Usually, I am not a fan of graduate transfers. Most of the time, I think they are just microwave players who adversely affect team chemistry. In the case of Mark Alstork, I think he was a great pickup by the Illini.
Past
Coming out of Thurgood Marshall High School in Dayton, Ohio, Alstork wasn’t highly regarded. He was only a three-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 222 player in the class of 2013. He ended up committing to Ball State after a bunch of mid-major programs and South Carolina offered him a scholarship.
Alstork only spent one year with the Cardinals and then decide to bolt after only averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in the 22.6 minutes per game he played. He had a chance to see more action when he decided to transfer to Wright State.
In his first year with Wright State, Alstork averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He was sensational and then he got even better the following season. He ended up averaging 19 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last year. That great production got a bunch of high Division I programs looking at him as a nice piece to fit on their team.
Illinois ended up snagging Alstork because he is so talented and they needed more guard depth under new head coach, Brad Underwood.
Present
I fully expect Alstork to come into the Illinois basketball program and light the world on fire. He is extremely talented and I think he will do wonders in Underwood’s offense.
Look for Alstork to potentially start at the No. 3 spot for Illinois this season. He has the talent to be a starter the Big Ten and Illinois is a little thin at the No. 3 spot. He is a great player to have in that role until the class of 2018 brings in another talented guard.
I could see Alstork getting around 21-23 minutes per game this season. He will be a key piece in what the Illini do and how far they get this year.
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Future
This season should be good for Alstork and the Illini. They have enough talent on this team to be able to finish in the top half of the Big Ten and make the NCAA tournament.
Alstork will help lead this team with over 10 points per game. He will be able to display his talents for the next level with the Illini. I don’t expect Alstork to get drafted into the NBA but he might have a shot at a summer league team. My guess, he will likely end up playing overseas with a really good foreign team.