Each passing year, the sports world gives us unforgettable moments and memories and NCAA basketball has certainly contributed to that. It was only four seasons ago that mid-major Loyola-Chicago made an unthinkable run to the Final Four. Amazing runs, buzzer beaters, and key performances are just par for the course not just in March Madness but in the collegiate game.
We mention Loyola specifically because today our focus is on the state of Illinois. We’re continuing our series that looks at the best college basketball players of the last decade from each state, with the Land of Lincoln our current focus. This isn’t a focus piece on Loyola or the Illini or the other programs in the state, specifically on players from the state.
Chicago has produced an enormous amount of basketball talent over the years, and if we were including more than just the last decade this list would be even more impressive. Still, in just ten seasons there are some pretty incredible names on today’s list, and these are certainly players from more than just Chicago and the Chicago area suburbs. Among the United States, Illinois has certainly produced some of the finest collegiate talent in the basketball world, especially when you compare to our recent pieces on states like Hawaii and Idaho.
Remember that only ten college athletes are listed today and we guarantee that there are dozens more who are worthy of mention. It’s also important to remember that this piece looks at players whose hometowns are from Illinois, not necessarily their birthplace or high school attended. Anyways, there are some very impressive names on this list and we’re just going to get right into them.
10. Jevon Carter – West Virginia
It all started for Carter as a 6’2 guard from Maywood, but his collegiate career took him to some pretty incredible heights. He made his way to West Virginia in 2014, spending the full four years under Bob Huggins with the Mountaineers. A full-time starter in his final three seasons, he certainly wrote his place into Mountaineer history, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Carter was a good shooter his entire career, and was already averaging 8.1 points per game mostly off the bench as a freshman. He helped lead West Virginia to the NCAA Tournament in all four of his seasons, with three Sweet Sixteen runs, and four games of 20+ points. During his senior year, he averaged 17.3 points and 6.6 assists per game, had a few double-doubles and had a 28-point outing against Marshall in the NCAA Tournament.
Carter was on the All-Big 12 First Team as a senior and the Second Team as a junior, but he was also a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and National Defensive Player of the Year. He led the entire nation in steals as a senior, leading the Big 12 three times in the category. He put up impressive numbers across the board and was drafted in the second round by the Memphis Grizzlies; his NBA career continues some four years later.
9. Cameron Krutwig – Loyola-Chicago
Just a 6’9 center from Algonquin, Krutwig arrived at Loyola-Chicago without national fanfare but he sure left the place with a ton of attention. Krutwig was a starter all four seasons and was a major piece of the Rambers’ run to the Final Four during his freshman season.
He averaged double-digit points in each of his four seasons, while also having decent rebounding and assists numbers throughout his career. He scored 17 points in Loyola’s Final Four loss to Michigan and later helped the team to a Sweet Sixteen run during his senior season. As a junior, he had a 22-point, 10-rebound, 10-assists effort in a win over Vanderbilt, and was an important and impactful piece for the Ramblers, who was the MVC’s best team throughout his tenure.
Krutwig was named All-MVC First Team three straight seasons, finishing his career off as the MVC Player of the Year in 2021. He led the conference in field goal percentage in consecutive seasons, while also leading it in rebounds as a junior. Krutwig played a monumental role in the transformation of the Loyola program from a bottom-feeder to a mid-major power across his four seasons, and continues his professional career overseas in Belgium.
8. Fred VanVleet – Wichita State
VanVleet departed from Rockford and found himself quite the home down at Wichita State. The 6’0 guard adhered himself to the Shockers program across his four seasons down in Kansas, helping lead Wichita State to a surprise Final Four run and winning a ton of games along the way.
He was a minimal contributor as a freshman, but did score 12 points in the Shockers’ Elite Eight win over Ohio State. A full-time starter his final three seasons, he was one of the MVC’s best players, averaging at least 11 points and 5 assists in each of those years. He helped guide Wichita State to a 35-0 start the following season and a pair of Sweet Sixteen runs after that, scoring 27 points in an NCAA Tournament win over Indiana as a junior.
