The grass isn’t always greener on the other side when you leave the Illinois basketball program.
Throughout Brad Underwood’s tenure, the Illini have had numerous players transfer in and out of the program. This isn’t anything unusual, especially in the world of the transfer portal.
Just a few years ago, Illinois had a good guard in Andre Curbelo. He was able to do some solid work on the court, but he wanted a bigger role in the college game. So, the talented guard hit the transfer portal.
On Saturday, Curbelo’s time in college basketball might have come to an end. According to Andrew Abadie of The Pine Belt News, Curbelo is no longer with Southern Mississippi. He has been dismissed from the program.
Southern Miss MBB coach Jay Ladner said after the postgame loss to Louisiana that Andre Curbelo has been dismissed from the team.
— Andrew Abadie (@AndrewAbadie) February 23, 2025
The Golden Eagles have hit a rough patch this season, losing their last six games and 10 out of the last 12 contests. Following the two-point loss to Louisiana, Abadie reports that Southern Mississippi head coach Jay Ladner announced the dismissal of Curbelo
After leaving the Illinois basketball team, Andre Curbelo never managed to elevate his game
I remember thinking Curbelo was a pretty good player with the Illini. He did some good things on the court, and he was able to be the traditional point guard Illinois needed. Curbelo was always a little reckless with the basketball, though.
In two seasons at Illinois, Curbelo averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.7 turnovers per game. Curbelo then bolted for St. John’s for a season. Again, not much changed. He averaged 9.6 points, 4.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 2.7 turnovers per game.
Curbelo only spent one season with the Red Storm. He then transferred again and has spent the last two seasons with Southern Mississippi.
In the past two seasons, Curbelo’s turnovers skyrocketed, as he averaged 3.6 turnovers per contest. The Golden Eagles have also struggled, winning 16 games last season and plummeting to 10-19 overall in 2024-25.
I always want to see players succeed even if they leave Illinois. Southern Mississippi was done with him, and now he is off the team. I hope Curbelo finds what he is looking for and can get on the right track in life.