In addition to Michael Finke transferring out of the Illinois basketball program, the Illini also had another departure that hurts depth.
Te’Jon Lucas announced on Monday night that he will be heading elsewhere for next season and beyond. He is transferring from the program and will have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out a season.
Lucas came into the Illinois basketball program as a 6-foot, 155-pound point guard from Milwaukee Washington High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was rated as a three-star recruit who was the No. 138 player in the class of 2016 and the No. 3 player in the state of Wisconsin.
John Groce needed Lucas in his first year with the Illini. The Illinois point guards were struggling or dealing with injuries so Lucas was thrown into the fire. He averaged 4.8 points, 3.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game. Last season, he improved those numbers. He averaged 21.4 minutes and in that time dropped 5.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game.
The news of Lucas transferring out of the Illinois program hurts. I was a big fan of this kid in the two years he was in Champaign. With the roster as it is right now, I could have seen him potentially starting alongside Trent Frazier next season. There are going to be more players added, but at worst Lucas would have been the primary backup at the No. 1 guard position.
What does this mean for the Illini? Lucas leaving kills depth and a potential starting position. I think he would have been a big help to this team next season because he does have good handles and his scoring was developing with Illinois.
The pressure is now on Brad Underwood and the coaching staff to land Tevian Jones, Courtney Ramey or both. They need another topnotch guard to lead this team. As far as priority goes, getting another solid guard is 1A and 1B is finding a solid big that can tear up the paint.
Next: Projected Illini roster with two scholarships remaining
Losing Lucas hurts not only the program but for me as a fan. I wanted to see this kid play out his career in the Orange and Blue. But, I hope nothing but the best for him. Whoever lands Lucas will be getting a really good guard.