Illinois Basketball: Top transfer targets the Illini are pursuing 3.0

CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 18: Illinois head coach Brad Underwood smiles during a time out in a huddle during a college basketball game between the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Illinois Fighting Illini on November 18, 2018 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 18: Illinois head coach Brad Underwood smiles during a time out in a huddle during a college basketball game between the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Illinois Fighting Illini on November 18, 2018 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
5 of 5
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Chris Smith #5 of the UCLA Bruins gets past Jonah Antonio #10 of the UNLV Rebels for a basket in the first half of the game at Pauley Pavilion on November 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Chris Smith #5 of the UCLA Bruins gets past Jonah Antonio #10 of the UNLV Rebels for a basket in the first half of the game at Pauley Pavilion on November 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

4. Jonah Antonio

There has been one name that continues to resurface on the list of possible transfers for the Illinois basketball program. That one name is Jonah Antonio.

Antonio wasn’t being recruited heavily coming out of Sunrise Christian Academy. He ended up landing with Mount St. Mary’s for the first two years in college. He redshirted year one and then averaged 11.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in year two.

Two years was enough for Antonio, so he decided to transfer out of Mount St. Mary’s and landed with South Plains College at the junior college level. He averaged 11.6 points in the lone season at the JUCO level. After his sophomore season, he then transferred into UNLV.

Last season with the Rebels, Antonio played in 25 games and averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest. He has one year of eligibility remaining, so he is now trying to find a new home.

There really hasn’t been any new news to report on Antonio’s recruitment. About two weeks ago, his recruitment was still open and a number of teams were still vying for his commitment. Illinois was one of those teams.

Antonio would provide more depth for the Orange and Blue, but I am not sure how much of the court he would see. The numbers at the DI level aren’t great. That worries me. But I trust what Brad Underwood is doing. If he sees this kid as a fit, then I am okay with that.