BOSTON — Terrence Shannon Jr., the star guard who has led Illinois to its first Sweet 16 berth in 19 years, remained silent on Wednesday.
As he has since returning from suspension the third week of January on the advice from legal counsel.
Shannon has shined on the court for the third-seeded Illini, powering his team to the Big Ten Tournament crown and following that up by averaging 28 points and four assists in two NCAA Tournament games.
Off the court is a different matter.
The 6-foot-6 Chicago native is facing rape or an alternative count of sexual battery allegations from a Sept. 9 incident at a Lawrence, Kan., bar.
Shannon was in town to watch the Illinois football team take on Kansas.
He only returned after a six-game suspension because a federal judge granted him a temporary restraining order that forced Illinois to reinstate him.
U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless ruled that Shannon’s civil rights were violated by the suspension and Shannon “will suffer irreparable harm” if he wasn’t able to return to the team.
Shannon is alleged to have grabbed a woman’s buttocks, reached under her skirt and touched her in a sexual manner.
A graduate assistant to the Illinois basketball team has said he was with Shannon on the night in question and didn’t see what the woman described.
On Jan. 2, he wrote a letter to the University of Illinois student-athlete conduct panel, in which he declared his innocence.
Shannon is due in court again in May.
Third-seeded Illinois meets No. 2 Iowa State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night at TD Garden.
“I’ve said many times I’m a college basketball coach. When we found out, it was our athletic director Josh Whitman that informed me,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said, when asked what his initial reaction to the allegations were. “Then it was a decision that was made by the university, and then obviously taken to the courts, and I’ve said all along I was going to coach the guys I had in the locker room. I was going to be the best supporter of those guys that I coach every day. We had to find a way to flourish through those tough times.
“Then when he came back and joined us, he was a part of our team again. He has always been a great teammate. We got him back, and here we sit today.”
Earlier this month, Underwood said Shannon has handled everything “like a professional.”
He has had a fantastic season, averaging a career-best 23.3 points while shooting 48.1 percent from the field along with 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his fifth and final year of college basketball.
Shannon will soon have his day in court.
A preliminary hearing date is set for May 10.
