NCAA Basketball: 7 players vital for their teams in 2018-19
Ayo Dosunmu – Illinois
The Illinois Fighting Illini haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2013, but head coach Brad Underwood is entering his second season and is building a foundation to get the team back there. One of his newest bricks is incoming freshman point guard Ayo Dosunmu.
Dosunmu is a five-star, top-40 national recruit and the top player in the state of Illinois, the Chicago native had offers from top programs across the college basketball landscape but decided to stay home and play for the Illini.
The Illini won just four games in the Big Ten last season but has some nice pieces returning, such as guard Trent Frazier and forward Kipper Nichols. The Morgan Park alumnus will likely join Frazier in the backcourt, and with the ability to play both guard positions will give Underwood the option of playing Frazier off the ball or even on the wing.
The 6-4 Dosunmu gives the Illini some backcourt length and excels at scoring at the basket and in the mid-range, but where he can really help is as a facilitator. He averaged nine assists as a junior to go along with 22 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. In his senior season, he suffered an injury in the Illinois Class 3A semifinals that forced him to watch his teammates capture the championship from the bench.
Dosunmu has a fantastic ability to finish at the rim and his court vision gives the Illini they lacked last season, someone who can distribute the ball on a consistent basis. Illinois averaged just under 14 assists per game last season, ranking 11th in the Big Ten. He needs to improve his jump shot and three-point shooting ability but the ability to do that is there.
Underwood has always built his teams around strong guards. At Stephen F. Austin he had Thomas Walkup and Ty Charles, in his one season at Oklahoma State there was Jeffrey Carroll and Juwan Evans and now with Dosunmu added to Frazier he has his backcourt to begin the rebuilding process at Illinois.