Illinois Basketball: Checking in on Illini players who have transferred

Brad Underwood has brought in a lot of bodies for the Illinois basketball team since taking over a little less than five years ago.

The top talent that Underwood was able to bring in has done some great things for the program, but there have also been quite a few transfers in his short stint with the team.

Some of the transfers are understandable for playing time and whatnot, but there are also a few transfers who were head-scratchers. Either way, I wanted to see how some of the former Illini players are doing out in the college basketball world.

Here is an update on past Illinois basketball transfers.

• Jalen Coleman-Lands

Yes, many of you, including myself, have mentioned Jalen Coleman-Lands on social media over the past week. The former Illinois guard is still trying to find a home where he can flourish.

Coleman-Lands transferred out of the Illinois program and landed with DePaul, where he would have to sit out a year, and then he took a medical redshirt the following season. After playing one full year with DePaul, he would transfer out and play this past season with Iowa State.

While with the Cyclones, Coleman-Lands found a groove. He averaged 14.3 points while shooting 39.5-percent from three-point range. Thanks to COVID, this past season didn’t count against eligibility, so Coleman-Lands still had one more year left to play college basketball, despite already being in college for six years.

The talented guard decided to transfer out one more time and commit to Kansas. He will now be playing under former Illini head coach, Bill Self.

• Te’Jon Lucas

The lone commitment for the class of 2016, Te’Jon Lucas came into the Illini program in the season of turmoil. It was John Groce’s final season with the team, and the Illini were just wadding in mediocrity.

I liked Lucas with the program, but after two seasons, the talented point guard departed for greener pastures. He would eventually end up with Milwaukee. After sitting out the transfer year, Lucas hit the ground running.

Lucas would average 14.7 points per game during his time with the Panthers. After two seasons, he would decide to transfer out to finish up his college career. The next landing spot for Lucas? The BYU Cougars. He decided to transfer to BYU for next season. I think this might be a good move for the young guard.

• Mark Smith

The stock of Mark Smith went skyrocketing his senior year of high school. Illinois was able to land the kid, but he and new head coach Brad Underwood seemed like oil and water.

Smith would transfer out of the Illini program and would end up with Missouri. He would spend three seasons with the Tigers, his best year coming as a sophomore when he averaged 11.4 points per game. But Smith’s numbers would decline each season at Missouri.

With one season left in college, Smith decided to transfer out and find a new home. Much like Coleman-Lands, Smith would end up playing for a former Illinois head coach. This time it is with Kansas State and Bruce Weber.

• Greg Eboigbodin

I’ll never forget the one season Greg Eboigbodin was with the Illinois basketball program purely for the fact his name is the easiest hard name to every spell. For some reason, it just flows off the keyboard. Also, he was with the Illini just about as long as it took to type his last name.

After one season with Illinois, Eboigbodin would transfer out and commit to Northeastern. He sat out the transfer year and then put up about the same numbers there as he did with the Illini. For his career, Eboigbodin is averaging 2.6 points per game.

• Tevian Jones

You could instantly see that Tevian Jones had talent as soon as he stepped onto the court for the Illini. Sadly, things just didn’t work out for the west coast product. That is why he spent two years with the Orange and Blue and then bolted.

Jones would end up picking Southern Utah as his next landing spot. He didn’t have to sit out a year thanks to new rules, and his potential finally started to show. Jones averaged 16.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season. It wouldn’t shock me to see him transfer to a bigger program in the next year or so.

• Alan Griffin

The transfer that hurt the most probably during my lifetime is Alan Griffin. This kid could light up the scoreboard on any given night. He was really starting to blossom during his sophomore season with the Illini as well. But then he transferred out.

Griffin would decide to take his talents on the road and go back closer to home. He picked Syracuse as his landing spot and would perform well in year one. He averaged 13.3 points per game this past season for the Orange. I expect his production to continue to increase as well.

I honestly believe Griffin is an NBA-caliber player. This kid is going to do some great things in the near future. Watch for him in The Association in the coming years.

• Samba Kane

Illinois fans only had the chance to see Samba Kane play in 18 games, but he was an interesting player who could have had some potential down the road. I liked his ability to block shots most of all.

Kane would say deuces after one year and would pick San Francisco as his landing spot. After sitting out the transfer year, Kane would average about the same numbers as he did with Illinois. He is putting up 2.1 points per game for his career.