Illinois basketball player preview: Ethan Brown gives the Illini another option in the backcourt

Illinois heads into the season with Stefan Vaaks and Quentin Coleman positioned to handle most of the backcourt minutes. What happens behind them remains less certain, and Illini guard Ethan Brown has made a favorable early impression on Brad Underwood. Orange and Blue News continues our preview of the 2026-27 Fighting Illini with Brown, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Rolla, Missouri. He arrives with a strong scoring record, but Illinois will not ask him to play the same way he did in high school. His first chance will depend on how quickly he adjusts to a smaller offensive role and the demands of Big Ten defense. What we know Brown left Rolla as the most productive player in school history. He set program records with 2,523 points, 605 assists and 348 steals during his four varsity seasons. As a senior, Brown averaged 24 points, six rebounds, 6.4 assists and 3.2 steals for a 23-7 team. The Missouri Basketball Coaches Association named him first-team All-State for the third straight year, while MissouriPrepSports.com selected him as its player of the year. Brown scored 42 points against Marshfield and 39 against Camdenton. He also recorded 34 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and seven steals against Pembroke Hill at the Norm Stewart Classic. Those performances came after he averaged at least 22 points in each of his final three high school seasons. He also produced during the summer before his senior year. Brown averaged 17 points, 4.7 rebounds, three assists and 2.2 steals for the Gateway Knights in the New Balance P32 League, which named him its 17U MVP. The numbers reflect a player who handled nearly everything for Rolla. Brown began his career primarily as a scorer, then took on more responsibility with the ball as he got older. By his senior year, he had become the Bulldogs’ top passer as well as their leading scorer. His jumper remains the most college-ready part of his offense. Brown can shoot directly off a pass or dribble into a pull-up from several feet beyond the line. He also has enough speed to get past defenders who crowd him. Underwood has noticed the athletic ability since Brown arrived in Champaign. “He’s extremely quick, extremely athletic,” Underwood said of Brown on Tuesday. “He’s a great passer. I think that his ceiling is extremely high. I think he’s getting adjusted, as most freshmen are, to the weight room, the speed of the game. But, again, he’s been very, very good. I like his competitive spirit, and then his speed and his athleticism have been a real positive for us.” How he fits Vaaks and Coleman should begin the season at the top of the guard rotation. Lucas Morillo can also play in the backcourt, and Underwood can build bigger groups with Andrej Stojakovic or Jake Davis on the perimeter. Brown enters preseason practice without an obvious place among the top eight. He does, however, give Illinois another true guard. That distinction could matter when Underwood wants a second ballhandler or more quickness next to Vaaks or Coleman. His initial offensive responsibilities should remain narrow. Brown can spot up around the arc, pass the ball quickly and attack when a defender closes too hard. Illinois has enough established scorers that he should not have to manufacture shots late in possessions. Brown can also help Illinois play faster. He runs well with the ball and showed in high school that he can make decisions before the defense settles. Underwood could use that speed for a few minutes when the Illini want to increase the tempo. Finding those minutes will require Brown to defend. Illinois has several ways to fill out its perimeter rotation, so Underwood will not have to live with repeated freshman mistakes. Brown must show that he can stay in front of college guards and follow the details of the scouting report. He may spend some nights outside the rotation. Matchups and the health of the players ahead of him should provide chances, and Brown’s performance in those limited appearances could earn him a longer look. Projected role: Reserve combo guardProjected minutes: 5–9 per game Where Brown can improve Brown’s first priority will be getting stronger. He often reached the rim in high school, but Big Ten defenders will bump him off driving lanes and challenge him with greater length. He must learn to play through that contact without losing control of the ball. Added strength should also help him defensively. Brown anticipated passes well enough to collect more than three steals per game as a senior, but that number does not answer whether he can contain college guards. He will need better lateral movement and more discipline at the point of attack. Daily practices against Vaaks, Coleman and Illinois’ wings should give Brown a clear idea of where he stands. They will force him to defend more size and make reads faster than he did at Rolla. Offensively, Brown must grow comfortable playing without the ball. He spent much of high school deciding when his team would shoot and who would take the shot. At Illinois, long stretches may pass without him initiating a possession. That transition will require patience without making him passive. Brown can still use his speed against a defender who runs him off the line, and his passing should allow him to keep an advantage alive. The difficult part will be choosing those moments within an offense that already has several proven options. The prediction Brown should begin his freshman season behind Vaaks, Coleman and Morillo. Underwood can also use Stojakovic and Davis in the backcourt, which may limit Brown to short appearances during the opening weeks. His shooting could eventually push him into more competitive minutes. Before that happens, Brown must prove that he can defend and make sound decisions against college competition. Projected statistics: 2.4 points and 0.8 assists in 6.0 minutes per game. Brown has enough offensive ability to help Illinois this season, but the Illini do not need to rush him. How quickly he handles the defensive adjustment will determine whether his freshman year includes a regular role or mostly preparation for a larger one later.