Illinois Basketball: Illini need to build around, not over, talent in the transfer portal

Illinois basketball is in a weird place as a program right now thanks to the transfer portal.

You could probably utter this statement for a vast majority of teams in the college game, but the Illini just finished up what I would consider one of the strangest campaigns in recent memory.

I understand the concept of landing talent in the transfer portal. Illinois needed to fill holes in the team left by departing players.

Four out of the top seven scorers from the 2021-22 season graduated. Two other players on the Illini roster decided to transfer out. This left only Coleman Hawkins, who averaged 5.9 points per game, to be the returning leading scorer for this past season.

So, it is understandable wanting to get a few guys in the transfer portal to make up for that massive loss in talent. I totally get Brad Underwood going out and snagging players. But I also believe that being selective in the portal is also important. We can’t just go out and get any player who wants to play in Champaign.

Illinois basketball had an identity and leadership problem for the 2022-23 campaign

Toward the end of the 2021-22 season, Illinois started to have a few players emerge as potential horses on the team.

Coleman Hawkins impressed me at the end of his sophomore season. He started to develop his game and was huge in the NCAA tournament. That block and rebound to seal the game against Chattanooga will never be forgotten.

I also loved what RJ Melendez was doing toward the end of his freshman season. His shot was getting better and better, and he was one of the best players Illinois had against Houston in the second round of the NCAA tournament. While four of our starters were struggling, Melendez was going 4-of-5 from the field for nine points, three assists, and two rebounds.

And then you had Luke Goode. You could tell Goode’s game was going to be a solid three-and-d guy. He could knock down shots from deep and play tremendous defense. That was his game.

The trio of Melendez, Hawkins, and Goode all had core leadership abilities in them. I believe these three should have been built around moving forward. But instead of building around these three talented players and complimenting their games, Illinois brought in two ball-dominant players.

Terrence Shannon Jr. and Matthew Mayer are talented players, and I don’t want that to be misconstrued. They can do some things that make me say, wow. But for much of the season, it felt like Illinois was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

From an outside perspective, Illinois didn’t know who the go-to guy was going to be this past season. There was a core trio who could have been the leaders of this team, and then there were two newcomers who thought they should be the leaders.

The lack of thought to the additions for the Illini hurt the players who were already on the roster. Hawkins’ per 40 minutes averages – which are numbers if the player played all 40 minutes in a game – in 2021-22 were 12.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.9 turnovers. This past season, everything but assists got worse. Hawkins’ per 40 minutes averages were 12.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 turnovers.

On top of those numbers getting worse, Hawkins was also not as efficient from the floor. His shooting from the field dropped from 44.2% to 44.1%, and his three-point shooting dropped from 29.2% to 28%.

Melendez’s drop was even worse this past season. His per 40 minutes numbers two years ago were 18.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 turnovers, and this past season, he had averages of 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.7 turnovers. Melendez also went from shooting 56.9% from the field as a freshman to 37.6% as a sophomore. His three-point shooting dropped from 60% to 26.4% as well.

The transfer portal can be used in good ways to help strengthen a team, but you can’t just go in blindly and get whatever is out there. You have to know that not every player is a good fit for the team.

This past season, Illinois had a huge identity and leadership problem. These problems led to huge chemistry issues. Instead of building around what we already had in place, we tried to bring in different players who could have stunted the development of the talent already on the roster.

This offseason, I hope Underwood realizes that we don’t need players who are focused on getting 20 points per game. I want players who will work well with what we already have on the team. I want players who will play crucial roles in helping elevate the talent. Jayden Epps, Ty Rodgers, Sencire Harris, Goode, Melendez, and maybe even Hawkins should be coming back next season. In the transfer portal, let’s build around these great players and not over them.