Illinois Basketball: Illini land top transfer Alfonso Plummer

Illinois basketball just received a huge commitment from one of the biggest transfers in the portal.

On Saturday, Utah Utes transfer Alfonso Plummer announced that he will be picking the Illini for his COVID year of basketball. This will be his final year at the college level, and Illinois is the team that will attempt to get him to the promised land.

Plummer had a tough choice on the program, though. He picked the Illini over teams like Florida, Georgia, Texas Tech and BYU. This is a huge addition for Illinois considering how much they needed depth at guard from No. 1 through No. 3 spots on the roster.

Illinois is getting a pretty good player in Plummer as well. He spent two years at the junior college level with Arizona Western. In his final season there, Plummer put up 18.6 points and 3.5 rebounds while hitting 43.8-percent of his three-point shots.

Plummer took his talents to Utah for two seasons after his stint at the JUCO level. This past season with the Utes, Plummer averaged 13.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1 assist per game while hitting 38.3-percent of his three-pointers. He was also taking 6.7 three-pointers per game, so 38.3-percent is a pretty good number. Now Illinois is getting this three-point specialist.

Where does Plummer fit on the Illinois basketball team?

There is always room for a player who can hit three-pointers. Plummer’s ability to knock down the three-point shot will help the Illini avoid droughts, and he could provide a spark when things get into a lull.

I am going to come out with a projected lineup here in a little bit, but it wouldn’t shock me to see Plummer starting for the Illini next season. This kid is way too good to be riding the pine, and since he picked Illinois, I would assume there is a handshake agreement that Plummer has a starting job.

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed that things were crumbling for the Illinois basketball program. Now, Brad Underwood has this team rebuilt and looking to contend for a national title once again. This should be a fun season.