Illinois' Niccolo Moretti Back In The Fold After Early-Season Foot Injury

The Illinois Fighting Illini just may have another player to add to the rotation just at the right time.

Redshirt freshman guard Nicco Moretti is finally starting to look like a player who could contribute regularly. He missed nearly two months after sustaining a foot injury Nov. 19 against Southern.

Moretti has played in five games since returning from the injury in the mid-January. He had his best performance of the season when he scored nine points, including going 2 of 2 from the 3-point line.

He hadn't taken a shot in the previous three games.

"Nicco hadn't made a basket in a month," Underwood said. "But you can tell he's a coach's kid.

Moretti arrived at Illinois with much fanfare. His father, Paolo, is a well-known former player in Italy. He is now a coach in the Italian basketball league. The Illini are now hoping the younger Moretti is getting acclimated with the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments approaching.

"You can tell he's a team guy," Underwood said. "He's never come and asked what does he have to do to play. He just shows up every single day and does his job ... It's amazing how good things happen to people who work hard."

At 20-7 overall and 11-5 in the Big Ten, the Illini are still two games behind the conference-leading Purdue Boilermakers. They return to action Wednesday at home against the Minnesota Gophers.

Coleman Hawkins Goes For 30 Points In Illinois' Comeback Against Iowa

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com