3 transfer portal focuses for the Illinois basketball team

Focus #2: An athletic wing

The Illinois roster has a clear divide when it comes to the way it is constructed for next season. We are losing a ton of talent, but that talent also has some size.

Most of the departures for the Illini are bigger guard or wing-type players. Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask, and Quincy Guerrier are 6-foot-6, 6-foot-6, and 6-foot-8, respectively. They are three of our top four leading scorers on the team.

A focus I want Brad Underwood to have in the transfer portal is going in and getting a nice athletic wing. I want at least one player who is at least 6-foot-6 and plays on the wing. This player is similar to that of Guerrier where they can be a threat from three-point range but they are dangerous with their athletic ability.

Illinois won’t have that next season. The closest thing is Ty Rodgers, but he doesn’t have the outside shot that makes defenses worry. Luke Goode has the size I want, but he is more of an outside shooter and doesn’t have the athletic ability when driving into the paint that I want.

Beyond those two, Illinois is guard and big man-heavy. We will have plenty of backcourt and frontcourt help, but this program needs someone on the wing who can break a zone by driving or get a defense on their heels with athletic ability. Snagging a nice big wing who can tear a defense apart is what I am looking for in the transfer portal.