Illinois Basketball: Long Lost Point Guard Duo Finally Found
Last season was one to forget for the Illinois basketball team.
But, the last three seasons for the Illinois Fighting Illini should not be forgotten by the fanbase.
I want to remember those times so after this season and the ones following I can reflect on a place I don’t want to go back to.
The last three seasons have been downright miserable as an Illinois basketball fan. We have endured on court issues from injuries to lack of talent. We also had to deal with off-court issues as well.
All of this muck that Illini fans had to forge through not only made us tougher in our fandom, but it also makes me appreciate the class of 2016 even more.
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Busting Brackets 1 wIllinois Basketball: Te'Jon Lucas will be fully cleared to practice in October
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Over the past year or so the talk of the town has been about the class of 2017. While this is a great class, we can’t overlook the impact of the class of 2016.
The class of 2016 isn’t a massive group. This class lacks the quantity that 2017 will have, but it doesn’t lack quality.
Te’Jon Lucas is the only member of this class. I guess you could count Kipper Nichols in there as well, but he was already with the team and will finally suit up for the Illini after the fall semester.
Lucas is a 4-star recruit who is 6-foot-1, 165-pounds. He hails from Milwaukee, WI and should be a pretty good overall recruit.
But, the most important aspect about nabbing Lucas from the recruiting rankings is the position he plays.
Like I previously mentioned earlier in this rant, Illinois has lost the last three seasons. I attribute a lot of this to injuries and more importantly, the lack of point guard play.
Tracy Abrams hasn’t played in two years so that left a patchwork point guard situation for John Groce and the Illini.
They had a combination of Jaylon Tate plus any transfer that could help him out. This is no way of putting a point guard duo together.
In 2016, things will be changing, though. The addition of Lucas, who plays the point guard position, will help bolster the duo at point guard.
I have mentioned how much of an impact Lucas will make in a previous article, but I can’t reiterate it enough.
With Abrams finally healthy and Lucas added to that combination, I think Illinois will add wins purely based off that strong backcourt.
Lucas isn’t just a dishing point guard either. He is a well-rounded player that is going to be tremendous coming off the bench to start the season.
Abrams is more of a distributor with the ability to score when he needs to. Illinois has been missing his dishing ability as well as his driving ability.
When Lucas comes in this season, he is going to bring a mentality of scoring with the ability to dish. He is sort of Abrams Yin to his Yang.
It is exciting to see the Illini snag such a talented player in 2016. Lucas has a lot of potential and so does this Illinois basketball team.
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