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

Jared Coleman-Jones – Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

There is definitely a focus on depth when it comes to the Illinois basketball frontcourt. We need players who can come into the game and not have a drop-off from the starters.

I think Jared Coleman-Jones would be a great option for the Illini. He is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man from Jacksonville, Florida. He didn’t have a ton of recruiting attention out of high school, so Coleman-Jones ended up with Northwestern.

Coleman-Jones played one season with the Wildcats where he averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. After his freshman season, he transferred out and landed with Middle Tennessee.

In year one with the Blue Raiders, he averaged 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Coleman-Jones missed his second season with injury. This past season, Coleman-Jones had a breakout year, averaging 11.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 44.2% from three-point range and 77.1% from the free throw line.

On April 11, Coleman-Jones entered the transfer portal again. He has been contacted by numerous programs including the Illini.

This is the type of player I want in the Illinois frontcourt. Ty Rodgers and Morez Johnson Jr. would still start at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, respectively. Amani Hansberry is the primary backup at the No. 4 spot right now. Someone like Coleman-Jones could then be the primary backup at the No. 5 spot. These four would give Illinois one of the most dangerous frontcourts in all of college basketball.