Illinois Basketball Talent Terrence Shannon Jr. Heads to Trial on Rape Accusation in Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. – A Kansas court ordered Terrence Shannon Jr., a University of Illinois basketball standout, to stand trial on a rape accusation on Friday after a woman testified that she was “terrified” while being assaulted.

Shannon, 23, of Champaign, Illinois, is accused of committing sexual assault on September 9 in Lawrence, Kansas. According to the Lawrence Journal-World, Shannon was in Lawrence that day to watch the Illini play the University of Kansas.

He faces charges of rape or sexual battery. Shannon was suspended for six games following the charge before being reinstated by a federal judge who ruled that his civil rights had been infringed.

A woman told police she was in a pub when a man named Shannon grabbed her buttocks, pulled under her skirt, and sexually groped her. The woman claimed she was unable to move because the pub was too full.

Shannon testified Friday that he never touched the woman, according to the Journal-World. Shannon was ordered to stand trial by Judge Sally Pokorny and was released on a $50,000 bond.

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