Illini now

Illinois Basketball's Best of the Century: No. 7 James Augustine

The Illini have produced a number of stars over the past 25 years, and in this Illinois on SI series we highlight the best of the best
Jason Langendorf|
December 10, 2005; Portland, OR USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward James Augustine (40) goes up for a slam duck during the second half of Illinois 89-59 win over the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images (c) 2005 by Craig Mitchelldyer
December 10, 2005; Portland, OR USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward James Augustine (40) goes up for a slam duck during the second half of Illinois 89-59 win over the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images (c) 2005 by Craig Mitchelldyer | Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images

In this story:

Illinois Fighting Illini

Today marks another entry in our ongoing Illinois on SI "Best of the Century" series featuring the top 10 Illini players over the past 25 years. In our selection process, we considered individual production, career length (must have played at least two seasons since 2000), team accomplishments and intangibles.

No. 10: Malcolm Hill

No. 9: Frank Williams

No. 8: Luther Head

No. 7 James Augustine (2002-2006)

Career averages: 10.1 points (61.7 percent FG), 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block
Best season averages (2005-06): 13.6 points (62.4 percent FG), 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals

"Glue guy" has become something of a pejorative in a stars-driven, personal-brand-forward modern sports landscape, but let's make one thing clear about James Augustine: Playing alongside some of the most iconic players in Illinois basketball history in the early 2000s, he showed it was possible to be a floor-running, ball-swatting, badass double-double threat and the mortar that brought together and fortified the team cornerstones.

Sure, it matters for this list that Augustine played – and played well – for a national title runner-up (in 2025), and the 6-foot-10, 235-pound big man wouldn't rate nearly so high in our estimation among the best Illinois players of the first quarter of this century if he didn't also put up numbers. But it's a fool's errand to try to quantify the value of a player like Augustine, or to oversell how snugly he fit with his Illini teammates. So we'll just let one of those compadres – Roger Powell, the beloved starting power forward on those teams – do it for us:

For fresh-faced Illini fans still salty over Kasparas Jakucionis' quick exit after fouling out in under 10 minutes against Michigan State in an achingly close defeat in East Lansing in January, imagine it happening on the final night of the season, national championship on the line. That was the scenario on April 4, 2005, when Augustine was jobbed by the refs – five fouls in nine minutes – and Illinois fought North Carolina with one hand tied behind its back before eventually falling 75-70.

It was a helluva a price to pay to learn how much Augustine meant to the Illini operation, but it's why he belongs here, on this list, at No. 7. He is a reasonably well-decorated alum within the context of program lore: Big Ten All-Freshman in 2003, Most Outstanding Player of the Big Ten Tournament in 2005, an All-Big Ten selection in 2005-06 – his finest individual season.

Augustine filled whatever role was necessary, took care of whatever business that needed handling and showed up with his head on straight and just the right size of a chip on his shoulder practically every game for four straight seasons. He sublimated himself – note that he went 5 for 14 (35.7 percent) from three as a freshman but then took only two more treys for the remainder of his career. But every so often, Augustine would show up to offer a reminder to anyone who needed it of what exactly he was capable of:

Augustine holds the Illinois records for highest career field-goal percentage (61.7 percent) and most rebounds and double-doubles in NCAA Tournament play. To this day, he is the sole member of the Illini's 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds club. Augustine's defining legacy, though, may be that he and teammate Dee Brown were both part of 114 Illinois victories, making them the winningest players in Illinois basketball history.

More from Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Basketball Holds Unique Edge in Recruitment of Top 2026 Prospect

Who Is New Illinois Basketball Assistant Coach Camryn Crocker?

Top Three NBA Landing Spots for Illinois Forward Will Riley

Published
Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.

Share on XFollow JasonLangendorf
Home/Basketball