Illinois Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Fighting Illini

Probable Reserves

Coleman Hawkins

There are few players on this roster who Illini fans are more excited to see how they’ve developed over the offseason than Coleman Hawkins. Hawkins didn’t play all that much last season as a freshman, but he showed flashes of his potential in the times he did. An improved Hawkins would raise this team’s ceiling in an enormous way.

You don’t see many 6’11” players who can run, shoot, and pass as Hawkins can. If he has gotten stronger and progressed like everyone thought he would over the offseason, Hawkins should be a staple in the rotation and even a potential starting lineup candidate.

Alfonso Plummer

Transferring in from Utah, Alfonso Plummer is already a proven player at the high-major level. Plummer brings immense value as a spot-up shooter on a team with two players that the opposing scouting reports will have circled, starred, underlined, and bolded in Curbelo and Cockburn. He looks to provide instant offense off the bench and will likely get big minutes all season.

While defensively it might be concerning, an offensive lineup with Curbelo bringing the ball up, Cockburn down low, and Frazier and Plummer in each corner at the same time would be a load for opposing coaches.

Austin Hutcherson

Having missed the last two seasons from transfer rules and then a nagging back injury, it’s unclear how big of a role Austin Hutcherson will have this season, especially out of the gate. However, there is no denying the potential he possesses and the impact a healthy Hutcherson has on Illinois’s ceiling.

As a 6’6” guard, Hutcherson will complement the offense nicely with his three-point shooting and high-level athleticism. Whether he plays much instantly has yet to be answered, but once Hutcherson gets settled back into the college game, he will be an x-factor for this team.

Omar Payne

The Illini added another transfer in Omar Payne from Florida. Payne is a 6’10”, 240 lb. junior who projects as the backup center to Cockburn. The big question surrounding Payne this year is whether he can play with Cockburn at the same time. Underwood will tinker with it in non-conference play, but I don’t expect it to last into the Big Ten season. Payne should be a very reliable, 10-15 minutes per game backup when Kofi is on the bench.

The Freshmen

Illinois brought in another nice recruiting class featuring three guys in or just outside the top-100 (depending what site you look at). It’s difficult to project how much each of them will play without having seen them yet, but all three will get opportunities early on to prove themselves.

Luke Goode seems like the readiest for the college game. His smooth shooting stroke could prove valuable in certain situations when Illinois needs offense.

Brandin Podziemski, who was an elite all-around scorer at the high school level, will also be a big part of this program in the future, but the extent to which he will contribute this season is murkier. If Podziemski’s offense translates quickly to the Big Ten, he’ll be in the rotation, but that is easier said than done.

RJ Melendez rounds out the recruiting class with solid length and athleticism. Melendez, the No. 56 recruit according to ESPN, joins a crowded rotation of wings, but certainly has the potential to compete and carve out some playing time.

Overall, it’s unlikely that all three of these freshmen get rotation minutes consistently once the season kicks into full gear, but they will all have their chances to earn minutes. In an age when the transfer portal takes so many highly touted players after they sit more than they think they should, it’ll be interesting to see if that affects how Underwood approaches playing the freshmen.

I’m not saying it will have any impact, but it’s just the new reality of how coaches are approaching their programs, knowing that they will need the players the next year and after that.