged 6.6 rebounds (ninth in Big Ten) and 3.3 assists. Hill's season total of 614 points ranked sixth on the all-time UI list. He scored 20 or more in 16 games, led by a career-high 39 points at Penn State, the sixth-best single-game performance in school history.
Hill enters his senior season on the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List and also was selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
Long-Awaited Comeback for Abrams
Following back-to-back season-ending injuries, senior Tracy Abrams has recovered from those setbacks and will take the court for his final collegiate campaign after receiving a medical hardship waiver for a sixth-year of eligibility. Abrams missed the entire 2014-15 season after tearing his ACL in September, then missed all of last season after tearing his Achilles tendon in July.
Prior to the injuries, Abrams had been a mainstay in the starting lineup since midway through his freshman season. He ranked second on the team in scoring as a junior in 2013-14, averaging 10.7 points, and led the Illini in assists (3.2 apg). No parts of his game will be more valued by his teammates, however, than the leadership skills and toughness he brings to the court.
Extra Year for Thorne Too
Illinois is in the unique, and perhaps unprecedented, position of having two sixth-year players on the same roster. Senior Mike Thorne Jr. also received a medical hardship waiver to extend his eligibility to a sixth season.
Thorne made a big impact on the Illini last year as a graduate transfer with his ability to score in the paint and rebound. He averaged 12.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in eight games, but missed most of the season after tearing his meniscus against Iowa State on Nov. 28. Thorne was Illinois' leading rebounder in six of his eight games and scored in double figures five times.
Senior Depth
Maverick Morgan is another senior the Illini will depend on in the frontcourt. He averaged 8.3 points last year and was a breakout player late in the season, averaging 12.0 points over the final 12 games, including 13.8 ppg over the last five. Morgan led the Illini in field goal shooting at 56.4 percent (eighth in Big Ten), highlighted by a 10-for-13 effort en route to a career-high 21 points at Maryland.
After leading the Illini in assists two years ago, Jaylon Tate suffered a dislocated finger in last year's season opener that forced him to miss 4.5 games and caused discomfort throughout the year. He still totaled 75 assists and now enters his senior season back at full force. Tate provides veteran experience and stability at point guard.
The sixth and final senior is Alex Austin, a walkon who is coming off his first action with the Illini after sitting out as a transfer following two years at Eastern Illinois. Austin played in 32 games last year, starting six times, and averaged nearly 10 minutes per game for the Illini. He is one of the team's top perimeter defenders.
Coleman-Lands Sets Record
The Illini coaching staff felt it had recruited one of the nation's top shooters in the class of 2015 in Jalen Coleman-Lands. And JCL delivered in his inaugural season, torching the nets with 87 three-pointers to break the Illinois freshman record. Coleman-Lands was fourth in the Big Ten with an average of 2.6 treys while shooting 42.2 percent behind the arc to rank eighth in the league. He was the team's third-leading scorer with an average of 10.3 points, reaching double figures 19 times. Coleman-Lands missed most of the preseason with a broken hand suffered Sept. 7 but returned to practice in late October and played in both exhibition games.
Frontcourt Bolstered with Finke and Black
The Illini will look for strong contributions from redshirt sophomores Michael Finke and Leron Black with their contrasting frontcourt styles. After redshirting his first season on campus, Finke had a number of bright moments last year. He started 16 games and averaged 7.5 points. A stretch-four with good passing skills, Finke shot 36.7 percent from 3-point range while knocking down 40 treys. He scored in double figures 10 times, led by a 24-point outing vs. Western Carolina.
Black was slowed following October surgery for a torn meniscus. He was limited to seven games, averaging 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds, before sitting out the rest of the season and taking a medical redshirt. The Illini missed his presence on the glass, and he will be counted on for his rebounding ability this year. Black is suspended through the first four regular season games and will return to the court on Nov. 21 vs. Winthrop.
Also Returning for the Orange and Blue
Rounding out the Illini letterwinners are Aaron Jordan, D.J. Williams and Cameron Liss, joined by returnee Kipper Nichols.
