Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. breaks silence on rape accusation

05/14/2024 12:44 PM

The 2024 NBA Combine kicked off on Monday as prospects try to improve their draft stock. One player who showed up is Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. The Illini star has had rape allegations tied to his name for quite some time, and he spoke about those accusations (h/t Bret Beherns).

“Obviously it’s a real serious accusation and I’m aware of that and I can’t go into much detail about it but I’m focused on what I can control and that’s basketball…What I do on the court and the weight room…I feel like people are going to have their opinion no matter what you’re going through…You can’t let other people’s opinions affect you.”

"Obviously it's a real serious accusation and I'm aware of that and I can't go into much detail about it but I'm focused on what I can control and that's basketball"

Former #Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. on a rape charge against him in Kansas and how he's handling it pic.twitter.com/29R3E315BZ

— Bret Beherns (@WCIA3Bret) May 14, 2024

Shannon was originally suspended from the program back in December after the allegations came to light from an incident that occurred in Kansas in the fall of 2023. However, he was able to return to the court in January and finish out the remainder of the season with the Illinois basketball program. He was an instrumental part of the success of the Illini, finishing with 21.6 PPG and 4.2 rebounds as they ended in the Elite Eight with a loss to UConn.

However, the biggest question regarding Shannon is what will happen with these allegations.

The latest status on Terrence Shannon Jr. rape allegations 

It has been a whirlwind six months for Terrence Shannon Jr., and the latest status is that this case will begin a court trial in June.

For now, Shannon insists he is looking forward to that day, per Beherns.

“I can’t really talk much about it but I’m looking forward to my day in court…I’m controlling what I can control and that’s handling things day to day.”

"I can't really talk much about it but I'm looking forward to my day in court"

Terrence Shannon Jr. meets with media for the first time since Dec. after a rape charge in Kansas, trial set for June 10-13

"I'm controlling what I can control and that's handling things day-to-day" pic.twitter.com/GbRmmLoHRw

— Bret Beherns (@WCIA3Bret) May 14, 2024

Shannon’s lawyer recently released a statement after the news came about the case going to trial: "Our legal team is neither shocked nor disappointed by the outcome of this event," Mark Sutter said. "A preliminary hearing is a procedural process that merely speaks to the threshold of evidence and whether a question of fact may exist for a jury. It has nothing to do with guilt or innocence. Those issues will be decided at trial, and we continue to look forward to our day in court."

For now, Shannon is at the NBA Combine and looking forward to seeing what he can do for his stock. However, he was unable to participate in the testing and drills due to suffering a hamstring injury, per Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports.

‘Terrence Shannon Jr (hamstring) and Rob Dillingham (ankle) did not participate in any of the combine testing and shooting drills yesterday. Both are minor injuries.’

Shannon’s court date is set for the second week of June, so there should be some clarity then.

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