The transfer portal has not been too nice to the Illinois basketball team this offseason.
It was already going to be a tough offseason with the likely departures of Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley to the NBA Draft. Since the final game against Kentucky, the Illini have also lost Morez Johnson Jr., Tre White, and Carey Booth to the transfer portal as well.
Some good news did come down the pipeline on Tuesday night, though. While it isn’t a new player coming into the Illinois program, we are getting back a familiar face who can be a menace in multiple areas on the court.
Illinois utility man Ty Rodgers took to social media to say two simple words, “I’m back.”
— Ty Rodgers (@Ty_rodgers20) April 2, 2025
With that announcement, Illinois gets back a player we could have used last season. Rodgers played the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before redshirting this past year to save eligibility.
During that 2023-24 campaign, Rodgers took a nice step forward in his career. He started all 38 games and averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per contest. He also bumped his free throw shooting up 20% from 38.7% to 58.5%.
Illinois basketball needed Ty Rodgers to avoid the transfer portal, as he adds a big piece to the puzzle for 2025-26
This is a pretty big addition to the Illinois roster for next season. I honestly expected Rodgers to be gone. That isn’t the case, though. He is coming back.
I am excited to see the work Rodgers has done with a season of development. He has had time to work on his game because he did not play in any contests. His rebounding was always incredible, as he is only 6-foot-6. Rodgers has the ability to crash the glass.
Brad Underwood was trying to develop Rodgers into a point guard the last time we saw him on the court. I wonder if that is going to continue or if Rodgers is going to play more of a wing role like Tre White did this past season. There are so many questions that will be answered, but at least we have Rodgers back in the fold.
feed