Acquittal in court case preceded Timberwolves drafting Terrence Shannon Jr.

A constant during Timberwolves President Tim Connelly’s tenure has been his desire to acquire players who have good character and are good fits in the locker room and the organization as a whole.

On Wednesday night, Connelly drafted Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr. who, earlier this month, was found not guilty of rape and aggravated sexual assault stemming from an incident in a Kansas bar in September.

After Illinois suspended him following his arrest, Shannon sued and won the right to continue playing while the legal process played out. He was the Illini’s leading scorer and became a third-team All-America while leading the Illini to the Big Ten tournament title at Target Center in March.

But Connelly had no qualms about picking Shannon despite his legal battle over the last year. After making the pick, Connelly made a strong statement in support of Shannon’s character.

“It’s a shame that it’s even a footnote [on his career],” Connelly said. “It’s a shame to say he was acquitted — if you really dig, it’s a really unfortunate thing for a kid by all accounts … is a great kid.

“Oftentimes, the minute you’re accused you’re found guilty. Thankfully he went through the legal process. He chose to go to trial because he knew he did nothing wrong. I just think it’s a shame he went through that and I think it’s a testament to who he is as a kid and his ability to play through a really tough distraction.”

Connelly said the team did “a ton” of work looking into Shannon’s background and the case, which unfolded this way:

Shannon went to Lawrence, Kan., to watch the Illini football team take on Kansas on Sept. 8, and while there he visited a bar. The woman alleged that Shannon pulled her toward him and touched her inappropriately in a private area. Later that month, Illinois said it learned of an investigation into an alleged incident involving Shannon. An arrest warrant for Shannon was not issued until Dec. 27. Throughout the process, Shannon, through his attorney, denied all charges and said he would prevail in court.

Illinois suspended Shannon, but he sued and was granted his right to continue playing. He became one of the best players in the country and led the Illini to a second-place finish in the Big Ten regular season and the Big Ten tournament title at Target Center.

At his trial earlier this month, Shannon testified to say the woman mistook him for somebody else, and that he never saw her until the legal process began playing out. The woman found Shannon on a team roster online and told authorities it was he who raped her.

Shannon’s DNA evidence was not found on the woman after she was examined that night. Shannon also had character witnesses testify on his behalf along with witnesses from the bar. The defense team was allowed to submit video evidence to show that another man at the bar who was close to the woman at the time could have been the person who committed the acts.

Once a jury found Shannon not guilty, Illinois officials, including coach Brad Underwood and athletic director Josh Whitman, released statements with effusive praise of Shannon.

“This has been a very serious and unfortunate situation for all parties involved, and I am happy for Terrence that it has been resolved and his name has been cleared,” Whitman said. “We look forward to cheering for him as he begins his NBA journey.”

At Illinois, Shannon is set to have his jersey raised to the rafters after this season. Shannon’s All-America third-team status didn’t meet the requirements to have his jersey raised, under the program’s guidelines, but Whitman and the school made an exception, given the fact that his pending litigation likely affected his standing with voters.

“We all understand that there were, now, factors beyond his control that prevented those votes from being where they needed to be in order for him to satisfy the criteria,” Whitman told reporters earlier this month. “And we’re happy to make an exception in this case to recognize one of the great players that our program has ever seen.”