LAWRENCE, Kan. — Former University of Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon will stand trial next month on first-degree felony rape and felony sexual aggravated battery charges, a Kansas judge ruled.

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Douglas County District Court Judge Sally Pokorny ordered Shannon, 23, of Champaign, Illinois, to appear in court on June 10 after he and the alleged victim testified about the incident, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. Shannon has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The incident allegedly occurred on Sept. 9, 2023, at the Jayhawk Cafe in Lawrence, according to the newspaper. Shannon was in the area to attend an Illinois football game against Kansas University.

The woman found Shannon’s photograph through a Google search and told local authorities that he was the assailant, ESPN reported.

According to court records, Shannon was charged with “unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly (engaging) in sexual intercourse with a person ... who did not consent to the sexual intercourse under circumstances when she was overcome by force or fear, a severity level 1 person felony.”

In December, Shannon surrendered to authorities in Lawrence and was released on a $50,000 bond, the Chicago Tribune reported. The Chicago native was suspended indefinitely by Illinois and missed six games, according to the Peoria Journal Star. He was granted a temporary restraining order by a federal judge and returned to the team on Jan. 21, the newspaper reported.

The senior guard played the rest of the season and led the Illini to the Elite Eight, ESPN reported. In April, the university dropped its investigation of the player.

“Our legal team is neither shocked nor disappointed by the outcome of this event,” Mark Sutter, one of Shannon’s attorneys, said in a statement obtained by WCIA-TV. “A preliminary hearing is a procedural process that merely speaks to the threshold of evidence and whether a question of fact may exist for a jury.  It has nothing to do with guilt or innocence. Those issues will be decided at trial, and we continue to look forward to our day in court.”

During Friday’s proceedings, Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden asked the alleged victim how the sexual contact made her feel emotionally, according to the newspaper.

“I was shocked. I was disgusted. I was scared. I was terrified,” she said.

In closing arguments on Friday, Shannon’s attorney, Tricia Bath, said that the state had failed to prove that the woman was assaulted by force or fear, the Journal-World reported. She said that the woman had not told police in her initial interviews that she was fearful but only said she was “shocked” at what happened and that she did not say she was “scared” until Friday’s hearing.

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