Illinois Issues an Apology for Terrence Shannon Jr. Jersey Ceremony Mistake

Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman took the blame for Shannon's upside-down banner reveal

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

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – On Saturday night at the State Farm Center, the worst of the story for Illinois should have been No. 11 Michigan State (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) climbing out of a 16-point first half hole against the Illini (17-9, 9-7 Big Ten) to steal away with a 79-65 victory.

It wasn't. Instead, it was the halftime jersey ceremony for former Illinois All-American Terrence Shannon Jr. that stole the limelight – and for all the wrong reasons.

When Shannon’s banner was dropped from the rafters and unfurled in front of a packed house, cheers immediately turned into laughter – even from Shannon – as the banner was revealed to be installed upside down.

Following the misstep, athletic director Josh Whitman spoke to the media in the postgame press conference, addressing the situation and issuing an apology to Shannon:

“Obviously, a really regrettable moment. It’s a shame that it happened that way. Of course, I didn’t hang the jersey, but I’m ultimately responsible for everything that happens in this building and ultimately that means that was on me tonight. We need to make sure we understand that, in life, mistakes happen. But there are also certain moments where mistakes can’t happen. And tonight, we stole that moment from [Shannon] and that’s on us and something that we have apologized to him for, apologized to his mom. We want to make sure that we apologize to our fans and everybody who was excited to be a part of this experience tonight.”

Welcome home, TJ 🔸🔹 pic.twitter.com/Z6kllyV1Ip

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 16, 2025

Now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Shannon has recently worked himself into the NBA club's rotation, scoring in double digits in his past two contests, Shannon returned to Champaign for his jersey ceremony during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend.

As a member of the Illini last season, Shannon averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists, leading Illinois to a Big Ten Tournament title and its first Elite Eight in nearly two decades.

Thoughtfully, Shannon’s special moment was re-created following the game: The banner was hung right side up, and Shannon was able to take photos with coach Brad Underwood, who spoke on what the moment meant during his postgame press conference:

“To have a jersey that will hang ... I know how important it is to the fans here and I know [how] important it is for him. He’s from Chicago, he grew up watching this, and to be up there with so few others, there’s not enough adjectives, there’s not enough words, for how proud I am.”

Even Michigan State coach Tom Izzo chimed in on Shannon’s jersey ceremony, calling it “really classy.”

While it may not have gone exactly to plan, it appears Illinois salvaged Shannon’s special night and honored his impressive legacy with a deserving ceremony.

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