Ben Humrichous embraces defensive role: ‘I want to do what it takes to win’

CHAMPAIGN — Ben Humrichous had a quiet, relatively unremarkable stat line in Saturday night’s win over Tennessee, ending the night with a meager two points, five rebounds and an assist.

But at least one of his rebounds came in the middle of the second half and was instrumental in kick-starting a run for Illinois as time began to swirl away from them.

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“Ben was absolutely phenomenal tonight, on the defensive side,” Underwood said after that thrilling win over Tennessee in Nashville on Saturday night. “The impact he had, the job he did in his 26 minutes was quite large.”

But Humrichous was quick to deflect any praise or credit for his defensive impact on the floor.

“It’s fun that my play was a part of that turnaround. I love the way that when we needed to make a play, there were a lot of guys who made plays right in a row,” Humrichous said. “I loved our collective effort to turn it around.”

When Humrichous first arrived in Champaign, media and fans alike were quick to point out the parallels of his basketball journey to that of former Illini, Marcus Domask, who became a fan favorite almost immediately in his short year as an Illini.

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While they are almost completely different players, the parallels are undeniable, with both guys transferring from mid-major programs. Naturally, there was always an expectation for Humrichous to make a significant offensive impact on the floor.

More than a year into his tenure, none of those expectations have materialized through a season-and-a-quarter (ish). His tenure has been a mixed bag, but his role on this season’s Illini teams is beginning to crystallize after each game.

And it’s a critical role.

“My role was to space the floor and give them [teammates] space to work,” Humrichous said. “Some nights it might be different.”

For Humrichous, the offensive numbers were not of concern, though offensive production was certainly a point of contention for him internally in the past.

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