Terrence Shannon Jr. is on a tournament tear but remains absent from the media

BOSTON — Terrence Shannon Jr. is having the kind of NCAA Tournament moment kids fantasize about while shooting fadeaways on park blacktops across the country.

The Chicago native leads the Fighting Illini into their first Sweet 16 in almost two decades, averaging 23.3 points per game, second in the tournament behind Purdue’s Zach Edey.

If that isn’t enough proof that Shannon is standing center stage in the act that is Illinois’ NCAA run, it became obvious when, ahead of the third-seeded Illini’s matchup Thursday against second-seeded Iowa State, questions to the Cyclones were primarily focused on how to stop the 6-6 guard.

“His aggressiveness on the offensive side,” Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey said Wednesday when asked what impresses him most about Shannon’s game. “His play-making ability. His speed. He uses his speed very well, and that’s something that we’re going to key in defensively trying to stop.”

The NCAA Tournament, by all accounts, is the biggest opportunity for collegiate athletes to gain exposure not only personally but for their university.

For as big of a tournament moment as Shannon is having, it hasn’t been deemed “madness” because, under the brightest lights, he has been silent. That came at the advice of his legal counsel, which he obtained after he was charged with rape in Douglas County, Kansas, in connection with an alleged assault that occurred while he was traveling to watch the Illini football team.

“No,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said when asked if he sees any issue with his leading scorer — who is a representative of the team and university — not being available to the media. “That’s obviously a very serious situation. We’re very well aware of that. I think there’s communication he has to have with his legal counsel, and so on and so forth, to be aware of what’s in his best interest. We’re going to adhere to that.”

Adhere, they have.

Shannon broke the Big Ten Tournament’s single-game scoring record, dropping 40 points to help the Illini rally past Nebraska in the semifinals. However, he was not interviewed. The next night, he poured in a game-high 34, and again, it was Underwood and Shannon’s teammates who were left to speak for him.

In Illinois’ NCAA first-round win over Morehead State, Shannon’s 26 points broke the program’s 58-year-old single-season scoring record (668 points) held by Don Freeman. Still, there was no courtside interview or news conference to capture the moment.

Shannon’s attorney, Mark P. Sutter, issued a statement in December on his behalf declaring his innocence. After being suspended indefinitely by Illinois, Shannon was reinstated in January when U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless found that the university had violated Shannon’s civil rights.

In total, Shannon missed six games for the Illini, during which the team went 4-2.

“Obviously, he’s a big piece for us,” forward Coleman Hawkins said. “The biggest thing we missed was his speed and his physicality on defense. I think we did a pretty good job of sustaining that shock and playing as a team.”

Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, who is with the team, declined to answer questions from the Sun-Times.

Illinois boasts the No. 1 offense in the country, according to KenPom.com. The top defense belongs to Iowa State.

For the Illini to continue their attempt to one-up the 2005 tournament team, which lost to North Carolina 75-70 in the title game, they’re going to need more magic from Shannon.

In the last 14 games, Shannon has been held to fewer than 23 points just twice. He finished with 11 points in Illinois’ loss to Purdue on March 5, and 12 in their win over Iowa on Feb. 24.

In the postseason, he’s averaging 31.6 points, shooting 52.9% from the field and 41.7% from three.

“The [key] is to keep him from getting into the paint,” Iowa State guard Curtis Jones said. “He draws a lot of fouls in there, as well. He’s super fast in transition, makes a lot of plays in transition. So try to build a wall, to get back as fast as we can to stop those transition points.”

There’s no doubt that if Illinois beats Iowa State, it will be in large part because of Shannon. There was some speculation Wednesday that, given the stage and his dominance, Shannon would address the media.

That wasn’t the case.

The closer the Illini get to the Final Four, the brighter the lights will be on Shannon and the entire program, begging the question: Can an All-American and NCAA Tournament star evade the media entirely?