Shannon returning to Illinois
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CHAMPAIGN — Terrence Shannon Jr. just made Illinois fans happy on Wednesday night.
With a two-word tweet, the Illini's leading scorer last season indicated he will return to Illinois for the 2023-24 season and has withdrawn from the NBA draft.
— Terrence Shannon Jr (@Sn1per_T) June 1, 2023
Shannon averaged 17.2 points last season at Illinois and earned All-Big Ten First Team honors by the league's coaches. He also averaged 4.6 rebounds and
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound wing transferred to Illinois ahead of last season after contributing for three seasons at Texas Tech. The Chicago native announced in mid-April he would declare for the NBA draft, but almost two months later, his return is a significant boost for Brad Underwood's program that finished 20-13 last season and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Illinois is still waiting to hear about the decision of Coleman Hawkins to withdraw from the draft or return to the Illini. Hawkins has until 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday to make his decision.
Shannon is the fifth Illini off last season's roster to announce he'll return for the upcoming season after Dain Dainja, Luke Goode, Sencire Harris and Ty Rodgers did so earlier this spring.
Illinois players who have transferred away from the program this offseason are RJ Melendez (Georgia), Jayden Epss (Georgetown), Skyy Clark (Louisville), Connor Serven and Paxton Warden.
But Illinois has added three veteran transfers in Marcus Domask (Southern Illinois), Justin Harmon (Utah Valley) and Quincy Guerrier (Oregon). The return of Shannon, who started 30 starts in his debut season with the Illini last winter, should bolster an older, experienced roster that Underwood has touted all offseason.
"Terrence did everything possible to educate himself through this process," Underwood said in a statement on Wednesday night. "He worked tirelessly to perform at his best and gain all the valuable feedback to make the best decision for his future. We are, of course, beyond excited he has chosen one more year of college and will return to our program. Terrence became a primary offensive option in everything we do. Because of his work ethic, he now has All-America potential with the ability to take his game to an even higher level next year."
