Terrence Shannon Jr. joined Illinois as a major transfer pickup this past offseason, arriving in Champaign after 3 strong seasons for Texas Tech. After leading the Illini in scoring this past season, he declared for the 2023 NBA Draft but maintained his college eligibility.

After going through the pre-draft process, Shannon announced his final decision with the deadline for early entries quickly approaching Wednesday evening. Shannon confirmed he’s going to return to Champaign for a 5th college season and his 2nd in Brad Underwood’s Illinois program.

The 6-foot-6 Shannon was impressive during the 2022-23 season while leading the Illini with 17.2 points per game. He also averaged 4.6 rebounds and was second on the team with 2.8 assists while shooting 53% inside the arc.

The importance of Shannon’s return for Illinois cannot be overstated as he’s a true leader on the floor and an elite scorer in the B1G. Now, Underwood and company wait to find out if Coleman Hawkins remains in the draft or joins Shannon for another year with the Illini.