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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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BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 24: Armaan Franklin #2 of the Indiana Hoosiers is seen during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Assembly Hall on January 24, 2021 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 24: Armaan Franklin #2 of the Indiana Hoosiers is seen during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Assembly Hall on January 24, 2021 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

2. Armaan Franklin

An interesting name that is emerging in the transfer market is none other than Armaan Franklin. The former Indiana Hoosier, Franklin entered the portal back on March 23.

Coming out of Indianapolis powerhouse Cathedral High School, Franklin was only rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 139 player in the class of 2019. He clearly wanted to stay close to home, as the only two official visits were to Purdue and Indiana.

Franklin ended up picking Indiana and had two good seasons with the Hoosiers. Franklin’s freshman year produced 3.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 32 games. But, as a sophomore, Franklin’s game took a leap. He saw 30.1 minutes per game this past season and put up 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. These are impressive numbers.

After Indiana let go of Archie Miller, Franklin decided to find a new home. This leaves the door wide open for Illinois to pounce.

Why does Illinois basketball have a shot?

As previously mentioned, Franklin wants to stay closer to home. Champaign is a mere two-hour drive from the Indianapolis area. That would enable him to stay within driving distance from family but still play at a high level.

The immediate playing time at a big-time program is something Illinois can provide. We need guard help, and Franklin has the talent and experience to help the Illini get back into the NCAA tournament in the near future.

On top of those two reasons, there seems to be some smoke in the social media world about Illinois and Franklin having a connection. This is definitely a relationship to watch.

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