When Lincoln Williams signed with Illinois in early June, it caught people off guard. The in-state Class of 2026 recruit out of Kankakee arrived late from the high school ranks, but the fit was easy to understand: why not take a swing on one of the premier athletes in the country?
Nearly four months into his time in Champaign, Brad Underwood likes what he sees. Speaking Friday night at Illinois’ on-campus media day press conference, Underwood laid out the kind of progress that has Williams trending the right way.
“I pray he becomes a great story,” Underwood said. “And I think he’s on the right track.
He’s allowing us to mold him. And he has some incredible tools and gifts.
Maybe as many as any player I’ve had here, athletically. He has been receptive.
He has been coachable.
“[Strength and conditioning coach Adam] Fletcher doesn’t like anybody, but Fletch likes him. He’s working his tail off in there, and he’s starting to get biceps. All those things are good, and his consistent effort is what we’re striving towards every day.
“He doesn’t have to play 40-minute games. He’s got to play in two-, three-, four-, five-minute segments that are really hard.
And when he does that, he can impact the game at a very, very high level with his anticipation, with his athleticism. And I’m excited for what he is becoming.
“Is he a finished product? Absolutely not.
But he has got all the tools to be an outstanding basketball player and an outstanding Illini. And how soon that becomes is truly up to him, but he’s headed in the right direction.”
That’s the key point here: Williams is coachable. That alone doesn’t promise stardom, but it gives him a real runway.
Underwood’s talk about “segments” also hints at something interesting for the future. Williams may not be the kind of player who logs huge minutes right away, but there’s a path for him to matter in real stretches, not just in garbage time. Think short bursts in meaningful moments, where his athleticism and anticipation can actually swing possessions.
That’s where his upside lives. Williams may not have the polished offensive game some of his teammates bring, but he does have size, length and uncommon explosiveness. If he keeps building on that, and if the anticipation Underwood mentioned keeps showing up, Illinois could have a versatile defender who changes the game in limited minutes.
There’s offensive value there, too. Williams can run the floor in transition, his jumper looks respectable enough and he can work in the dunker spot.
He doesn’t need to be an “action guy” to fit. He just can’t be a liability, and Illinois doesn’t need him to be one.
The Illini should have plenty of scoring options regardless. The bigger question for March is defense, and that’s where Williams could matter most.
With the way Underwood described him, Illinois has a lot of ways to build this roster - maybe even more than one on the defensive end. If that depth gets used the right way, the Illini can be a tough matchup on both sides of the floor.
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Illinois Just Faced A Tough Reality In Brady Pettigrew's Visit
Brady Pettigrews official visit to Illinois gave the staff a chance to roll out the full pitch for one of the most coveted prospects in the 2028 class. The five-star from Illinois toured both the basketball and football facilities, a reminder that the Illini are trying to sell more than proximity and familiarity as they battle a national lineup of blue-blood programs for his attention.
The timing of the trip added an unavoidable dose of reality, since Pettigrew was on hand for a football game Illinois lost to Purdue. Still, the visit underscored how much the Illini want to stay in the mix for a player who is expected to be a basketball recruit and has not reclassified. With UNC, Kentucky, Duke, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State and Arkansas also in the chase, Illinois knows the competition will stay fierce for a long time. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Quietly Addressed A Big Offensive Line Need After Rough Weekend
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At 6-foot-4 and 350 pounds, Maileoi arrives with the kind of size Illinois can build around, and he had drawn interest from programs such as Kansas State and California before settling on the Illini. For a team trying to stabilize its offensive line pipeline, his pledge matters as much for what it says about the programs recruiting pitch as it does for the depth chart, because Illinois clearly sees him as part of the next wave up front. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Just Ran Into A Brutal Reality After Purdue Loss
Purdue left Gies Memorial Stadium with The Cannon, and Illinois was left staring at the sort of result that can reshape an early-season storyline. The Illini did not look sharp on either side of the ball in the Big Ten loss, with the defense surrendering 345 yards and the offense never finding much rhythm.
Katin Houser and the passing game never really settled in, which only added to the frustration for a team that came in trying to steady itself. After dropping three of its first five games, Illinois is now heading into a demanding stretch that includes multiple ranked opponents, leaving little margin for error if this season is going to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]