Dante Maddox Jr. continues to lead Illinois basketball transfer portal wish list

Xavier Amos – Northern Illinois Huskies

The top three players on this list are the hottest options right now for the Illinois basketball team. They have the most traction, but I think adding someone like Xavier Amos would be huge for the program.

Amos is a 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward from Chicago, Illinois. He didn’t have much recruiting attention in the class of 2022 coming out of the prestigious Whitney Young High School, so Amos landed with Northern Illinois.

In year one with the Huskies, Amos averaged 2.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in just eight games played. As a sophomore, the kid really blossomed, though. He put up 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 assists in 30.9 minutes per game. He also hit 38.5% from three-point range.

After his second season with Northern Illinois, Amos decided to find greener pastures. On March 27, it was announced that he entered the transfer portal. Since that date, the Illini have been in contact with the talented in-state player.

I currently have Ty Rodgers starting at the No. 4 spot entering the 2024-25 campaign. I believe Rodgers has a ton of talent that is just waiting to erupt. Landing Amos would give Illinois a lot more depth in the frontcourt.

It will be interesting to see how good Illinois’ frontcourt could be with Rodgers and Morez Johnson Jr. starting. Amani Hansberry would then be a primary backup. Amos could also come in at the No. 4 or No. 5 spot. We would have so much talent.