Kendrick Nunn dismissed from Illinois Basketball

The Illinois Fighting Illini have dismissed junior guard Kendrick Nunn from the basketball program, effective immediately. Athletic director Josh Whitman made the decision official with a news release on Tuesday afternoon.

Nunn plead guilty to a single count of misdemeanor battery last week; the original charge stemmed from an incident back in March, when he struck a woman in his apartment. Nunn received 18 months of court supervision and 100 hours of community service as part of the plea agreement.

Statement from Josh Whitman

"We have made the decision to dismiss Kendrick Nunn from the men's basketball team, effective immediately. We have not reached this decision easily; we care deeply about Kendrick and want him to be successful. But after extensive deliberation, we think it best for our program to reaffirm our core values of trust and respect, to send a strong message about what is acceptable behavior for our student-athletes at the University of Illinois, and to part ways with Kendrick. As it is on college campuses across the country, relationship violence is of significant concern at our University, and we expect Fighting Illini student-athletes to be leaders in promoting healthy, respectful, caring relationships. We wish Kendrick all the best as he prepares for the next chapter of his life."

Illinois still possesses enough talent to make the 2017 NCAA Tournament, but facts are facts: the Illini lost an All-Big Ten player today.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 24, 2016

Nunn averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 42.8% from the field during the 2015-16 season. This is obviously quite a blow to Illinois from an on-court perspective, but Jalen Coleman-Lands should be able to step right in to help make up some of that production as a sophomore.

Interested in how this development impacts Illinois' roster? Click here to see the scholarship allotment for the next five seasons.