Today marks another entry in our ongoing Illinois on SI “Best of the Century” series featuring the top 10 Illini players over the past 25 years. In our selection process, we considered individual production, career length (must have played at least two seasons since 2000), team accomplishments and intangibles.
No. 10: Malcolm Hill
No. 9: Frank Williams
No. 8: Luther Head
No. 7: James Augustine
No. 6: Brian Cook
No. 5: Terrence Shannon Jr.
No. 4: Kofi Cockburn
No. 3: Deron Williams
Career averages: 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists
Best season averages (2020-21): 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists
When Ayo Dosunmu came to Illinois as a freshman in 2018-19, Illinois hadn’t been to an NCAA Tournament in six years. Brad Underwood was heading into his second year as the Illini head coach, having overseen a 14-18 campaign in Year 1 in Champaign. Long story short: Illinois basketball wasn’t good. But, together, Dosunmu and Underwood quickly changed that.
Mar 21, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) dribbles the ball up the court against the Loyola Ramblers during the first half in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
A Chicago guard who had attended both Westinghouse and Morgan Park, Dosunmu arrived in Champaign with a heap of advanced skills. He could attack the basket with the best of them, and had an impressively polished finishing package from Day 1. At 6-foot-5, he had tremendous size at the guard position, with solid enough burst and athleticism to back it up.
Excellent at turning the corner against big men in pick-and-roll coverage, Dosunmu had every extended finish in his arsenal. He could go high off the glass, same foot, same hand, inside-hand finish – you name it. Dosunmu’s footwork on drives to the rim was equally impressive: He had a Eurostep, an inverted Eurostep, a slow step and practically every other combination of footwork in his bag. There is a reason Dosunmu, who took his fair share of midrange jumpers, still shot over 50 percent (51.1 percent to be exact) on twos during his collegiate career, and it’s because he was unbelievably talented and efficient going downhill.
That midrange game was equally potent, as Dosunmu had a true weapon with his pull-up jumper – one the Illini often found themselves relying on down the stretch. Although he didn’t always have the flashiest handle, he had that innate ability to break down a defender off the dribble and get to his spot. From deep, he wasn’t a high-volume shooter and was a bit inconsistent from year to year (29.6 percent as a sophomore), but he was a legit threat.
The most 𝑪𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒄𝒉 player in College Basketball. 🔥@AyoDos_11 has delivered when it matters most his entire @IlliniMBB career. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/w2qNxYwRQd
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 17, 2021
Dosunmu was also a solid facilitator and a trusty ball-handler (even if his assist numbers may have been a touch inflated from dumping it inside to big man Kofi Cockburn). Defensively, he took advantage of his length and agility to guard all perimeter positions, jump passing lanes (1.1 career steals average) and make an overall positive impact on that end.
Mar 8, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu celebrates with head coach Brad Underwood after a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Naturally, Dosunmu reeled in the awards and accomplishments: two-time All-Big Ten, consensus All-American and Big Ten Tourney MVP, to name a few. But his true impact was reestablishing Illinois as a college basketball force. In his second year, if there had been an NCAA Tournament (cancelled due to COVID), the Illini would have almost certainly qualified for the first time in seven years. And by his junior season, Illinois was officially back on the map. He led the program to a conference tournament championship and a No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance (although the Illini disappointingly fell in the second round).
Now in the NBA with his hometown Chicago Bulls, Dosunmu has quickly become an integral piece of the team’s rotation, averaging double-figures scoring in each of the past two seasons.