The college basketball season is on the horizon, with top players facing off in exhibition play. Here are standouts from Illinois vs. UIC:
Quentin Coleman
Widely regarded as the schools best prospect, Coleman had 10 points, five assists and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. He did this on 2-6 from the field, 2-4 from three and 4-4 from the line. Coleman could become Illinois fourth 1st round pick in four straight drafts. He brings valuable ancillary qualities as a shooter, connective passer and scrappy defender. Coleman and Vaaks will share on ball duties this season after the loss of Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell.
Stefan Vaaks
Vaaks ceased for a breakout sophomore campaign, also had 10 points in 18 minutes on 4-10 from the field and 1-6 from three. The shot didn't fall last night but his ability to get up a ton of volume in limited minutes is very encouraging. Vaaks is a combo guard that can toggle back and forth as an on ball creator or spot up shooter. He has an intriguing skill set with his blend of size and shooting, but his draft stock will depend on how serviceable he can be defensively.
Lucas Morillo
Morillo is one of the biggest sleepers in this year's freshman class. He also recorded 10 points, in 20 minutes on 2-5 from the field and 1-3 from three. Morillo is a big guard at 6'7 that seems to be a jack of all trades and master of none. His feel for the game and advanced processing speed at that size is what will be his sell. Lucas has the dribble, pass, shoot skillset that teams covet in the lottery. In order to crack the rotation of a loaded and experienced Illinois team, he's gotta find something he can hang his hat on every night to get on the floor.
Tomislav Ivisic
Beginning his fifth collegiate season, Ivisc is one of the more well recognized prospects on the team. The big man led the way with 14 points on 5-9 from the field and 2-5 from three. With bigs there always seems to be a trade off. You have some bigs that are skilled but can't defend, then you have bigs that defend but are limited offensively. Ivisic is as skilled as they come offensively but really struggles with his mobility and verticality defensively. In today's NBA, bigs that don't protect the rim are almost a non-negotiable. Ivisic will need to show that his offensive touch and playmaking is worth the squeeze for a team to take a chance on him.
Today's best reads
- Potential First-Round Picks Shine in Recent College Basketball Exhibitions
- NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Missouri Guard Jason Crowe Jr.
- 6 NBA Draft Standouts from Arkansas and Gonzaga's Exhibition
- NBA Draft Watch: Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr.
- Standouts from Recent College Basketball Exhibition Matchups
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/draft/onsi as NBA Draft: Standouts From Illinois vs. UIC Exhibition.