There isn’t much of an ending in sight, as the transfer portal is still a hot topic for the Illinois basketball program.
Through about a week after playing in the final game of the season, three Illini have already hit the transfer portal. Losing Carey Booth wasn’t a big deal. Illinois then lost both Morez Johnson Jr. and Tre White, two starters from the end of the season.
With three players off the roster, and two other Illini set to head to the NBA Draft, Brad Underwood has a lot of wiggle room when it comes to scholarships. On Saturday night, it was reported by Dushawn London of 247Sports that Illinois has interest in Malachi Smith.
List of schools who have reached out to Dayton transfer Malachi Smith.
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) March 30, 2025
Averaged 10.4 points and 5.3 assists this season.
Florida State
Rutgers
Uconn
Pitt
Miami
Kansas State
Wake Forest
St. John’s
Butler
Utah State
Illinois
Iona
SMU
Seton Hall pic.twitter.com/IHChNIKrHc
Smith is a 6-foot, 175-pound guard who played his last four seasons with Dayton. He didn’t suit up two years ago, as he took a medical redshirt due to a torn meniscus. That leaves another year of eligibility for the guard, and he is looking to go out with a bang.
In 2024-25, Smith had his best season thus far. He averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per contest. He also attempted 2.5 three-point attempts and hit them at a clip of 38.3%.
Malachi Smith could be a solid backcourt option out of the transfer portal for the Illinois basketball team
Illinois is going to look a lot different than what we saw just a week or so ago. Kasparas Jakucionis is going to the NBA. White is gone from the backcourt. That just leaves Kylan Boswell and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn as the main backcourt players heading into next season.
Smith is someone who could do everything for the Illini backcourt. I am not comparing him talent-wise to these two greats, but a combination of Smith and Boswell in the Illinois backcourt could be the same idea as Dee Brown and Deron Williams. Both were talented guards who could pass the ball. That is what you would get with Smith and Boswell.
I actually really like this option for Illinois. Smith isn’t from an average mid-major. Dayton always has decent talent, and this kid has had to work through some serious adversity in life. He has grit, and I think he would be a great fit in the Illini backcourt.
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