Season with Illini a successful step on Shannon's basketball journey

Mar. 8—CHAMPAIGN — Treanette Redding made as many visits to Lubbock, Texas, as she could in the previous three-plus years.

The 1,200-mile trip from Chicago to northwest Texas was worth the time and expense. Missing out on her son, Terrence Shannon Jr., playing a meaningful role with the Texas Tech men's basketball program from the beginning of his freshman season wasn't an option.

So Redding made trip after trip to Lubbock and other spots in the Big 12, taking in what she said was most of her son's games with the Red Raiders.

Then, Shannon hit the transfer portal following his third season at Texas Tech. Illinois wound up in the mix of potential destinations, and Redding was ready to have her son closer to home. Not that she pushed the issue. But Shannon opting to play his senior season in Champaign — an easy two-hour south drive down Interstate 57 — certainly made Mom happy.

"I got to come to a lot more games," Redding said last week after celebrating Senior Night with her son and his younger siblings before Illinois defeated Michigan 91-87 in double overtime, with Shannon playing a starring role in the dramatic win. "I went to mostly all of his games at Texas Tech, too, but it gave the opportunity for his friends and my other family members to travel and come down and get to see him play.

"I always wanted him to be close to home. He knew that. But most importantly, I told my son to go to where he was needed and not just wanted. That made a big difference in selecting Illinois."

Because the Illini certainly needed a player like Shannon.

Learning from Mom

A player who was experienced. Who was tested in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Who was capable of becoming the go-to scorer that was missing from the roster after a combination of graduations, transfers and First Team All-American Kofi Cockburn opting to turn pro.

Shannon has provided exactly that in his first — and potentially only — season at Illinois. Redding and her family and friends will have their easiest trip of the year to see him try to push the Illini to postseason success with the Big Ten tournament starting today in Chicago.

"Oh, a lot — a lot of people," Redding said about the number of family and friends she expects at the United Center for No. 7 seed Illinois' 5:30 p.m. game Thursday against No. 10 seed Penn State. "I hope everybody in my family and everybody that's in Chicago can have the opportunity to watch him play."

Illinois (20-11) might only go as far this month as Shannon can take the team. A primary leadership role might not have been one he filled in three seasons at Texas Tech, but the Illini needed that. It was a key part of Shannon's early conversations with coach Brad Underwood.

"They needed me to come in here and lead — be the guy," Shannon said. "I just took the initiative when I first got here to show guys how hard I worked and take that lead. When I did do that, guys just followed suit.

"You know when you come to a place or you're at a place, you can kind of tell who's the leader. I'm always encouraging them, but I'm also telling guys the truth, and I allow them to tell me the truth. It's holding people accountable and holding myself accountable. If I'm not doing something, I can't hold other guys accountable."

That's not a lesson Shannon picked up on the basketball court, either. There wasn't some older teammate that paved the way.

No, it was Mom.

"She's everything," Shannon said. "She's a leader. She holds herself accountable. She puts herself before others. She'd do anything to get the job done. That's where I got that from.

"My mom, she always made sure I was good. Even if she couldn't have something, she made sure me and my siblings had something. She's just a hard worker. She still is, and I just want to give her the world. I'm working hard to."

Traits of a leader

Shannon didn't have to carry that leadership burden alone, but he was integral to the changing dynamic on the basketball court in Champaign. Fellow transfer Matthew Mayer provided a counterpoint to Shannon's lead-by-example mentality with his more freewheeling, carefree approach.

"TJ is awesome," Mayer said. "He's been a leader from day one. He just kind of took over when he got here, and we always knew we could rely on him to have big games."

Shannon and Mayer could assume that role at Illinois even as transfers because of what the roster had become after several years of returning, veteran players. A young team that ultimately added six freshmen (even if it's down to just four now) needed an infusion of experience at the top.

Shannon's work ethic, attention to detail and commitment stood out to Underwood. It's what turned him into a capable leader.

"It was easier for them because of what we lost," Underwood said of Shannon and Mayer leading this year's team. "It would have been much different if Kofi had been back or Trent (Frazier) had been back. We were a very, very young basketball team. It was a very different situation. We lost 90 percent of our scoring, and we had a group of new guys. It's probably easier to come in when you're losing fifth-year seniors and a First Team All-American than it is to come in and have all those guys back."

Big-brother role

The effect Shannon had on Illinois' freshmen is something Ty Rodgers said he wasn't sure he could fully explain. Other than Shannon has been "the best big brother" Rodgers could have hoped for when he got to campus.

"He's taught me so much more," Rodgers said. "He's been through it. He's experienced everything. He tells me it's a process every day. But I see him coming in here (to Ubben Basketball Complex). Offseason coming in here at 4:30 in the morning getting work in. Working out three to four times a day. It's just helped me so much. It's motivated me to get back in the gym and just work hard."

Rodgers said Shannon has embraced that "big brother" role. To the extent the veteran guard calls the Illinois freshmen his "little brothers."

"I think we helped him, as well," Rodgers continued. "Before Terrence came here, he was still trying to figure out how to be a leader, I think."

What a ride

That Shannon's teammates are so effusive in their praise of who he is beyond the team's leading scorer resonates with Redding. She called it "fulfilling," and as a proud mom, she's willing to take some of the credit.

"I raised a great kid," Redding said. "It's also important that they recognized his leadership skills once he got here. They welcomed him with open arms. It was a good feeling to see everyone embrace him being the new kid on the block."

There's no guarantee Shannon will turn being the "new kid" into a longer stay in Champaign. He has one more year of eligibility to use if he wants. Several current 2023 NBA draft projections, however, slot the 6-foot-6, 225-pound versatile left-handed guard in near the top of the second round. The stay-or-go decision is one Shannon said he hasn't made yet, but a deadline to do so is looming this spring.

That could make whatever Illinois accomplishes this month — or potentially into the start of April — the final pages to this chapter of his basketball story. What Redding called "a long journey" from Lincoln Park to IMG Academy in Florida to Texas Tech and now Illinois.

"TJ has been playing basketball since he was like 4 years old," Redding said. "I always knew at some point he was going to be a great basketball player. He's exceeded my expectations, and I'm sure he's exceeded his own, too, just staying focused on the goal that he's trying to achieve by going to the next level. Being dedicated. Being disciplined. That plays a big part in your success with basketball."

Shannon doesn't discount the steps he's taken on that journey. All the reminder he needs is when memories from years past pop up on his phone.

"I actually thank God every day," Shannon said. "When I was finished at Lincoln Park, I had zero Division I offers. To see where I'm at now and when I was at Texas Tech and IMG, nobody would have ever thought I would have been there. I also played football, too, so I never really focused on basketball — just basketball — until I went to IMG. It is crazy that I'm here now. That's why I'm so humble. I know I never really had it. I'm still working hard, and I still don't have it. I'm still working to get better every day."