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Illinois Basketball: 3 options for the Illini to replace Andre Curbelo

By Rees Woodcock

Ensworth's Skyy Clark (55) advances against Brentwood during the second quarter at Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tenn., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020.Bhs Ehs Bbb 111920 An 013
Ensworth's Skyy Clark (55) advances against Brentwood during the second quarter at Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tenn., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020.Bhs Ehs Bbb 111920 An 013 /
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Illinois basketball
Combine Academy’s Jayden Epps (10) looks up during the introductions the 48th annual City of Palms Classic Signature Series championship between AZ Compass Prep and Combine Academy, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.AZ Compass Prep led Combine Academy 25-22 at halftime and won 58-43.City of Palms Classic 2021: AZ Compass Prep vs. Combine Academy, Signature Series championship /

Monday marked a rough day for the Illinois basketball program as we lost a special player to the transfer portal.

Andre Curbelo was one of the more fun players to watch in Illini history. He was creative with the ball and knew how to penetrate the lane. But he is going to take those talents to another program for the rest of his colligate career.

This departure leaves Illinois without an experienced No. 1 guard for the upcoming season. I believe Illinois had eight players coming back from last season. We have three players signed from the 2022 class and Dain Dainja coming in as a mid-season transfer. That means 12 scholarships are taken for next season. This means only one scholarship is available right now.

Now that Curbelo is gone, Illinois should probably use that lone scholarship on some type of point guard. There are a few options for the Illini when it comes to what to do with the No. 1 guard spot.

Here are three options for the Illinois basketball team to replace Andre Curbelo next season.

Option 1 – Current Roster

By losing Andre Curbelo, Illinois loses more than just a talented point guard who can dish the ball. We lose our starting No. 1 guard without any experience behind him ready to take the rock.

The first option for the Illini is the current position we are in right now. This is technically the worst-case scenario, but if this is the worst-case scenario, then I am not mad at all.

If Illinois rides into the season without adding anyone extra to the roster, then I think we have to go with incoming freshman Jayden Epps as the starting No. 1 guard next season. I was really hoping he would have a chance to learn a little bit behind Curbelo, but this is going to be trial by fire with this young star.

Having Epps already committed and signed is huge for the Illini at this point. He is a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 48 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 8 combo guard in the nation and the best player coming out of North Carolina.

On top of Epps being one of the best players according to 247Sports, he also made the 2022 Allen Iverson Roundball Classic game this season on Team Loyalty. This tournament matches up two teams of the best high school athletes in the country.

At the end of the day, I want talent and depth at point guard. With this option, we lack depth but the talent is there. I repeat, this is the worst-case scenario. That is how good we have it as Illini fans.

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