Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. ordered to stand trial on a rape charge in Kansas

Bruce Kropp

May 11, 2024 | 2:37 PM

Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) dribbles down the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Nebraska in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Conference tournament, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas judge on Friday ordered University of Illinois basketball standout Terrence Shannon Jr. to stand trial on a rape charge following testimony from a woman who said she was “terrified” as she was being assaulted.

Shannon, 23, of Champaign, Illinois, is accused of committing sexual assault on Sept. 9, in Lawrence, Kansas. The Lawrence Journal-World reported that Shannon was in Lawrence that day to watch a football game between the Illini and the University of Kansas.

He has been charged with rape or an alternative count of sexual battery. The charge led to Shannon being suspended for six games before a federal judge reinstated him, ruling his civil rights had been violated.

A woman told police she was at a bar when a man she later identified as Shannon grabbed her buttocks and reached under her skirt and touched her sexually. The woman said the bar was crowded, so she couldn’t move.

Shannon testified on Friday that he never touched the woman, the Journal-World reported.

Judge Sally Pokorny ordered Shannon to stand trial and allowed him to remain free on $50,000 bond.

As a fifth-year student this past season, Shannon led the Illini in scoring and helped them reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual champion Connecticut.