CHAMPAIGN — Da'Monte Williams was almost the "forgotten man" of Illinois' freshman class.
A knee injury last December sidelined the Peoria Manual guard for the remainder of his senior season. That meant all but the game he was injured and the three games he dominated at the Adam Lopez Thanksgiving Tournament at Springfield Lanphier where he averaged 25.6 points per game and had the Rams off to a 3-0 start.
In the interim, Trent Frazier continued lighting teams up in Florida with 30-plus point peformances sprinkled throughout his season. Mark Smith's stock skyrocketed into spring as a top Illinois recruiting target.