The Illinois basketball team received some surprising news on Monday before their season opener as junior guard Ty Rodgers decided that he will redshirt this season. The Fighting Illini start their season on Monday night at home against Eastern Illinois, and Rodgers will not be playing. This certainly comes as a bit of a surprise after Rodgers started all 38 games for Illinois last season.
“NEWS: #Illini wing Ty Rodgers is not playing tonight because he met with Brad Underwood and has decided to redshirt this season.”
Ty Rodgers played quite a bit during his freshman year with the Illinois basketball team and he seemed poised for a good career. He came to Illinois as a highly-ranked recruit and he played a lot during his first season. Rodgers appeared in 33 games during year one, but he wasn't a starter.
Last season, Rodgers did earn a starting role on a very talented Illinois team. They played 38 games as they made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, and he never left the starting lineup.
During his sophomore season, Rodgers averaged over 22 minutes per game and he shot over 52% from the field. He finished the year averaging 6.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 2.0 APG. Rodgers was an important part of this team, and now he is sitting out during his junior season.
It's likely that Rodgers decided to redshirt because of all the new talent that is on this Illinois basketball team this year. The Fighting Illini have brought in a lot of new guys, and Rodgers might have realized that his role is going to look different this season.
Illinois played an exhibition game against Ole Miss last week, and Rodgers played for just 14 minutes and he didn't score any points. He didn't attempt any shots either. His role was definitely going to be different, and that likely played a big role in this decision.
The Fighting Illini will start their 2024-25 season on Monday night with no Ty Rodgers. Illinois will be squaring off against Eastern Illinois at 7:00 CT from the State Farm Center in Champaign. The game will be airing on the Big Ten Network, and the Fighting Illini are currently favored by 24.5 points.
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