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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:
Summer League wrapped Sunday in Las Vegas. The final opportunity for players on the fringe to make a case for an NBA roster spot before training camp starts in late September. The last chance for younger players, assured of that spot because of the investment already made, to make a case for more playing time.
The dozen former Illinois standouts who played in Las Vegas run that full gamut. That certainly includes the three that were on the Illini's Final Four team, with Keaton Wagler at one end as the fifth overall pick, Kylan Boswell in the middle with a two-way contract and Ben Humrichous at the other end of the spectrum on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Here's what Illinois coach Brad Underwood had to say about trio ...
On Wagler and the Los Angeles Clippers: "They've got high expectations with him as a guy that's going to be a main contributor in their backcourt. It's just going through the process."
On Boswell and the Charlotte Hornets: "Kylan is a guy that's physically very strong. He'll never get overpowered. Great athlete. He's a guy that's got great explosiveness, but, defensively, he's going to be able to be just fine and offensively will settle in."
On Humrichous and the Brooklyn Nets: "I think Ben's in a great situation. I thought Ben was as important a piece as there was to our team last year. A young man that came in with a lot of hype on the offensive side that he was a great shooter — and he is — but became one of the elite defenders in the Big Ten."