Illinois Basketball's Best of the Century: No. 5 Terrence Shannon Jr.

A 6-foot-6 Chicago native, Shannon took the scenic route to Champaign, by way of Texas Tech, joining Illinois with two years of eligibility remaining – both of which he put to great use for the Illini.

Shannon's game

Although he embodies the phrase "jump-out-of-the-gym athlete," Shannon was far more than a dunker. His combination of open-floor speed and sheer strength at 225 pounds was LeBron James-esque at the collegiate level. The most potent transition player in Division I basketball during the 2023-24 season, Shannon was all but guaranteed to get a bucket or earn a trip to the free-throw line when he had the rock on the break – and he often wound up with both the hoop and the harm.

In the halfcourt, Shannon could score at any level. From deep, he would knock down triples off the catch or step back off the dribble. In the midrange, he had a nice pull-up (usually an in-and-out cross-over into a pull-up), but he also had a sneaky floater in his bag. Still, Shannon’s most lethal weapon was his ability to attack the basket.

With a tight handle, a quick first step and that solid frame, Shannon was virtually unguardable. Anyone athletic enough to stay in front of Shannon wasn’t strong enough to keep him out of the paint, while burly defenders didn’t have a chance to check him in space.

Defensively, Shannon somehow had a similar impact, registering nearly a block per game (0.9) and a steal per outing in his final year as an Illini, while often taking on the task of guarding the opposing team's best player.

Shannon's legacy

All of that amounted to one of the greatest single seasons from any player in Illini history – and certainly the best scoring season. In that brilliant 2023-24 campaign that saw Shannon push Illinois to the Elite Eight, he broke the program record with 736 points. In the Big Ten Tournament – which the Illini won – Shannon obliterated the tournament record with 40 points against Nebraska, and averaged an absurd 35.0 points across three games.

Shannon may have spent only two seasons at Illinois, but his two-way impact and the success the program had with him leading the way cannot be overstated. Arguably the most dominant player to suit up in orange and blue in this century's first quarter (Kofi Cockburn may have a more compelling case), Shannon will undoubtedly be an integral part of Illinois’ basketball history for decades to come.