Jordan played in 31 games as a freshman, averaging 3.3 points, led by a season-high 14 points in his debut vs. North Florida. Williams, meanwhile, appeared in 29 games and averaged 2.1 points. He earned more playing time as the season evolved, logging double digit minutes in 11 of the last 12 games. Both players have worked hard in the offseason on skill development and improvements in the weight room and look to take the next step in their progression as sophomores.
Liss is returning for his third year as a walkon, providing depth in practice for the UI frontcourt while sitting out the season as a redshirt.
Nichols joined the Illini last season at the semester break. He sat out the spring and will miss the fall semester as well per transfer rules after originally signing with Tulane. The redshirt freshman is expected to be eligible beginning with the BYU game on Dec. 17. Nichols is a powerful 6-6 forward with the ability to defend multiple positions.
New Additions
There are three newcomers to the Illini roster this season in freshman Te'Jon Lucas and preferred walkons Clayton Jones and Drew Cayce.
Lucas was a unanimous first-team All-State selection in Wisconsin after averaging 20.5 points and 7.8 assists as a senior at Milwaukee Washington High School. He also was chosen as the state's top senior point guard. Lucas' season was cut short after fracturing his ankle in a game on Feb. 6. He focused on recovering from that injury through the summer, which limited his on-court activity. Lucas returned to full contact at the start of preseason practice in October.
Jones is a Champaign native who joins the program after attending junior college the previous three years, last competing with Lake Land during the 2014-15 season. Jones is a competitor and solid 3-point shooter who will push his fellow Illini guards.
Cayce will sit out this season after transferring from Creighton, where he redshirted last year as a freshman. Cayce will focus on helping the Illini backcourt in daily practices.
Illini Sign Three In 2017 Class
Coach John Groce announced the signing of three student-athletes to national letters of intent in guards Trent Frazier (Wellington, Fla.) Javon Pickett (Belleville, Ill.) and Da'Monte Williams (Peoria, Ill.).
Frazier is a four-star recruit ranked No. 78 by Scout, No. 101 by Rivals and No. 102 by 247Sports composite. He averaged 21 points, six assists and 2.2 assists as a junior at Wellington High School. He led Wellington to the Class 8A state championship as a sophomore and quarterfinal appearance as a junior. Frazier was a first-team All-State pick by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches and All-Area Player of the Year by the Palm Beach Post.
Picket is a three-star recruit who averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 rebounds as a junior at Belleville East High School, shooting 55 percent from the field. He scored a career-high 42 points vs. East St. Louis. Pickett was a first-team All-State selection by the Associated Press, Chicago Sun-Times, Champaign News Gazette and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA).
Williams is a four-star recruit ranked No. 92 by ESPN, No. 106 by Rivals and No. 107 by 247Sports composite. He led Peoria Manual High School to its first IHSA large-class state finals appearance since 1997, where the Rams finished third. Williams averaged 15.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a junior, scoring a career-high 37 points vs. Joliet West. He earned first-team All-State honors by the Associated Press and IBCA. Williams is the son of Illini all-time great point guard Frank Williams, the 2001 Big Ten Player of the Year and two-time All-American.
Renovated State Farm Center Complete
Known as Assembly Hall from its construction in 1963 to 2013, the iconic home to Illinois basketball was renamed State Farm Center on April 29, 2013, with the announcement of a 30-year, $60 million naming rights agreement. State Farm Center underwent a major renovation, which began following the conclusion of the 2013-14 basketball season, dubbed the Illinois Renaissance. The $169.5-million project included a renovated seating bowl; the addition of four levels of premium seating; improved restrooms and concessions; remodeled locker rooms, video room and team lounge; Hall of Fame space; air conditioning and many other amenities.
The construction schedule was year-round, with the major elements occurring around each Fighting Illini basketball season. The most labor intensive part of the renovation began immediately following the final home game of the 2014-15 season, when the lower half of the seating bowl was torn out and reconstructed.
The project concluded in time for the start of the 2016-17 season. The official dedication for renovated State Farm Center will take place on Nov. 29, when the Fighting Illini host North Carolina State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
