Illinois Basketball: Top 7 transfers the Illini are pursuing
4. Brandon Johnson
There isn’t a lot of size in the transfer market this year. Usually, there are some bigger players who can either play the No. 4 or No. 5 for teams. That isn’t the case so much this offseason. That is why someone like Brandon Johnson is wanted by just about every team in the country.
Coming out of Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Indiana, Johnson wasn’t being looked at by many programs. He wasn’t rated or ranked by the recruiting sites either. He would eventually settle on Western Michigan as the landing spot where he would start his basketball career.
Johnson has been a great addition to the Broncos roster. He averaged 8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. Those were good numbers in year one. He increased those numbers during his sophomore campaign, averaging 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He was also a defensive specialist for the program.
As a junior, Johnson had to sit out the year due to injury. He did take a medical redshirt, though, so that preserved his eligibility. This past season was Johnson’s best so far. He averaged 15.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block per game. He was a beast inside and could do just about everything on the court.
On Monday, Johnson entered the transfer portal. He is a graduate transfer, so he can play right away. He has heard from a number of teams including Illinois. I would imagine the Illini have to be an attractive destination considering he is from the state of Illinois. We also need a solid No. 4 for the upcoming season. I would think Johnson would start from day one.