Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu’s ascending basketball career can be credited to his family’s blueprint for success: ‘You’re the CEO. We’re the board.’

The Dosunmus strategically installed a whiteboard next to the pantry in their family home.

Scribbled in marker are ambitious goals for Ayo Dosunmu, the youngest child in the family of six. Player of the year. Naismith winner. First-round draft pick. These objectives aren’t posted so prominently to remind Ayo alone.

No, these are “family goals.”

“You come to the house, you see it,” said his dad, Quam Dosunmu. “You open the refrigerator, you’re looking dead at it. When you’re walking out, you’re looking at it. It’s visible. It’s there. We all know what our goals are, the whole family. Don’t forget the goal.”

Ayo Dosunmu, the dynamic Illinois guard who has raised expectations in Champaign, is surrounded by a family that has made it their business to support each other’s goals. His just happen to be about basketball.

If one Dosunmu wins, they all win. The family’s favorite pronoun is “we.”

“We have so many smart people in my family,” Ayo said. “We have so many people who are looking out for what’s best for me. I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in to have so many people who can lead me to success.”

His parents, two sisters and a brother have responsibilities in helping those dreams become reality. Aunts, uncles and grandparents have taken on roles too.

“You’re the CEO of this company,” Quam said he told his son years ago. “We’re the board.”

That family blueprint — a mix of love, organization and business acumen — is paying off for Dosunmu.

He has led third-ranked Illinois (20-6) to its best season in more than a decade. The junior, whose recruitment out of Morgan Park was a prescient signal the Illini were on the upswing, has the program on course for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013.

Not only that, the Illini appear likely to receive a No. 1 seed Sunday and have legitimate national championship hopes. They’ll first try to win the Big Ten Tournament this week in Indianapolis, starting with Friday’s quarterfinals after earning a double bye as the No. 2 seed.

Dosunmu, a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection this week, has already cemented a legacy at Illinois. His multitude of dramatic clutch shots, his 20.9-point scoring average and his ferocious competitiveness that complements his resolute personality have made him a Champaign celebrity.

Wearing a black protective mask after suffering a broken nose and concussion and missing three games only adds to his mystique.

He can add to his reputation this postseason, which is expected to be his last run with the Illini as the NBA draft beckons.

“Ayo needs to go to the draft,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “There’s nothing else he’s going to accomplish in college basketball that I’m going to do for him. He’s turned himself into that guy. Ayo’s had an unbelievable year.”

It’s the course the Dosunmus charted years ago for him. Rather, with him.

“We talk and make great decisions about what would be the best thing for me,” Dosunmu said. “They never make the decision for me. They always give me pointers and say the pros and cons of each situation and allow me to make the decision.”

Before each school year, the Dosunmus would gather. What are your goals this year? What do you want to achieve?

“How do you want the school year to look?” Jamarra Dosunmu said she asked her children. “Whatever you decide, I’m going to hold you accountable.”

When Ayo expressed in sixth grade he wanted to become an NBA player one day, it was all Quam needed to hear. Family meeting time: How do we all make this happen?

Quam quit his job after nearly 30 years as a UPS manager, taking a significant pay cut to work as a paraprofessional in education. But it allowed him more family time and loosened his schedule to oversee Ayo’s development.

Ayo had enough talent that Quam figured a college scholarship could offset the salary reduction. But they needed a plan.

‘We’ll guide him’

Stories abound of promising Chicago high school basketball stars who never make it .

“I just saw (his) talent,” Quam said. “It was overwhelming. You hear horror stories, this top player from Chicago, and then something always happens that knocks them off. I’m like, that is not going to be the case. As a family, we’ll guide him. ”

Before Ayo went to Illinois, Quam said when his son entered a gym, “I was either five steps ahead of him or five steps behind him.”

“You have to be visible in Chicago with your child,” he said. “There are so many wolves out there. You (weren’t) going to see him without me around. That kept everything in perspective. He’s hearing one voice — the voice he needs to hear.”

The family studied how parents of famous prodigies guided their children. Richard Williams, Venus and Serena Williams’ dad, wrote a 78-page plan for how to develop his daughters into tennis stars. Beyonce Knowles’ family helped manage her early singing career.

The Dosunmus also noted how hands-on Oprah Winfrey was in her career ascension and financial success.

“I have a very tight-knit circle,” Ayo said. “I don’t need to go outside (of them) for anything. That’s why I’m so grateful to have those resources in my family. You’re not getting around my mom or my dad, (and) definitely not my brother or my sisters. Someone has probably tried to creep in and give their opinion, but it never gets to me. They block all of that out.”

Every family member might as well work for Dosunmu Inc.

Dad handles X’s and O’s breakdowns. Mom is the media coordinator. Sisters Joselynn, 31, and Khadijat, 26, handle social media and public relations videos. Yakub, 22, provides brotherly advice.

Grandma calls twice a week for hourlong Bible studies. The extended family includes lawyers and public relations experts who are ready with recommendations.