VanVleet was certainly rewarded for his efforts, winning MVC Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons. He led the conference in assists per games on three separate occasions, and finished his career among the top players all-time in league history in assists and steals. He helped lead the Shockers to a ton of success, was a remarkable player on both sides of the ball, and continues his career in the NBA six years later even after going undrafted in 2016.
7. E. J. Liddell – Ohio State
Liddell wasn’t just a top 50 prospect nationally, the 6’7 forward from Belleville had starred at the high school level and was by far the best prospect from the state of Illinois in recent years. He proceeded to join Chris Holtmann at Ohio State in 2019, spending the next three seasons in an impact role for the Buckeyes.
He was not a starter as a freshman, averaging just 6.7 points per game, but he really made an impact in his final two seasons. Liddell averaged 16.2 and 19.4 points per game his next two seasons respectively, with ascending rebound numbers as well. He had a 23-point, 15-rebound effort in a win over Minnesota and scored a career-high 34 points in a game that year against Northwestern. He helped lead the Buckeyes to an NCAA Tournament win over Loyola this past season before falling to Villanova.
A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, Liddell lead the conference in blocks and free throws this past season, becoming a lethal weapon in the paint on both sides of the basketball. He was a member of the conference’s All-Defense team while also ranking among the leaders in points, rebounds and shooting percentage. Liddell opted to forgo the rest of his eligibility and the former four-star prospect was drafted in the second round by the New Orleans Pelicans.
6. Ethan Happ – Wisconsin
At the tail end of Bo Ryan’s Hall of Fame coaching career, along came this 6’10 forward from Milan. Happ arrived on campus at Wisconsin in 2015, hoping to recharge a program that had just made consecutive Final Four’s but was losing a ton of talent. Happ would spend his entire four-year career not just with the Badgers but in the starting lineup, becoming a dynamic piece of the frontcourt.
Happ was a vital piece for the Badgers, becoming one of the best interior offensive players in the Big Ten. His numbers were impressive from the beginning aside from his pedestrian free throw shooting. As a senior, he averaged 17.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.5 steals per game, with a sea of double-doubles throughout a successful career. He played in seven NCAA Tournament games, having a personal-high 21-points in a heartbreaking Sweet Sixteen loss to Florida.
Important to Wisconsin’s success, Happ was named All-Big Ten First Team each of his final three seasons, an extraordinary accomplishment. He was on the Big Ten’s All-Defense team on multiple occasions, ranks among the conference leaders in all-time points scored, rebounds, steals, and field goals. Undrafted in 2019, he’s spent the last few seasons playing overseas, but it’s impossible to deny the things he accomplished at the collegiate level.
5. Jabari Parker – Duke
In the one-and-done era, it really makes you wonder what some of these athletes could have accomplished had they stayed in college for more than one season. Parker was an elite five-star prospect from Chicago, a 6’8 forward who chose to play for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, becoming yet another stud from Illinois (like current coach Jon Scheyer) to suit up for the Blue Devils.
In his one season at Duke, Parker averaged 19.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and was the impact player for the Blue Devils. He scored at least 20 points in his first seven collegiate games and later hit his career-high with a 30-point game against rival North Carolina. He had fourteen double-doubles and really starred at the college level, though Duke’s tournament hopes were dashed in an opening round upset by Mercer.
Parker finished the season by leading the ACC in rebounds, finishing second in points, and being named ACC Rookie of the Year and All-ACC First Team. More important, he was named a First Team All-American, with his impact certainly felt and seen on the national stage. He accomplished plenty in that lone season, and was taken with the 2nd pick of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, with eight years of NBA ball already in his pocket.
4. Ayo Dosunmu – Illinois
Brad Underwood’s first recruiting class at Illinois needed something to give that big push to make the Illini a great program again, and this 6’5 guard from Chicago certainly qualified. Dosunmu was a four-star prospect and a top 40 recruit who took his talents down to Champaign, starting every game across three successful years as a Fighting Illini.
