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Illinois Basketball: 5 Illini transfer targets to replace Adam Miller

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 18: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen during the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center on January 18, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 18: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen during the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center on January 18, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – DECEMBER 17: Guard Nimari Burnett #25 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots the ball during the second half of the college basketball game against the Kansas Jayhawks at United Supermarkets Arena on December 17, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Illinois basketball has some work to do this offseason to field a team that is going to be competitive for 2021-22.

The Illini lost a big member of the program on Thursday when Adam Miller announced he was entering the transfer portal. Brad Underwood is now left looking for answers on what to do with his lineup.

While we did lose a player to the transfer market, there are also quite a few transfers Illinois could bring in to help the team win games in the future.

Here are five Illini transfer targets to replace Adam Miller.

1. Nimari Burnett

The obvious top choice to replace Adam Miller is Texas Tech transfer, Nimari Burnett. The former five-star guard entered the transfer portal back on January 8, and his recruitment seems to be coming to an end relatively soon.

Burnett was a star coming out of Prolific Prep in California. He was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 34 player in the class of 2020. He was also the No. 6 combo guard in the nation. Illinois wanted Burnett to come to Champaign, but he ended up picking the Red Raiders.

The lone season for Burnett in Lubbock didn’t go as planned. Only playing 17.7 minutes per game, the talented guard ended up averaging just 5.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 12 contests. Not happy about his situation, Burnett went searching for a better home.

Why does Illinois basketball have a shot?

While Burnett didn’t take an official visit to Illinois the first time around, the kid is from Chicago and still has family in the area. This is a big draw.

Illinois already needed more guard depth even when Miller was with the team, but now that he has departed, Burnett would have a comfortable landing spot as the starting No. 2 guard in the lineup. Playing time and closer to family has to be two good draws.

It does seem that Alabama has some momentum right now, though. Nothing is final until Burnett makes his decision on April 8 between USC, Vanderbilt, Oregon, LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Illinois.

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