Illinois basketball needs to go into the transfer portal and find a big-time point guard who can score the basketball.
When the Illini lost Jayden Epps to the transfer portal, it was a gut punch. I didn’t think we were going to lose any of the freshmen from this past season. This one came out of left field.
Epps was someone who had a bright future with the Illini. He was going to be able to score a lot of points, and he was going to be the main focus of the Illinois backcourt. But that is no longer the case.
Brad Underwood could erase all memory of Epps if he were to land another big-time guard who can do everything that Epps could do and more. That player could end up being Jalen Cook.
Jalen Cook is one of the best transfer portal guards the Illinois basketball team could land
Cook started his career at LSU where he didn’t start and only played in 20 games in year one. He then transferred to Tulane. After two successful years with the Green Wave, Cook is looking for a new home to finish his career. With two years of eligibility remaining, this kid is a wanted player by many.
On Thursday, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweeted that Cook had already received plenty of interest from a variety of programs. Most of the teams were high-level DI schools, and that group includes the Illini.
Tulane transfer Jalen Cook tells me that he's receiving interest from the following programs:
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 30, 2023
LSU
Kansas
Gonzaga
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Illinois
Ole Miss
TCU
Washington
Washington State
Memphis
Pitt
Minnesota
Xavier
Mississippi State
UCF
Oklahoma State
Plain and simple, Cook is a big-time player. This past season, he averaged 19.9 points, 4.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. For his career, he is a 36.9% three-point shooter as well.
Illinois needs guard play, specifically someone who can bring the ball up the court and distribute. If Cook did pick the Illini, he would come in and start every game for the program.
I would have Cook starting at the No. 1 guard spot with Luke Goode and Ty Rodgers at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. That would make for the most dynamic group Illinois could put out on the court.
Landing Cook would be huge for the Illini. As I have said with a few of these transfer portal players, Illinois needs to put a lot of resources into landing this kid. He is a big player who can put up big numbers. We need that on the team.