Illinois School officials apologized after the shirt of former star Terrence Shannon Jr. was the other way around during a retirement ceremony on Saturday.
In the part time of the victory of the state of Michigan over Illinois, fans of the crowd jaded after the shirt, which will hang on the beams in the State Farmer Center, did not position itself properly when Shannon took out a cord to present it.
“Before entering the substance of the game tonight, obviously, we had an unfortunate part -time situation with the shirt around [Shannon’s] Celebration, “said Atlético de Illinois director Josh Whitman, after the game.” Obviously, a really unfortunate moment. It is a pity that it happened that way.
“Of course, I did not hang the shirt, but ultimately, I am responsible for everything that happens in this building and, ultimately, that means that it was in me tonight. We need to make sure that we understand that in life they happen Errors. But there are also certain moments in which errors cannot happen. [Shannon] And that is about us and something we have apologized to him, he apologized to his mother. We want to make sure that we apologize to our fans and all who were excited to be part of this experience tonight. “
Last season, Shannon took Illinois to the Eight Eight for the first time in almost 20 years. He averaged 23 points per game for coach Brad Underwood's team and made the third Associated Press All-America team.
But it was a turbulent year for Shannon, who was suspended mid -season after he was accused of sexual assault derived from an alleged incident in Kansas. He was finally reinstated after a legal challenge of his lawyers and allowed him to return to the program after missing multiple games.
In his trial last summer, Shannon was declared not guilty of aggravated rape and sexual aggression. The Timberwolves of Minnesota turned Shannon into the 27th National Team in the NBA Draft of 2024. He is averaging 3.1 points in 16 games this season.
Before Saturday's game, Shannon said he was surprised that Illinois retired his shirt, because he played three years in Texas Tech before transferring during the last two years of university career.
“I was surprised because I was only here for two years,” he told local media before the ceremony. “I was happy. I am grateful to have the opportunity to wear my shirt there.”
Whitman said the school invested a lot of energy to plan Saturday's retirement ceremony, which caused the gaffe to be even more shameful and “inexcusable.”
“We got the side of the sweater and we have the opportunity to obtain [Shannon] with [Underwood] On the court to take some photos after the game ended, “Whitman said.” But nothing we can do to recreate that moment. We recognize that. We possess it. There are certain errors that cannot happen.
“I had some energetic conversations during the second half [so] That the right people knew the level of disappointment and frustration that we felt at that time. With luck, in the lens of history, that will do nothing to decrease, of course, what [Shannon] achieved here and what tonight should be for him and for the legacy of Illinois basketball. “
After the defeat of his team against Michigan State, who gave Tom Izzo the record of most of the victories in the history of Big Ten about former Indiana Bob Knight coach, Underwood got excited while talking about Shannon.
He said that adversity faced Shannon is part of a legacy that helped him find “excellence.”
“Having a shirt that sneaks, and I know how important it is for fans here and I know it is important for him; he is from Chicago, he grew up seeing this, and being there with so few others, there are not enough adjectives, there is no enough words, for how proud I am, “Underwood said.