As a freshman, he had a great impact on a lousy Illinois team, though things started to go much better for the program from there. He averaged 16.6 points per game as a sophomore, with that total ballooning to 20.1 points per game in his final collegiate season. Dosunmu helped lead the Illini back to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and also had a pair of triple-doubles as a junior, including a 21-point, 12-rebound, 12-assist performance in a win over Wisconsin.
Dosunmu was a First Team All-American for that successful junior season, receiving his second All-Big Ten honors as well. He was named Big Ten Tournament MVP in leading the Illini to that title and was also given the Bob Cousy Award for the best point guard in the nation. Dosunmu played a major role in turning around the fortunes of the Illini and was soon drafted by his hometown Chicago Bulls in the second round of the NBA Draft.
3. Frank Kaminsky – Wisconsin
Just to show you the level of talent from the state of Illinois, Kaminsky would have easily been the number one pick in nearly every other state. The 7’0 center from Lisle arrived on campus at Wisconsin in 2011 and would make plenty of history before he’d leave four years later, helping the Badgers to a pair of Final Fours.
His first two seasons saw him as a very minimal contributor, but it’s those last two seasons that wrote history. Early in his junior year, he had a career-high 43 points in a win over North Dakota, while much later scoring 28 in an Elite Eight win over Arizona, keying the Badgers first Final Four in over a decade. But his final act was even sweeter, as Kaminsky averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, helping Wisconsin win the Big Ten Tournament, return to the Final Four, and upset unbeaten Kentucky with his 20-point, 11-rebound effort in the Final Four.
Kaminsky was named the National Player of the Year in 2015, while clearly also winning Big Ten Player of the Year for an amazing campaign. He led the conference in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage, and headed up a unit that almost took Wisconsin to a national title, falling just short at the end. An outstanding athlete and advocate for the Badgers program, Kaminsky was then drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round and has been in the NBA for seven years.
2. Jahlil Okafor – Duke
Again, Coach K just had a knack for landing big talent from his hometown, with Okafor joining the Blue Devils for a historic 2014-15 season. The top prospect in the entire country, this 6’11 center arrived at Duke for his only college basketball season and left as a national champion.
Okafor averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during the season. He had a 25-point, 20-rebound performance against Elon in nonconference play and put up a career-high 30 points in a win at Virginia Tech. In leading Duke to the national championship, he had a number of key performances, including a 26-point game against San Diego State and an 18-point effort over Michigan State in the Final Four.
Not only did Okafor get to cut down the nets in his only collegiate seasons, but he was named a First Team All-American and also the ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He led the entire conference in points, offensive rebounds, and field goal percentage, while also leading the whole nation in field goals made on the year. A lottery pick by the Philadelphia 76ers, Okafor had some solid success in the NBA and now plays overseas in China.
1. Jalen Brunson – Villanova
When you look at the full picture, you will not be able to find a single athlete in this entire project who accomplished as much as Brunson did during his collegiate career. A 6’3 guard originally from Lincolnshire, he was a five-star prospect who found his way to Jay Wright and Villanova, beginning his time with the Wildcats in 2015 and not leaving until history had been made three years later.
As a freshman, Brunson did nothing but help the Wildcats win the national championship, with a couple of nice scoring efforts along the way. He was a bigger piece of the puzzle as a sophomore, but it was his junior year that set him apart. During that season, Brunson averaged 18.9 points per game and was dynamic all season long; a season that ended in another national championship victory. He had a career-high 31 points four times that season, including in the Big East title game victory over Providence.
It’s not just that Brunson was named National Player of the Year for that stellar junior campaign, nor that he was a two-time All-Big East member. When you combine that with his pair of national championships, it’s clear that Brunson’s unique and impressive accomplishments are virtually unmatchable, especially by some of these one-and-done prospects of recent years. Immensely successful in college, Brunson was a second round draft pick and has now been in the NBA for four season, recently signing with the New York Knicks.
At long last, we’re done with our deep look into the ten best college basketball players from the state of Illinois; did we get the list right or was there someone else more deserving?