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Illinois lands transfer commitment from former Big 12 forward Terrence Shannon Jr.

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•04/29/22•

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The decision is in for Terrence Shannon Jr. after entering the transfer portal. Shannon took to social media to announce he’s joining Illinois on Friday afternoon after spending the last three years with the Red Raiders.

Shannon was a highly touted recruit out of high school. He was a four-star recruit and the No. 2 prospect in Illinois from the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He initially committed to DePaul, which is in his hometown of Chicago, before de-committing to join Chris Beard at Texas Tech. While in Lubbock, Shannon started 53 of his 83 appearances and averaged 11 points per game during that time.

His best season came as a sophomore in 2020-21 when he scored 12.1 points per game and pulled down 4.0 rebounds per game. This past year, he dropped 10.4 points per game as Texas Tech made a run to the Sweet Sixteen. After entering the portal, Shannon became the No. 1 available small forward on the open market, according to On3’s Jamie Shaw.

Upon his decision to transfer, Shannon heard from an impressive list of schools, including Kentucky, Illinois and UConn. Ironically, Illinois brought in former DePaul assistant Tim Anderson, who was on staff with the Blue Demons when Shannon initially committed in 2019.

Shannon adds an impressive piece to the Illinois roster

Last season, Illinois went 23-10 overall and 15-5 against Big Ten opponents. The Fighting Illini finished in a tie for first place in Big Ten standings. Illinois won its first two games of the Big Ten Tournament before falling to Indiana in its third game.

In the NCAA Tournament, Illinois earned a No. 4 seed and defeated 13th-seeded Chattanooga in the opening round. Int he Round of 32, Illinois suffered a crushing loss to Houston, falling 68-53.

With Shannon now in the fold, Illinois will be hoping to reach the Round of 32 and go even further next season.