NEWSLETTER
Even though he played 42 minutes against the Nuggets on Monday and 24 minutes against the Cavaliers on Wednesday, Ayo Dosunmu’s life is only going to get busier.
The rookie will soon return to his college stomping grounds for a night of celebration on January 6th. The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team will honor Dosunmu for his outstanding three-year career when they take on the Maryland Terrapins, officially making him the 34th player to have his jersey in the rafters.
For those not familiar with Dosunmu’s illustrious Illinois career, I would gladly sit you down with a nice warm cup of cocoa and tell you all about it. Not only did I cover his freshman season at the university, but I closely follow his career as an alum. However, for the sake of time and your potential boredom, I’ll let this paragraph from the Fighting Illini’s official announcement briefly sum things up:
Dosunmu averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists last season, becoming the first NCAA player in 11 years to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. He accumulated the most impressive single-season list of accolades ever by an Illini player, highlighted by USA Today National Player of the Year, Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year, and consensus first-team All-American.
Dosunmu also helped Illinois achieve a Big Ten Tournament title and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before entering the NBA Draft. The franchise finished as the No. 2 team in the country in the final AP Poll, putting a rather substantial exclamation mark on the return of the Illini basketball program. While his numbers and accolades are reason enough to put him among the school’s best of all time, it was also this rise back up the national ranks that will make Dosunmu go down in school history.
For more on Dosunmu’s jersey ceremony, make sure to check out the Illini’s full announcement below:
— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 8, 2021
