Ad Disclosure
Diamond in the rough? Illinois basketball guard draws high praise in offseason workouts
Published:
Illinois might have found an unexpected contributor this offseason.
According to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, former transfer guard Austin Hutcherson has been standing out during Illinois’ offseason.
He transferred to Illinois from Wesleyan (Division III) before the 2019-20 season, but has sat out the last two years due to NCAA rules and a back injury.
Highly placed spies in Champaign continue to rave about Illinois' Austin Hutcherson. Wesleyan transfer DNP last season due to a back injury. 6-6. An unsung presence to monitor for the Illini.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 31, 2021
While at Wesleyan, Hutcherson was a big contributor. He averaged 20 points per game and also led the team in 3-point percentage, assists and steals. He was also second on his squad in rebounds with 5.6 per contest.
Hutcherson has tremendous size for the guard position at 6-foot-6 and could really help the Illini this season. Andre Curbelo is back for another year, but Illinois will be trying to replace both Ayo Dosunmu and Adam Miller.
Illinois also got a boost earlier this summer when center Kofi Cockburn announced he will return for another season for the Illini. He considered multiple other avenues this offseason, including starting a professional career or transferring to another program.
Hutcherson and the Illini will try for their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this season.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.