Good Morning, Illini Nation: The rare four-year player

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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:

Ty Rodgers arrived in Champaign ahead of the 2022-23 season one of four incoming freshmen for Illinois. The 6-foot-6 wing out of Saginaw, Mich., has been the last man standing from that group for two years.

Skyy Clark left the Illini during that season, landed at Louisville and then left the Cardinals after one season for UCLA. He stuck with the Bruins this offseason and will wrap up his college career in Los Angeles this coming season.

Jayden Epps transferred after his freshman year at Illinois despite starting 11 of 31 games and playing 24.6 minutes per game. The 6-foot-2 guard spent the past two seasons at Georgetown, but he was on the move again this spring and landed at Mississippi State.

Sencire Harris stuck with Illinois in 2023-24, but opted to redshirt that season after the Illini landed multiple veterans to bolster their backcourt. Harris followed assistant coach Chester Frazier to West Virginia in 2024-25 but didn't when Frazier returned to Virginia Tech. Harris instead transferred a second time to Cincinnati.

All that to say four-year players at one program are rare. Rodgers qualifies, but after suffering a knee injury last week back home in Michigan, there's a chance his four years in Champaign could turn into two years on the court and two years off it. He redshirted last season, and the severity of his injury (it requires surgery) might dictate another.

Rodgers in the headlines got us thinking in The News-Gazette newsroom. How many four-year players are there in the Big Ten? An interesting talking point that spurred some research.

The answer? Some, but not all that many. As in 17 total, including walk-ons. The full list: