I can’t complain about what the Illinois basketball team put out on the court for the 2025-26 season.
The Illini made it back to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. That alone is a special achievement. I loved all of the players who got us that far in the NCAA tournament.
With that being said, on Tuesday afternoon, a bittersweet moment took place. Morez Johnson Jr. announced on social media that he was not coming back to college. He is going to stay in the NBA Draft and see where the process takes him.
AGTG🙏🏾 Let’s do it pic.twitter.com/tsvUHrjeEm
— Morez Johnson Jr. (@morezjohnsonJr) May 19, 2026
In his post that had a graphic saying what his intentions were and the thank you note, Johnson gushed about Michigan and didn’t have a single mention of Illinois.
Johnson spent his first year with the Illini before transferring out and winning a national championship with the Wolverines. Some could even speculate that the first two sentences of the goodbye on social media were a shot at Illinois.
“You want to be somewhere that pushes you, supports you and helps you grow on and off the court. Michigan gave me all of that.”
So, I guess Illinois wasn’t any of those things to Johnson? I’ve always heard Brad Underwood say glowing things about the kid, and yet, we didn’t push him, we didn’t support him, and we didn’t help him grow as a person.
Johnson should have been on the Illinois roster this season. He should have been a hugely impactful player who might have even gotten us over the UConn curse and into that national championship.
Instead, Johnson spurned the Illini for greener pastures. It worked. He averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game on a national title-winning team. I can’t help but think Illinois could have had the same fate. He should have been our dominating big man. He should have helped Illinois to a national championship. He should have been another Illinois player selected in the NBA Draft.
Seeing Johnson lift that national championship trophy, and now soon to hear his name called in the NBA Draft, gives me mixed feelings. It is bittersweet.
I know it is taboo, but I can’t help but still root for this kid. Johnson was one of my favorite players while with the Illini. He hasn’t done anything wrong off the court, and he clearly has a great work ethic on it.
Johnson was an in-state recruit who was committed to Illinois for years. He played a season in Champaign, and in today’s college game, can you blame a kid for taking a bag, making a better life for himself, and winning a national championship? I can’t.
Brad Underwood has helped numerous players get in the mix for the 2026 NBA Draft
Johnson is someone who could be a really good player at the next level. He has all of the physical gifts, and now he has added a three-point shot, which climbed to 34.3% last season. That number will only continue to get stronger.
While Johnson didn’t finish at Illinois and didn’t give Underwood any credit for his development, he is still someone I regard as an Underwood guy. Johnson got to this point in part due to Underwood’s development.
Illinois is also projected to have three players selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Keaton Wagler is the projected No. 5 pick right now. In the second round, Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic are both projected to be selected late.
Underwood has the Illinois basketball program pumping players into the NBA. Even the players who decided to finish elsewhere seem to find their way to The Association.
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