ILLINOIS BASKETBALL: Dosunmu and Williams named co-Captains
It was an early November practice inside the Ubben practice facility on a nice fall day in Champaign. A loose ball escaped the mass of players, except for one – freshman guard Adam Miller.
Miller didn’t run over to the ball to scoop it up or make an effort to dive on the court for the loose ball. That didn’t sit well with Illinois’ best player – and captain – Ayo Dosunmu.
“This isn’t high school anymore,” Dosunmu barked towards Miller. “Those are the plays that are needed to win.”
“That’s what we look forward to doing, making every winning play – diving on the floor, taking charges and playing together, playing tough,” Dosunmu said.
Moments like that are why Dosunmu was voted a captain unanimously along with senior Da’Monte Williams by the rest of the Fighting Illini on Monday.
“Those guys are very well respected for their accomplishments on the court, but what they do in the locker room too,” Brad Underwood said. “They do it in different ways. Da’Monte is now becoming much more vocal. There is a leadership by example and there is leadership by experience and that comradery in the locker room that both of those guys have — we couldn’t have two guys lead us better than those two guys do.”
Williams has been part of the Illinois program through some of the lowest of the lows, he was a sophomore when Illinois won just 12 games. Dosunmu is viewed – by many – as the player who is most responsible for resurrecting Illinois basketball.
Now, the two have a chance to elevate the program to heights that it hasn’t been to since 2004-05 when Illinois lost to North Carolina in the National Championship.
“I would say that we are probably a little bit closer than the team was last year at the beginning of the year solely because of the circumstances,” Dosunmu said. “Now everyone lives at the same place. It’s bringing us – our brotherhood – closer because it’s all we got. Nobody is seeing their family, girlfriend, or anything. We are staying in playing basketball together, lifting weights and testing together. The chemistry is there and I’m excited to play someone who doesn’t have the same jersey as us.”
Williams and fellow senior Trent Frazier are presumably suiting up in an Illinois uniform for their last first game on Wednesday when Illinois tips off against North Carolina A&T at 1 o’clock p.m.
Frazier said on Tuesday that three years ago, he couldn’t see Illinois being ranked in the top-10, but the Illini are here and staying in the top-10 is more difficult than getting there.
“Coming out competing each and every day in practice, each drill, each game,” Dosunmu said on how to elevate the program to its goals this season. “When my teammates see the type of time that I’m on it becomes a tradition and we have been doing that so far.”
“Those are the guys you want to go to battle with every day,” Underwood said. “If we fall in line with that we will be in a good spot.”