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Illinois Basketball: Illini transfer portal frontcourt wish list

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 21, 2022; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood looks onto the court during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2022; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood looks onto the court during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 09: Pete Nance #22 of the Northwestern Wildcats reacts after a play in the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 09, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

The Illinois basketball offseason seems to be winding down as the transfer portal is starting to dry up with players who could help the program.

Through just under two months, the Illini have managed to rebuild a program that lost a ton of talent from the year prior. The most recent transfer portal addition, Terrence Shannon Jr., should help tremendously on the wing.

But Illinois probably isn’t done with the transfer portal. In a recent interview with Andy Katz, Brad Underwood talked about how he might leave a spot or two open on the roster this year. He also mentions that he might add another player to the Illini frontcourt. This got me to thinking, who could he be talking about?

Here is my Illinois basketball transfer portal frontcourt wish list.

1. Pete Nance

I think the biggest, and most likely, name in the transfer portal right now is Pete Nance. Illinois is looking to add to the frontcourt, and Nance would be one of the best players to fill this need.

Coming out of Revere High School in Richfield, Ohio, Nance was a player who was hovering around the top 100 nationally. He was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 134 player in the class of 2018.

Nance had quite a few teams after him with his great length and NBA blood. His dad is former NBA All-Star Larry Nance and his brother is current NBA player Larry Nance Jr. Pete took two official visits, one to Michigan and the other to Northwestern. He would end up picking the Wildcats, though.

Through four seasons with Northwestern, Nance blossomed into a really talented player. This past season, he averaged 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game. He also shot just over three three-point shots per game and hit them at a clip of 45.2%.

There are definitely rumblings of Nance potentially coming to Illinois, but who knows what is true. All I know is Brad Underwood is looking at adding a piece to the frontcourt, and Nance would be a perfect fit. He can stretch the floor and has great size. Illinois’ athletic ability would be insane with Nance on the court alongside some of the other talent we have in Champaign.

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