Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 5 transfers that would help the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 4, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Brad Underwood celebrates with fans after beating the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Brad Underwood celebrates with fans after beating the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
Dec 14, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Green Bay Phoenix forward Kerem Kanter (1) attempts to keep the ball from Wisconsin Badgers forward Nigel Hayes (10) at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Green Bay 73-59. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Green Bay Phoenix forward Kerem Kanter (1) attempts to keep the ball from Wisconsin Badgers forward Nigel Hayes (10) at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Green Bay 73-59. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /

F Kerem Kanter

The main focus for the Illinois basketball team is to get a big man who can rebound and backup Tilmon. The height doesn’t necessarily have to be there, this player just needs to be able to rebound.

One interesting player the Illini could get that would play immediately is Kerem Kanter.

Kanter is a graduate transfer from Green Bay. He played for the Phoenix last season and did pretty well. This would be a great pickup for the Illini and someone that would be able to spell minutes for Tilmon.

The first season Kanter was with Green Bay, he only played 4.3 minutes per game while only putting up 1.6 points and .9 rebounds. Those stats would improve over the next two seasons, though.

In Kanter’s sophomore campaign he over doubled his minutes to 9.9 per game and he also was averaging 4 points and 2.3 rebounds every contest. He continued to get better and it all came to a head last season.

Kanter received 19.1 minutes per game this past year and averaged 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. This production is impressive and Illinois could use it on the court next season behind Tilmon.

In addition to Kanter being a solid player, he also has good genes as well. His brother, Enes, is currently playing in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Next: Illini fans are excited for the future

So, really, getting a player like Kanter could end up being great for Illinois. He has NBA blood in him and he had a good year this past season. This is a player I hope the Illini take a look at to fill that backup center role.

Home/Illinois Basketball