Illinois

Purdue basketball player says family subject of racist comments at Illinois

Published

1 year ago

March 8, 2025

Purdue basketball player says family subject of racist comments at Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Before the cameras and audio recorders shut off, Purdue basketball player Trey Kaufman-Renn made a motion that he had one more comment to make before leaving State Farm Center on Friday night.

Kaufman-Renn said he was informed by his mother and girlfriend of racist comments directed at his 13-year-old brother from the Illinois student section.

Kaufman-Renn’s family sat in a designated area behind Purdue’s bench, next to Illinois’ Orange Krush student section.

A statement in response to the allegations was sent on behalf of Illinois athletics:

“Late in tonight’s game, Illinois staff was made aware of allegations of inappropriate comments made by members of the Orange Krush toward Purdue players, coaches and fans. We received additional details after the game’s conclusion. We take such allegations seriously, and we will continue gathering information to determine appropriate action. In the meantime, we have been in touch with Purdue to apologize and express our disappointment.”

Illinois defeated Purdue 88-80 in the final regular season game for both teams despite Kaufman-Renn scoring a game-high 29 points.

Kaufman-Renn continued that one incident isn’t indicative of an entire fan base, but expressed a desire for better security measures.

“I just hope the security, especially at Illinois, can be better,” said Kaufman-Renn, who is Black. “I guess it’s a lot to say because, you know, I told (my brother) after that’s something I would fight with. …

“The fact that my brother can be put in that situation is really unbelievable,” Kaufman-Renn said. “For a league like the Big Ten, they just need to be better about that.”

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.

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Illinois

Decorated Illinois guard Josh Gesky met with Saints ahead of draft

Published

15 minutes ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Decorated Illinois guard Josh Gesky met with Saints ahead of draft

Once again, the NFL pre-draft circuit is in full effect, as teams spread out their staff all over the country to try and ensure they view as many pro days as physically possible. With some of the most substantial schools being next up on the schedule, it is going to draw national attention from the media, especially with results from the top prospects and potentially some passing drills from the quarterbacks.

Among the plentiful news coming out of these events is some intriguing meetings from the New Orleans Saints, with one of the most recent being Illinois guard Josh Gesky, who they met with at the school.

Gesky had an extremely impressive 2025 season when it comes to the metrics, allowing only 1 sack and 12 pressures, while only having 1 penalty tied to his name. While his run blocking left a bit to be desired, he has shown promise there in previous years, and it is something he has been solid at in various years.

At 6-foot-5 and 335 pounds, he has great size and has quite a few distinctions during his time at Illinois. He was listed as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2023, an Academic All-Big Ten from 2022 to 2025, and was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention from 2023 to 2025. These types of things certainly factor into potential draft selections, and with the Saints needing another guard, Gesky could be an option for them in 2026.

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Illinois

How to buy Illinois Final Four gear, hats, shirts, hoodies, more

Published

12 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

How to buy Illinois Final Four gear, hats, shirts, hoodies, more

No. 3 Illinois knocked off No. 9 Iowa on Saturday night in Houston, now they’re advancing to the Final Four in the men’s NCAA Tournament.

The Fighting Illini pulled away late and ended their the Hawkeye’s Cinderella run in the Elite Eight with a 71-59 victory.

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Illinois Final Four game location

Illinois will play its Final Four game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Get your Illinois Final Four NCAA Tournament tickets now.

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Illinois Final Four appearances

The last time the Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team made the Final Four was in 2005. They also made it in 1989, 1952, 1951 and 1949.

When is the Final Four?

The 2026 NCAA Tournament concludes with the Final Four on Saturday, April 4 and the National Championship game on Monday, April 6. Saturday’s games are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET respectively, while the National Championship game is set to tip at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 6.