Illinois Basketball: Former top 10 recruit contacted by Illini in transfer portal

Illinois basketball is looking to retool the roster for the 2023-24 campaign, and the transfer portal is the way to go.

So far this offseason, the Illini have lost one player to the transfer portal and haven’t been able to add to the team just yet. That could all change in the coming weeks, though.

Brad Underwood and his coaching staff have been hard at work trying to build this program, and they have been casting a wide net over some of the top transfer portal players in the country. An intriguing high-profile player to keep an eye on is Kel’el Ware.

Illinois needs another big man in the paint, and Ware could be that option. He spent his first season with the Oregon Ducks but is now looking for a new home. On Tuesday, Joe Tipton of On3.com tweeted out the list of teams who have already been in contact with Ware. That list included Illinois.

Snagging Kel’el Ware from the transfer portal would be a game-changer for the Illinois basketball program

Ware isn’t just a regular transfer portal player. This kid was one of the best players in the country less than a year ago.

Coming out of the class of 2022, Ware was a five-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 7 player in the country and the No. 3 center in his class. The 7-foot, 210-pound, big man could make a huge impact on the Illini, and I would love to see this happen.

The lone season Ware spent with the Ducks didn’t go as planned. The team was average, finishing at 21-15, and he only started four games. In the time Ware did see on the floor, he would average 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest.

Honestly, it shocks me that Oregon only started Ware in four games this past season. A top-10 recruit should be in the starting lineup from day one. That is a bad mistake by the program.

One team’s mistake is going to be another team’s good luck, though. If Illinois can land Ware, he would give the program so much talent in the frontcourt.

I could see him starting at the No. 4 spot next to Dain Dainja. That would give the Illini two twin towers in the paint. Ware has shown he can be a solid defensive player, as he averages 1.3 blocks per game. But what intrigues me the most is that he is a willing three-point shooter.

Ware didn’t shoot the best from three-point range this past season, hitting just 27.3% of his shots, but adding this element to his game is clearly a priority for the big man. He did average 1.6 three-pointers per game as a freshman.

With three years of eligibility remaining, I think Illinois needs to put a lot of resources into landing Ware. We were all over him when he was in high school, now let’s not blow this second chance.