The Retention continues.
A team spokesman confirmed to Illini Inquirer that Illinois senior forward Ben Humrichous will return to the Illini for a second season in Champaign following his transfer from Evanston last offseason. The Tipton (Ind.) native, who played his first two seasons of college basketball at NAIA Huntington, has one season of eligibility remaining due to the Pavia ruling.
Humrichous started 26 of 35 games for Illinois last season, averaging 7.6 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 37.5% from the field and 34.3% from three.
During the 2023-24 season at Evansville, Humrichous started all 24 games and averaged 14.7 points while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.4% from three.
“I think he’s got the opportunity to have an incredible season just being a little more comfortable with what he does,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood told Illini Inquirer earlier this month. “He stretches the floor. There’s not a nicer human being on the planet than Ben. I hope that we see him in orange and blue next year.”
Why it matters: Humrichous is the fifth Illini player to officially return to Illinois this offseason, joining Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic, Ty Rodgers and Jake Davis. That means Illinois will return at least 44.6% of its minutes from last season, a big improvement from last offseason (2.8% minutes continuity) and almost an identical minutes continuity rate to the 2023-24 Illini team that advanced to the Elite Eight (44.7%). And that continuity stat doesn’t even include Rodgers, who redshirted last season after starting all 38 games and playing 863 minutes (22.7 per game) for Illinois in 2023-24.
What it means: The Illinois roster looks pretty set for the 2024-25 season, and Illinois looks like a real strength. Tomislav Ivisic and twin brother Zvonimir Ivisic, an Arkansas transfer who signed with the Illini, give Illinois two centers with NBA potential who can really stretch the floor on offense as shooters and take advantage of spacing as passers, while Zvonimir gives Illinois an elite rim protector (16th in Division I in block rate). Montenegro forward David Mirkovic (6-foot-9, 250 pounds) adds more strength, skill and rebounding at the four, while Rodgers can play some small-ball four and give Illinois some needed athleticism.
Humrichous now gives Illinois plenty of experience and a shooting threat to provide more spacing. He certainly did not shoot as well as Illinois hoped this season — he was a career 40% three-point shooter when he arrived — and while he battled defensively, he was limited athletically on defense and would get attacked by opponents. Humrichous lost his starting spot to Morez Johnson Jr. and eventually Tre White late in the season. But Illinois won’t be counting on him to play starter’s minutes with its additions this offseason, and it’s feasible to think Humrichous could be more efficient with a lesser role, as he was late in the season.
Go VIP for 30% OFF your first year!: Join the No. 1 source on Illinois athletics and recruiting with our latest great offer! Get market-leading, professional coverage of Illini sports for 30% OFF your first year! That’s just $6.27 per month for your first year of VIP membership, more than $40 of savings for the most comprehensive coverage of your favorite teams! There is no promo code required for the offer, just HIT THIS LINK, sign up for the annual membership and you’re good to go!
