CHAMPAIGN — Illinois freshman forward Myke Henry had played just four minutes in one game before Sunday’s contest against Chicago State.

Injuries to his wrist and ankle have kept the 6-foot-5 forward off both the practice floor and the court the past two weeks.

But a crowd of 14,065 at the Assembly Hall on Sunday saw exactly what Henry can bring to the Illinois basketball program.

The former Chicago Orr product scored a team-high 14 points to lead the Illini past the Chicago State Cougars 90-43.

“It felt good,’’ Henry said. “It boosts my confidence a little more.’’

That really didn’t look like much of a problem for Henry, who made his first shot attempt.

“Myke is a kid that has no fear,’’ Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “He shot the ball six seconds into the game. He calmly went up and sank a basket. We know he can score.

“This was a positive step for him, I think he has very good future.’’

Henry, who had been 1-of-2 in the season opener against Loyola, the only game he had played before Sunday, went on to make 6-of-10 shots, including his first-ever collegiate 3-pointer in 21 minutes for the Illini, which improved to 6-0.

But Henry wasn’t the only freshman to get substantial playing time against the Cougars (0-6).

Backup point guard Tracy Abrams played a team-high 24 minutes, scoring four points and dishing out five assists. While Nnanna Egwu had 11 points and Mike Shaw had seven points and a team-high six rebounds.

“It’s always good to get all the guys into the game,’’ said Illinois junior D.J. Richardson, who had 11 points in just 18 minutes. “It gives us an energy boost, and it also gives the starters a breather.

“We should be able to get guys like Myke Henry into the game and guy like Mike Shaw in for big minutes. Depth is going to be one of our strengths this season.’’

Chicago State coach Tracy Dildy, a former standout at DePaul and an authority on Chicago prep basketball, said he was very impressed with the progress of the Illinois freshmen.

“Just to see the development from August to now is a major improvement,’’ he said. “I’ve always been a fan of those guys and what they’ve done after almost having one semester of college is a major jump. They are going to be special.”

Illinois had 12 players finish with double-digits in minutes on Sunday, which Weber knows is going to be a challenge for him as the Illini begin playing tougher competition starting with Tuesday’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge contest at Maryland.

“They have made it a challenge for me as a coach, to keep them confident, to keep them involved and use them in the right way,’’ he said. “I’m going to have to be (former Cardinals manager) Tony LaRussa for the whole year, pulling them in and out — figuring out who should be in, coming with the reliever and the closer at all different times.’’

Illinois, which has won its first six games for the first time since the 2008-09 season, will travel to College Park, Md., on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. contest with the Maryland Terrapins. That game will be televised by ESPN and it can be heard locally on WDAN-AM 1490 or WDNL-FM 102.1

Former Decatur Eisenhower standout Jeremy Robinson was the leading scorer for Chicago State with 14 points.