Illinois Basketball: Illini add frontcourt depth with transfer

There hasn’t been a lot of good news for the Illinois basketball program recently, but finally, we had something go our way.

On Saturday morning, the Illini received their first transfer commitment of the offseason. Former Florida big man Omar Payne decided to end his recruitment and pick Illinois as his landing spot. This was a much-needed get for the Orange and Blue.

Payne was a highly-touted big man coming out of Montverde Academy in 2019. He was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 45 player in the class of 2019. He was also the No. 11 center in the nation.

With roughly 20 scholarship offers, Payne narrowed his recruitment down to two teams. He took official visits to Florida and Florida State but would ultimately pick the Gators to pursue his basketball dreams.

Payne spent two seasons with Florida and was a bench player. As a freshman, he averaged 3.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 15.1 minutes of action per game. This past season, as a sophomore, wasn’t much different. Payne averaged 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 15.7 minutes of action per game.

How will Payne fit in with the Illinois basketball team?

Illinois needed big man depth and that is what they are getting with Payne. He is looking for more minutes and a better opportunity, so coming to Champaign is a smart move.

Kofi Cockburn, in my opinion, will enter the NBA Draft, not sign an agent yet but will ultimately stay in the draft. That is what I am predicting. That means Illinois is going to need a big man to fill his role, and Payne is a great option.

Payne’s abilities are what some people might question. He is only putting up 3.8 points per game. But just think about the development of big men at Illinois in the past. Leron Black went from 8.1 points per game as a sophomore to 15.3 points per game as a junior.

Kofi is the prime example, though. He hasn’t been playing basketball for very long and came to Illinois extremely unpolished. Brad Underwood and his coaching staff have done a great job developing Kofi into an NBA prospect.

I am excited to see what Payne can do on the floor for the Illini. This kid has a ton of potential that Florida couldn’t tap into. Let’s see the magic worked by the Orange and Blue.