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Illinois Basketball: Top 7 transfers the Illini are pursuing

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 09: Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Brad Underwood looks up at the scoreboard to check out a replay during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 9, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.(Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 09: Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Brad Underwood looks up at the scoreboard to check out a replay during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 9, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.(Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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WICHITA, KS – JANUARY 25: Jamarius Burton #2 of the Wichita State Shockers puts up a shot against Tony Johnson Jr. #1 of the UCF Knights during the first half at Charles Koch Arena on January 25, 2020 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS – JANUARY 25: Jamarius Burton #2 of the Wichita State Shockers puts up a shot against Tony Johnson Jr. #1 of the UCF Knights during the first half at Charles Koch Arena on January 25, 2020 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

5. Jamarius Burton

There are some big guards who are available in the transfer market. Not all of the transfers are eligible immediately, though. That is a great thing for the Illini considering we are going to need more help a year from now rather than the immediate future. That is why Jamarius Burton has piqued my interest.

Coming out of Independence High School in North Carolina, Burton wasn’t on the radar of many high-level DI programs. He was only a three-star recruit who was the No. 408 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 32 combo-guard in the nation. But Wichita State ended up landing this underrated talent.

Burton improved his game in the two seasons with the Shockers. He averaged 6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as a freshman. He then improved on those numbers as a sophomore this past season averaging 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

There hasn’t been much news on Burton’s recruitment in the last couple of weeks. Illinois was one of the schools that contacted him back in mid-March, so we are still in the running as of right now. I would love to add someone like him to the mix.

Burton’s shooting impresses me. He improved his field goal shooting from 39-percent to 44-percent year-to-year. He also improved his three-point shooting from 26.3-percent to 38.1-percent year-to-year. That improvement shows me he is working on his game. I would love to add a dog like Burton to the team.

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