The man who turned around Illinois basketball has declared for the 2021 NBA draft. In this mock draft, they have Ayo Dosunmu going 24 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
I say Ayo is the man who turned Illinois basketball around because he did not have to come to Illinois at all. Ayo was a four-star recruit out of Chicago, Illinois, just came off back-to-back state titles in high school. He had offers from bigger basketball schools in the country and better basketball schools. Why risk your legacy and come to a struggling program with no success in recent years?
Ayo wanted to be the guy, he wanted all the weight on his shoulders to turn this program around. He wanted to show other basketball players from Chicago that they can stay in-state and still be an NBA draft pick. Ayo wanted to reestablish the Chicago pipeline and, it badly needed to be reestablished.
In Ayo's freshman year, he showed his talent off. He averaged 13.8 points per game and 3.3 assists. He was on the All-Big 10 freshman team and, all honorable mention Big 10 as a freshman. This is something Illinois fans have not seen in a while and, it was really impressive. Also, Ayo gave us a look into the future with all the clutch shots he would make. He hit a dagger three against Michigan State who was ranked number 5 in the nation. He also hit a dagger three against a very good Ohio State team.
All the things Ayo did his freshman year were awesome. The one thing that stood out to me, from everything in the video Ayo made when he was coming back for his sophomore year. The hashtag when Ayo got there was #wewillwin. He changed it to #unfinishedbussiness. That stood out to me because it showed that they are trying to win now, that they are tired of being a joke of a team.
Ayo's sophomore year was awesome. The team may have started a little slow at the beginning of the season. Once it hit January, we saw a completely different team and player. Clutch shot after clutch shot. Big wins during the Big 10 season. Ayo was doing pro-like moves in a college game. Ayo was the best and most exciting player I remember watching in my lifetime. ( I am only 20 I, do not remember much of Dee Brown, Deron Williams, and Luther Head.) Talk about a break-out year Ayo, was the first player to be on the first-team all-Big 10, since Demetri Mccamey in 2010. Also, Ayo was ready to lead Illinois to a deep run in March Madness but, Covid got in the way.
All though Covid sucks, it was able to give us one more year of Ayo Dosunmu. Ayo's sophomore year was so good he could have gone pro. There were a lot of question marks in the air with covid so, he came back for his junior year. Let me tell you. It was a year to remember even, if the season did not end how we wanted to.
Ayo won the Bob Cousy Award, which is the award for the best point guard in the country. He was the USA Today National Player of the Year. He was a pre-season All-American and, at the end of the year, he was a first-team All-American. He was awarded first-team all-Big 10 again and won the Big 10 tournament out outstanding player. He had a historic year, and these are just his awards. The team had an amazing year as well.
Ayo led the Illini in scoring with 20 points per game. His overall average was 20 points 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Illinois had the best winning percentage in the Big 10 in the 2020-2021 season but, they did not crown Illinois the regular season champions. They proved in the Big 10 tournament they should have been as they won the Big 10 tournament. It was a great year for Ayo.
Now that Ayo has declared for the NBA draft we can look back at all the good memories he left us. He put Illinois back on the map in the basketball world.
All I can say is thank you, Ayo Dosunmu. I speak for all of Illini nation, that we will be cheering you on in the NBA.
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