Illinois wing Will Riley may still be in high school. The freshman reclassified in the spring to attend college this fall.
Riley could also be in the No. 1 starting lineup. 25 Illinois. The 6-foot-8 Canadian has found a way to lead the Fighting Illini (4-1) in scoring despite coming off the bench in every game so far.
Entering a non-conference home game against Little Rock (3-3) in Champaign, Riley is leading Illinois in scoring (18 points per game) and 3-point shooting (14 of 22). He added six rebounds per game.
Riley is athletic and tall enough to crash the offensive glass effectively and is skilled enough to get his own shot whenever the ball is in his hands. He even took a spin at point guard late in Illinois’ 87-40 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday.
“I’m just going to go,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “I’ll just use the name of the guy, Michael Beasley, that I was at Kansas State. Nothing weird for them. Nothing weird for Will.”
Beasley, of course, was the only one at Kansas State. After averaging 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds for the Wildcats, he went No. 2 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. Riley doesn’t seem likely to go that high in the draft, but maybe that’s underestimating his ability to adapt and improve.
For example, when Illinois played at No. 8 Alabama on Wednesday, Riley missed his first four field goals and his first two free throws in the first 12 minutes. He looked a little rushed and attempted a rare shot trying to solve Alabama’s long and athletic frontcourt.
With 6:23 left in the first half, Riley showed he’s a quick learner. He got the ball at the top of the arc, put in a shot for his defender to fly past, then took a small step to the left for a three-pointer. He finished with a team-high 18 points, a career-high nine rebounds and four assists without a turnover in a 100-87 loss to the Crimson Tide.
“He’s just playing the game. The thing that pissed me off about him at Alabama was that he took two opponents with about 20 seconds left in the shot clock,” Underwood said.
And he sees great potential in his new self.
“When he learns to continue to be played badly, phew. That’s what playing the lottery looks like,” Underwood said of Riley. “He has the gift of not worrying about what I say, not worrying about missing a shot (or) a bad half. He just plays in the moment and takes what the game gives him.”
Riley and the Illini will face their second toughest test of the season so far in Little Rock, which garnered 20 of the 22 first-place votes in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, which teams cannot vote for themselves.
On Friday night, Little Rock fought back from a 22-point first-half deficit at No.
“I think if we had not dug such a big hole in the first half, it would have been much easier for us to stay in the game,” said striker Mwani Wilkinson.
Although the Trojans have high expectations, they are not at 100 percent. OVC preseason player of the year KK Robinson could miss the entire season with a knee injury suffered in late October, while power forward Creed Williamson — son of Corliss Williamson, a two-time All-American at Arkansas and a former -12. NBA player of the year — missed the last two games with a foot injury.
In their absence, Creighton transfers Johnathan Lawson (16.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, four assists) and Wilkinson (17.2 points), an LSU grad transfer, give the Trojans a pair of productive wings with size. dimension and knowledge. They are also prolific 3-point shooters each hitting at a 41 percent clip or higher.
“We’re going to see a team that includes defenses,” Underwood said. “This is a very good Little Rock team. Let’s not forget that they could have been an NCAA Tournament team last year. They are very tall, very athletic.”
–Field Level Media
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