CHICAGO — Terrence Shannon Jr. — Lincoln Park High School alum, University of Illinois basketball star and a man recently exonerated of rape in Kansas — Heard his named called during the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft Wednesday night, and he’ll be asked to make an impact for one of basketball’s most talented teams.

Shannon Jr. was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 27 pick, joining fellow rookie Rob Dillingham as rookies inbound to Minneapolis tasked with carving out a role on a squad that finished with the third best record in the Western Conference a year ago.

As time went on, it became clear the Timberwolves did some extra digging into the Lincoln Park native and former Fighting Illini standout before the NBA Draft.

They found plenty of sources vouching for his character, bolstering their confidence in a dynamic player whose final season at Illinois was overshadowed by a rape charge he was recently found not guilty of.

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“The off-court reputation is sterling. Talk to the coaches at Texas Tech (Shannon’s previous school). Talk to the coaches at Illinois. They don’t say good things. They say amazing things,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said Wednesday night after taking Shannon with the 27th overall pick in the first round.

“Obviously he was on the wrong end of a really unfortunate situation, and his ability to play through that and play winning basketball for a great coach in Brad Underwood — we just think he brings toughness.”

Shannon was found not guilty two weeks ago after a jury in Douglas County, Kan., spent less than two hours deliberating the verdict. He was accused of sexual assault last September during a visit to Kansas for a football game between the Illini and the Jayhawks.

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Connelly said the Timberwolves “did a ton” of background work on Shannon with an interest in his experience, fortitude and scoring ability from anywhere on the court.

“Oftentimes, the minute you’re accused, you’re found guilty. Thankfully he went (through) the legal process. He chose to go to trial because he knew he did nothing wrong,” Connelly said. “I just think it’s a shame he went through that, and I think it’s a testament to who he is as a kid and his ability to play through a really tough distraction.”

High School

The 6-foot-6-inch-tall combo guard was a four-star prospect who played four years at Lincoln Park High School before spending a year at IMG Academy in Florida.

During his senior year at LPHS, he led the Lions to a regional title where he scored 45 points and scored the game-winning basket over Oak Park-River Forest.

Coming out of high school, Shannon Jr. was ranked as a top 100 prospect nationally by both 247Sports (No. 86) and ESPN (No. 92), and eventually committed to Texas Tech and years later, transferring to Illinois.

College

Shannon Jr. spent three years playing basketball for the Red Raiders before spending his collegiate senior and fifth years hooping in Urbana-Champaign.

Shannon Jr. averaged 11 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1 steal per game in Lubbock and during those three years at Texas Tech, he earned Big 12 All-Freshman honors, a selection to First-Team Academic All-Big 12, and a vote to Third-Team All-Big 12, among others, but didn’t reach the heights he did with the Fighting Illini.

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As a senior in 2022-23, Shannon Jr. averaged a new career high of 17.2 points per game for an Illinois team that finished 20-13, and was selected to First Team All-Big Ten by coaches, and Second Team All-Big Ten by the media.

In 2023-24, Shannon Jr. took another jump forward, increasing his scoring average by another six points to 23.0 per game, which was tops in the Big Ten and third in the country. His prolific scoring output on a team that went 29-9 and became Big Ten tournament champions led to Second-team All-American selections from 247Sports and CBS Sports, a Third-team All-American selection from the Associated Press and First Team All-Big Ten selections from coaches, media and the AP.

Shannon Jr’s playing profile for Minnesota

“I think he’s a three-position defender. I think he’s an unbelievably competitive guy. He’s got size. Another downhill guy who’s going to play with pace,” Connelly said.

The Western Conference runners-up could not have had a more productive draft night, considering they’re in no position to enhance the roster through trades or free agency with their salary-cap situation and desire to keep the core of the team together, led by emerging young superstar Anthony Edwards.

“You don’t take those two guys thinking how they’re going to match up together, but our challenge was to try to play a little bit faster in our second unit,” Connelly said, “and I think we got two of the fastest and most athletic and aggressive guys in the draft.”

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