Good Morning, Illini Nation: Lots of familiar faces

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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:

Ayo Dosunmu is entering his fourth overall season with the Chicago Bulls and the second after signing a three-year, $21 million contract last offseason. His roster spot? It's secured. But there are others angling to land on an NBA roster with training camp set to begin Tuesday.

Not just random pros either. A slew of familiar faces, including former Illinois guard Marcus Domask (who ran with the Bulls at Summer League), two-time News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year E.J. Liddell, former Whitney Young star D.J. Steward and former Simeon standout Talen Horton-Tucker.

First, Domask. If there's such a thing as a breakout season for a fifth-year player who had already scored 1,600 career points, Domask had it last year in Champaign. The Southern Illinois transfer put together an All-Big Ten caliber one-and-done season with the Illini, helping them reach the Elite Eight.

Domask's Summer League stint with the Bulls wasn't all that notable with seven points in three games, but he's obviously caught the front office's attention. Whether he lands a two-way deal or not (making the active roster is a serious long shot), Domask will find somebody to pay him to play basketball this coming season.

The rest of the "Who's who?" of former IHSA stars is sort of incredible. Illinois recruited all three of Horton-Tucker, Liddell and Steward. In an alternative universe, all three plus Dosunmu could have been on the same team. (Dosunmu and Horton-Tucker were in the Class of 2018, Liddell was in 2019 and Steward was 2020). So it's kind of surreal to see them all in camp together with the Bulls.

Horton-Tucker spent the 2023-24 season — his fifth in the NBA — with the Utah Jazz, making 11 starts in 51 games. Steward played for the Maine Celtics in the G League last season and signed a two-day deal with the Bulls in July.

Liddell never got going with the New Orleans Pelicans after tearing his ACL ahead of his rookie year and spent nearly all of last season with the Birmingham Squadron in the G League (where he teamed with former Illini Malcolm Hill). He was traded in July to the Atlanta Hawks, traded again to the Phoenix Suns later that same month and then waived in August.