Illinois Basketball: Terrence Shannon Jr. is transferring to the Illini

Brad Underwood and the Illini staff were already having one of the greatest offseasons in Illinois basketball history, and it just got even better today.

One of the transfer portal’s most intriguing names, Terrence Shannon Jr, announced on Friday that he will be transferring to the Illini. The announcement comes just a week after Shannon’s former coach mistakingly congratulated him on committing to play for Michigan.

Shannon is a 6-foot-6, 185-pound small forward who spent the last three seasons at Texas Tech where he averaged 11 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1 steal per game.

What does Terrence Shannon Jr. bring to the Illinois basketball team?

The junior shoots a career 45.6% from the floor and 35.1% from three-point range. The Illini’s newest member was the No. 3 ranked player in the transfer portal, according to CBS Sports.

As a recruit, Shannon was a four-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 90 overall for the class of 2019. He was also the No. 21 small forward in the nation and the No. 13 player coming out of Florida. Despite Illinois’ attempts at landing the former Chicago native, Shannon would ultimately pick Texas Tech as his landing spot.

Once Shannon entered his name into the transfer portal, there was hope that the Illini would get another shot. Hopes seemed dashed just a week ago, but the tides started changing. Illinois then became the frontrunner for Shannon. On Friday morning, 247Sports put in three Crystal Ball Predictions that Illinois would be the landing spot. Just hours later, the news was official.

Shannon will be the sixth member of Illinois’ 2022 recruit class that ranks No. 7 in the country and No. 2 in the Big Ten. With the departures of key upperclassmen Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams, Alonso Plummer, and Kofi Cockburn, the addition of a highly-touted upperclassman to lead a young Illini roster will prove crucial.