CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The memories came rushing back for Illini great Ayo Dosunmu upon his return to the State Farm Center on Thursday for the unveiling of his jersey that will hang in the rafters.
Just like old times, the lights dimmed and a Tim Sinclair introduction led him out onto Lou Henson Court to the roar of an Illini crowd. Dosunmu thought about the last time that had happened in March of 2020 in an unforgettable game against Iowa. He remembered his talks with roommate Tyler Underwood going into that next year about winning a Big Ten championship and getting Illinois back to the NCAA tournament.
“All of those dreams and aspirations that I had, through the thick and the thin when we were bad record wise to the last year when we were good, it all just raced back with so many different memories with so many different guys,” Dosunmu said.
As he and his family stood at center court, the Illini surprised him with a montage of video messages from former teammates and coaches. That was “very special” for Dosunmu, as he watched the likes of Kofi Cockburn, Trent Frazier, Da'Monte Williams, Andres Feliz, Orlando Antigua, Brad Underwood and others offer their own personal congratulations.
“It was crazy,” Dosunmu said. “Just knowing that the legacy and the mark that I left here, not just on the court but with building relationships with guys and the coaching staff and players. That’s what it’s all about. Building bonds and building relationships that can never be taken away, that last forever. And I thought I did that here with the guys at Illinois.”
He also did exactly what he said he was going to do when he announced his commitment to Illinois at the Jordan Brand Store in 2017. He talked about bringing Illinois basketball back to prominence and building a lasting legacy in his home state.
“I did it for the program. I did it for the oversight view of the program,” Dosunmu said. “I wasn’t looking at it just for myself. If that was the case, I would have left my freshman or sophomore year. But that’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to build a legacy. To build a legacy, it takes more than one year. It takes patience. It takes a lot of long nights. It takes a lot of mental toughness. You have to be locked in mentally, but I definitely am excited to know where this program is.”
Brad Underwood reflected on Thursday’s special night, Dosunmu’s imprint on the program and the kind of bond that carries now and in the future.
“I told the team afterwards: To me, this is what makes Illinois basketball so damn good and so powerful. Here’s a guy who chose to come to us when we weren’t winning. We stunk. We were a bad basketball team and he believed in us. Ayo was coachable,” Underwood said. “He’s the definition of everything that we want our program to be about. It’s no surprise that he’s having a great NBA career and he’ll have a long one as the Good Lord blesses his body and he stays healthy, he’ll play in that league for a long time. But it’s always really special to know, one, he texts me all the time. I’m following him, he’s following us. He bleeds orange and blue. And this is always home. This is always home. And he’s one of 34 that have his jersey hanging up there and the history of this program is so powerful. People don’t understand it. All that being said, better young man than he is player and he’s a great player. He’ll always be special. These aren’t: ‘Say goodbye. Thank you. Great job. Good luck.’ These are lifetime relationships and that’s what we’re tryin’ to build here.”
The time came for Dosunmu to pull the string and uncoil the banner. He took a step back and admired that symbol of extraordinary accomplishment — one that will be forever visible in the ‘House of Paign’.
“It was very emotional. I was trying to keep myself straight, smile through it all. I had a nice shirt on, I didn’t want to try to mess it up,” Dosunmu said. “I was just excited, though, to know that no matter what, my cousins, friends, whoever comes to Illinois, my son or my daughter, my kids’ kids’ kids — whenever they look up there, they’re going to see my name up there. That’s something that’s crazy.”
Dosunmu became the first Illini player to have his jersey honored since Dee Brown. Now, one iconic No. 11 will hang next to another. Soon enough, Dosunmu will have company on the other side with Cockburn already claiming a spot next to him.
“That’s why I tell him to enjoy it. Try to make your legacy as big as it can be. Try to win everything,” Dosunmu said. “Win every game, try to win every award, every championship because then, when you look back on it and you look at the hard work that you did, it’s gonna be worth it.”
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January 08, 2022 at 08:58PM
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Dosunmu reflects on building lasting legacy: 'I did it for the program' - 247Sports
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