‘Let’s do this’: TSJ withdraws from NBA Draft, returning to Illinois

Terrence Shannon Jr. is giving it one more go with the Illini.

The fifth-year guard announced Wednesday night he plans to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Illinois for his final season of eligibility.

TSJ tweeted Wednesday night that he is “excited to be back in Littyville and play for the best fans in the country.”

Shannon said in mid-May that he would come back to college if he felt the NBA feedback he was getting wasn’t where he wanted it to be.

In his first three years of college, Shannon was a major contributor at Texas Tech, averaging 11 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He even experienced a national championship run with the Raiders in 2019, but joining Illinois for his senior year gave Shannon the chance to reach a new level.

The Texas Tech transfer started his Illinois career with a bang, tying his career-high of 24 points in the first game of the season.

After dropping another 30 points a few games later, the high-flying guard stepped it up even further against top-10 UCLA.

Shannon was the spotlight in Vegas, as his 29 points on a career-best 8-for-9 from three led to the comeback win.

This human-highlight reel was full of many other moments like these throughout the season. Shannon recorded 15+ points in 20 of his 31 games, one of the most memorable being his 24 points in the second-half comeback against Northwestern.

At the end of the season, Shannon averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. His profound impact with the Illini throughout the season was enough to get him first team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches (second team from the media).