Illinois guard Da’Monte Williams announced Wednesday he will return for a fifth season of eligibility next season.
Williams’ announcement through the Illinois athletic department follows that of fellow senior Trent Frazier, who also elected to use his extra season of competition allowed under a one-time NCAA rule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Williams is known for his hustle and key 3-point shooting. The Peoria native and son of former Illini star Frank Williams has started 60 of 126 games in his career and had his best season in 2020-21.
He averaged 5.5 points and 5.3 rebounds while connecting on 54.7% of 3-pointers. Williams posted a season-high 13 points with three steals in the Big Ten Tournament championship victory against Ohio State.
The Illini need as much consistency as they can get. Junior guard Ayo Dosunmu elected to forgo his remaining eligibility to enter the NBA draft, while junior forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili also will leave Illinois to pursue a professional career. Freshman guard Adam Miller, who started all 31 games this past season, entered the transfer portal.
Sophomore center Kofi Cockburn announced he also will enter the NBA draft but plans to maintain his eligibility and could withdraw his name to return to Illinois.
Illinois finished second in the Big Ten in 2020-21, won the conference tournament and was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Illini lost to Loyola in the second round and finished 24-7.
Sign up for alerts on your phone, desktop and inbox to stay current with the latest news
Sign up for our sports newsletter, delivered daily each morning
