The mystery of the transfer portal continues to pick up steam, and the Illinois basketball team has been rumored to be interested in numerous players.
Who will end up with the Illini is, quite literally, the million-dollar question. Brad Underwood did wonders in the transfer portal the past few seasons, and there is no reason to think he won’t do the same this time around.
Illinois has already been linked to a handful of names. One name just popped up that would be an intriguing option for the Orange and Blue.
According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Nojus Indrusaitis has entered the transfer portal. He was a freshman last season for Iowa State after being one of the best recruits in the state of Illinois.
NEWS: Iowa State's Nojus Indrusaitis -- a 4-star recruit in 2024 -- will enter the transfer portal, his agent Deirunas Visockas told ESPN. The 6-foot-5, 18-year old guard posted 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3 assists per game at last summer's FIBA U18 Eurobasket for Lithuania. pic.twitter.com/iobdPIB1oG
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 27, 2025
Coming out of Brewster Academy in 2024, Indrusaitis was a four-star recruit and was ranked as the No. 96 player in the country. He originally played for St. Rita High School in Chicago but finished up his high school career at Brewster.
Indrusaitis’ freshman season won’t blow you away. He only averaged 2.1 points in 15 games. The Cyclones only played him 5.8 minutes per game, too. The playing time wasn’t there, but an option that I believe would be good for the kid is Illinois.
Illinois basketball could be a soft landing spot for a transfer portal talent like Nojus Indrusaitis
The numbers for Indrusaitis don’t seem impressive. I’ll go a step further and say that he only shot 14.3% from three-point range. Here is the thing. He didn’t play much. When you average less than one three-point attempt per game, your shooting percentage is going to be low.
Indrusaitis is a much better player than that. In his final year at Brewster, he averaged 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while only averaging 1.8 turnovers per contest. On top of those numbers, he also attempted 64 three-point attempts and hit them at a clip of 40.6%. He has the ability to shoot the ball.
Illinois has a need for Indrusaitis as well. We could have Kylan Boswell start at the No. 1 guard, Tre White at the No. 3 guard, and Indrusaitis could come in and start at the No. 2 spot. There are a couple of interesting facts about this kid too.
In 2022-23, Indrusaitis suited up for St. Rita and was their second-leading scorer. Who was the leading scorer on that team? Morez Johnson Jr.
Johnson and Indrusaitis played together at the high school level until their senior year. They have chemistry and know each other.
Indrusaitis also played in the FIBA U18 Eurobasket Tampere 2024 for Lithuania. He averaged 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He led the Lithuanian team in scoring in that tournament. Who was second in scoring on that team? Kasparas Jakucionis.
Underwood has the space and need for Indrusaitis. The kid also has connections to a player who is about to be an NBA lottery pick, and a player who is going to be back in the lineup next season. There are so many connections, so let’s make this happen.