CHAMPAIGN — For the entirety of his career at Illinois, Tracy Abrams has been a model citizen.
He was the team MVP as a freshman. He emerged as the locker room leader as the program sought a coach after Bruce Weber was fired and continued in that role into John Groce’s tenure. And he remained there even as he attempted to come back from missing the 2014-15 season with a torn ACL.
So it seemed cruel that as Groce was talking about all that is right with Abrams on Tuesday inside the Ubben Basketball Complex that the point guard was inside the training room a few feet away dealing with yet another season-ending injury.