Former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. Pays Tribute to Michigan State's Tom Izzo

Shannon visited Michigan State's locker room Saturday to give props to Izzo on his massive accomplishment

Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) dribbles the ball against the Connecticut Huskies in the finals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Saturday night wasn't the picture-perfect night Terrence Shannon Jr. might have envisioned for himself – and rightfully deserved.

After last season leading Illinois to a Big Ten Tournament championship and then its first Elite Eight appearance since 2005, Shannon was honored with a jersey ceremony to celebrate his accomplishments during halftime of the Illini's matchup with Michigan State on Saturday in Champaign.

But after the Shannon banner was dropped from the rafters and uncermoniously unveiled upside-down, the moment made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Well, they’ll have to flip it around. But Terrence Shannon Jr. is forever an #Illini legend pic.twitter.com/b2MLKaAujp

— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) February 16, 2025

Toss in Illinois squibbing its 16-point first-half lead and fully falling apart in the second half to lose 79-65, and the night was quickly becoming a full-fledged disaster.

Despite all the turmoil surrounding his special night, Shannon, a former Illini All-American and current Minnesota Timberwolves guard, didn’t let it stop him from acknowledging another's special achievement on the night.

With the Spartans' victory over the Illini, MSU head man Tom Izzo surpassed Indiana legend Bob Knight for the most wins in Big Ten history.

With win No. 354, Tom Izzo passes legend Bob Knight as the winningest coach in Big Ten conference wins 🙌 @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/HVL85SLJht

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 16, 2025

And in his postgame press conference, Izzo said he had received an unexpected visitor with a message of salutation: Shannon.

“In fact, speaking of classy," Izzo said, "he just came into my locker room and congratulated me."

Izzo shared that he poked a bit of fun at Shannon during the interaction, telling him that “if you wouldn’t have played here, I would’ve got this done a lot earlier."

The Spartans' coach was only half-joking. Shannon's Illini took only one of two games against Michigan State during his tour in Champaign, but he no doubt kept Izzo up at night and gave the Spartans' defense fits in both of those contests, averaging 22.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.

The exchange spoke volumes – more evidence why Shannon has become one of the program's most beloved former players despite a relatively brief two-year stop-over in Champaign. Even in the midst of an imperfect night (and a flawed Illini season), Shannon was able to keep it light and share his shining moment with one of college basketball’s most decorated head coaches.

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