New-look Illini already meshing (2024)

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CHAMPAIGN — Carey Booth was in his second workout at Illinois when a tip dunk from the Notre Dame transfer sent players and coaches on the court at Ubben Basketball Complex into a frenzy.

It was a highlight moment that immediately came to mind for Tre White. But far from the only one in the course of the Illini men’s basketball team’s summer workouts. The sheer amount of talent in the gym on a daily basis from a retooled Illinois roster means everyone has had their bring-the-house-down moment.

“Every day, every practice we’re competing,” White said. “Every play. Even if it’s a two-on-two drill, the whole gym is clapping up making everything competitive. Once something happens like that, it’s definitely super live in here, super lit. The whole staff is going crazy. We’ve got to go back down and do it again, though.”

Kylan Boswell, another of Illinois’ 10 newcomers, sees a roster with serious depth. Whoever winds up coming off the bench for the Illini, he said, would be legitimate starters elsewhere. A “team to reckon with” the Arizona transfer said.

“One day you could be cooking,” Boswell said. “The next day you get your (butt) busted. Everybody is, legitimate, a starting player on any program. For us, we’ve got guards who can get busy and who can guard. Our bigs are very strong and set good pick-and-rolls.

“It’s good competition every day. We all want to compete against each other. There’s days me and Ty (Rodgers) are on the same team, and I love playing with Ty. When Ty’s on the opposite team, I’m ready to bust his (butt). You can only get better playing with guys like that.”

Rodgers is one of two returning scholarship players along with Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. Boswell and White are two of the five transfers. Then there’s five freshmen. While that new-look roster had some connections — the basketball world at their level isn’t huge — it’s a significant step from knowing someone to knowing how to play together effectively.

Summer workouts and time together off the court has set a foundation for what’s a tighter-knit group at this point than the Illini expected.

“I feel like this team has definitely clicked way faster and way sooner than I thought,” Boswell said. “I feel like we have a team clique and not individual cliques. That can be hard for teams when certain guys hang out with each other more, but I feel all of us hang out with each other in a group and get along with everybody.

“I feel we all have one purpose, for sure. Everybody is committed to that one goal. We have a legitimate team, and we’re going to do legitimate things trying to get a job done.”

White said the veteran players on the Illinois roster helped foster that connection. It’s the experience he had as a freshman at Southern Cal when Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson helped him get past the uncertainty of being a freshman and find a level of comfort on a new team.

“That helped me break the ice and open up,” said White, who spent last season at Louisville. “I feel like since day one here, the vets did nothing but that. Nothing but jokes in the locker room. We’re chilling off the court now. On the court, there’s no egos. It’s all open trust and energy.

“When you mesh, it’s a different feeling like, ‘Oh, my boy’s open. I want to hit him.’ You just want to play for each other. I feel like that’s the biggest thing.”

Boswell stopped himself after saying he was one of the older players on the team — he only celebrated his 19th birthday in April — but the Champaign native does fall into the experienced category having already played two seasons at Arizona. That’s helped him take on a vocal role, alongside Rodgers and Gibbs-Lawhorn, this summer.

“I don’t think we’ll be one guy that’s the leader, leader,” Boswell said. “I think we’re all going to be working as hard as each other. We’re all listening to each other equally. If you’re all working hard, everyone can be a leader.”