Chambana Sun

Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman has announced that Terrence Shannon Jr. will be honored with his jersey being raised to the rafters at the State Farm Center. This accolade is part of the Illinois Basketball Honored Jerseys program, marking Shannon as the 36th player in Fighting Illini Men's Basketball history to receive this recognition. He becomes the third player during head coach Brad Underwood's tenure to earn this honor, joining Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn.

Whitman shared, "I did have a chance, last night, to do a facetime with Terrence, and I informed him that we would be honoring him as a member of our Honored Jerseys class over at State Farm Center." Despite not meeting the standard criteria for this distinction, Whitman emphasized Shannon's exceptional performance: "Obviously he doesn't meet the objective criteria that we have outlined for consideration with the jersey program, but I think we all recognize that without question that Terrence was one of the top 10 players in America this year; probably one of the top two or three players in America."

Shannon's achievements during the 2023-24 season were significant. He was named an All-American by four media outlets after leading Illinois to 29 wins and securing a No. 6 ranking in the final AP poll. His efforts also earned him a spot on the NCAA All-Region Team as he led Illinois to its first Elite Eight appearance since 2005.

Further accolades include being named Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player while helping Illinois win its third conference title in four years. Additionally, he was recognized as First-team All-Big Ten by coaches, media, and AP.

Shannon set several records during his time with Illinois. He shattered their all-time single-season scoring record with 736 points and ranked third in NCAA scoring at an average of 23 points per game—the highest by an Illini player in over five decades. His performance included setting a Big Ten Tournament three-game scoring record with an average of 34 points per game.

Whitman expressed enthusiasm about celebrating Shannon's achievements: "Certainly, I think that's very appropriate, and look forward to welcoming him back at an appropriate time to celebrate him in front of our 15,500 fans and to elevate that jersey up into the rafters."