Illinois Basketball: Thank you Illini players who avoided the transfer portal

With all of the chaos in the transfer portal, it has turned the focus on who will be the next player the Illinois basketball team lands.

I will be the first to admit that I have been hawking social media to see who the Illini are in play for this offseason and what players are departing the program. There are so many talented players out there, it is exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time.

But this constant watch on who is coming and going has taken the focus off the most important thing of all.

Who has stayed.

The players who avoided the transfer portal mean the world to the Illinois basketball fans

Over the past two recruiting classes, Illinois has brought in a lot of talent. Well, those classes have now been destroyed and only a few remain on the roster.

I can’t wait to see the players who stayed out of the transfer portal play next season. There have been three confirmed commitments to the program for the 2023-24 campaign. Luke Goode, Dain Dainja, and Sencire Harris will all return to the team.

Goode was a member of the 2021 class that featured two other top 100 recruits. Those two other recruits left the team, leaving Goode as the only member of that freshman class still on the roster. He could have bolted with the other two, but Goode remained with the program. That means the world to Illini Nation.

After spending the last two seasons at Illinois, and this past campaign playing for the Orange and Blue, Dainja could have left the program. He knows what Brad Underwood and his coaching staff are all about, and Dainja decided to stay. That means the world to Illini Nation.

And then we have the youngest of the returning players, Sencire Harris. Harris has seen both Jayden Epps and Skyy Clark depart the program in less than a year. No one is sure what is going on with Ty Rodgers either. It would have been easy for Harris to join his other class of 2022 teammates and leave Champaign. That didn’t happen, though. Harris decided to return to Illinois. That means the world to Illini Nation.

Illinois is bringing back someone who is extremely quick, can handle the ball, and play great defense in Harris. We have a nice wing option who can play the No. 2 or No. 3 spots on the court in Goode. And we have a big man in Dainja.

Let’s build around these talented players. Let’s fill the gaps left by the players who didn’t want to be here, and let’s win with the players who are committed to the Orange and Blue. I still have hope for the future because these three decided to remain in Champaign. Let’s prove the doubters wrong and build a winner. I believe it can happen.