What a wild time we live in, as the Illinois basketball team continues to shape shift into the team we will see next season.
After what was a disappointing ending to the 2024-25 campaign, the Illini immediately went into transfer portal mode. We lost three players in the first week or so. The departures kind of tapered off until Wednesday.
On Wednesday afternoon, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn took to social media to announce that he was not coming back to Illinois. Multiple news outlets then reported that he was entering the transfer portal.
Illini Nation!!!!!
— Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn (@DravynGibbs) April 2, 2025
Thank you for everything these past two years, this decision was an easy one to make for my career but a hard one to make in the fact that this place feels like family, and it always will be to me! I’ve experienced things in these past two years that……
Gibbs-Lawhorn spent two seasons with Illinois. In year one, he averaged 2.4 points and played sparingly over 28 games. Last season, he was the only player to suit up who played on the Elite 8 squad. Gibbs-Lawhorn was a good depth piece, averaging 5.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
This departure is a sad one because of what Gibbs-Lawhorn gave the Illini. He stuck around when others didn’t. He stayed true to his commitment through thick and thin.
Despite losing Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, Illinois basketball is fighting back against the transfer portal
Gibbs-Lawhorn was a good energy guy off the bench for the Illini. He is someone who could come into the game and give you quality minutes. But at the end of the day, he was never going to be a starter at Illinois. My guess is that Gibbs-Lawhorn either goes to Purdue or he suits up for a good mid-major and starts.
While Illinois is losing some depth with Gibbs-Lawhorn departing, we are starting to fight back against the transfer portal.
Kylan Boswell announced that he was returning to the Illinois roster on Wednesday night. That is a huge stabilizing piece to the puzzle. A couple of nights ago, Ty Rodgers announced he was returning too.
I don’t think Boswell would return if Illinois’ roster were going to be gutted. I think there is a plan in place, and Boswell is the first domino to fall. If I had to guess, Illinois could be getting back some big-time pieces. Let’s see how this roster shapes up.
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