“Everyone has a role,” Jamarra said. “We’ve been delegated to certain roles. It’s what your specialty is and you stay in that lane. We then come together to make decisions.”

Two days before game days, Quam and Ayo schedule video conference calls to discuss scouting reports of opponents. But Quam said he leaves the coaching to the Illinois coaches; he’s there for reinforcement.

“I never overstep the boundary,” he said.

Underwood appreciates the way Dosunmu’s family sets high standards.

“His situation is unique and it is very, very supportive on all fronts,” Underwood said. “He’s got a family that’s all-in. He’s very committed to being the best player he can be and seeing where that can take him. They’re behind him. They do it in a very positive and reinforcing way, and he handles that great. He’s very blessed.”

There was no teenage rebellion in Dosunmu, his parents said.

He played video games and went to basketball practice. He preferred to skip high school parties to wake at 5:30 a.m. for conditioning runs with his dad and brother. A core group of friends, teammates and family were his main social circle. Nightly family dinners and basketball games were enough.

“Ayo is very simple,” Jamarra said. “He’s goal-oriented. He’s a definite competitor. He wants to win. He wants to be the best. He does not have a lot of distractions. He’s focused on one thing.”

Basketball has fulfilled him from a young age. It started, of course, as a family bonding experience.

When Quam coached Yakub’s youth basketball team and Ayo played on another team, Jamarra put her foot down. “I didn’t like we were in two separate places,” she said.

Solution: Ayo began playing up two grades on his brother’s team, coached by their dad.

When he and Yakub double-dribbled, which referees permitted at such a young age, Quam insisted it was a turnover and they had to give the ball to the opponent.

“He really prides himself on doing things the right way,” Ayo said of his father.

Now, he does too.

As a freshman at Westinghouse, before transferring to and graduating from Morgan Park, he set specific goals. He skipped the eighth-grade AAU circuit to work out with his dad before high school with a goal to make the city’s all-freshman team.

As a sophomore at Morgan Park, he aimed to play well enough to help teammate Charlie Moore win Illinois’ Mr. Basketball award. As a senior, he focused on winning a state championship.

Check, check, check.

“Every year we come with a plan,” said Quam, who was on the coaching staff in Ayo’s freshman and senior seasons.

‘All the love’

After every Illinois victory, Dosunmu’s sisters and mom — and sometimes his dad — record themselves dancing a choreographed routine and post it to TikTok.

“I let them live their life,” Dosunmu said with a smile, noting he avoids social media. “They enjoy it.”

Said Jamarra: “It’s a way we can be part of it without actually being there.”

His siblings’ successes set a high bar. Joselynn works in management, Khadijat is an educator and Yakub is a graduate student at Illinois. Ayo grew up attending their extracurricular activities and celebrating their victories.

“There’s no sibling rivalry,” he said. “We all want to see each other win. Me being the baby, all the love calculated up and they’re there for me. That’s how my family is. They support you no matter what you want to do.”

Because of COVID-19 protocols restricting fan attendance, this is the first season the family hasn’t been at every Illinois game. They made a family pact to follow protocols strictly for the obvious health reasons but also to avoid jeopardizing Dosunmu’s season.

They drove to Champaign when Dosunmu turned 21 on Jan. 17, beeping the car horn and singing “Happy Birthday” from across the street before driving back to Chicago.

They made a surprise trip last Saturday to see Illinois beat Ohio State, Dosunmu’s first game back after missing three because of a concussion and broken nose. But they waved from the stands and again drove home without greeting him in person.

Not having his family stationed in the corner stands behind the State Farm Center bench like the previous two seasons was surreal, Dosunmu said. With hopes of fans being permitted to attend postseason tournaments, he was driven.

“I just wanted to go out and play as hard as I can each and every day so when it was time for March, when fans can come, they’ll be watching a great show,” he said.

The Dosunmus plan to watch him dazzle in person in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament, both taking place in Indianapolis. They’ll have their usual family crew.

“We’re rolling deep,” Jamarra said.

Dosunmu will wrap up an impressive career in the upcoming weeks. A Naismith Trophy semifinalist and Bob Cousy Award finalist, he’s on pace to be the first Division I player in 11 seasons to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. He joined Magic Johnson as the only Big Ten players to record two triple-doubles in one season during conference play.

When Dosunmu moves on to NBA draft preparation, he’ll surround himself with Team Dosunmu again. “Nobody got fired,” Jamarra joked.

Last year, his family got practice. They arranged his meetings with general managers and prepped him for interviews as he contemplated making the NBA jump before ultimately returning to Illinois.

He has no fear of greedy financial representatives or hangers-on taking advantage of him as he takes the step into a professional career.

“That’s what’s most important, having a cohesive family unit that can help you make the best decisions — financially, off the court, on the court, everything,” Dosunmu said.

There are goals to be attained in college first. “The job isn’t finished,” he said.

But soon, the Dosunmus will wipe clean the whiteboard next to the pantry.

And then? New goals for the family to set.