The transfer portal rumor mill is pretty crazy right now, as the Illinois basketball team is trying to sift through who would fit well with the program.
As of right now, the Illini are even when it comes to the transfer portal. We lost big man Dain Dainja a couple of days ago, and he is already taking visits. I believe his first one was to Memphis.
To combat the losses, Brad Underwood the Illinois coaching staff was able to land Mercer wing, Jake Davis. He brings a ton of talent and shooting ability to the Illinois lineup. This kid is going to be a big boost for the Illini offense.
Illinois has played plenty of players this season who have a lot of talent and are looking for a new home. One of the best is Wisconsin transfer, AJ Storr.
Back on March 26, Storr announced he was going to enter the NBA Draft process but still maintain his college eligibility. The fact he wants to keep his eligibility means there is a chance he will come back and play college basketball. So, Storr has also entered the transfer portal.
— Aj storr (@storr_aj) March 26, 2024
Two days after Storr entered the transfer portal, 247Sports’ Michigan State “insider” Justin Thind put in a Crystal Ball Prediction. He predicted that Storr would land with Illinois. This got the rumor mill cranked up to full speed. Could Illinois actually land Storr?
Illinois basketball landing transfer portal guard AJ Storr would give an insane boost to the lineup
Landing Storr would be one of those full-circle moments. He was offered by Illinois back in December 2020. Storr then committed to the Illini in April 2021. That commitment lasted roughly a month, as Storr would back away from his commitment in May 2021.
Storr has now spent two years in college. The former four-star recruit averaged 8.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game as a freshman with St. John’s. He then transferred to Wisconsin this past season. With the Badgers, Storr averaged 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
It is pretty rare for a player who has committed and then backs away from his commitment, to come back to the program he originally pledged to the first time around. There does seem to be some smoke to the Illini possible landing Storr, but this one is pretty tough. There will be a bidding war at the end of the day.
I think the most likely scenario is that Storr stays in the NBA Draft. His game is that of an NBA player. He has supreme confidence in his shooting ability, and he can get the rim. His 6-foot-7 size is what NBA scouts are looking for as well. The only thing that might trip Storr up is his defense.
If Illinois was able to land Storr, it would be a national title move. Storr would obviously be starting at the No. 2 or No. 3 spot on the floor. There is a slight chance Marcus Domask is granted his waiver and returns, but if he doesn’t, Storr could slide into the starting No. 2 spot easily. If Domask does come back, I could see Luke Goode sliding to the No. 4 spot and Amani Hansberry then backs up Morez Johnson Jr. at the No. 5 spot.
Just think about that for a minute. Without Domask, No. 1 Ty Rodgers, No. 2 Storr, No. 3 Goode, No. 4 Hansberry, No. 5 Morez. With Domask, No. 1 Rodgers, No. 2 Domask, No. 3 Storr, No. 4 Goode, No. 5 Morez. That is a lineup that can get back to the NCAA tournament and make another national title run.
Regardless, it would be a huge get for the Illini. Storr is an NBA-caliber player, and landing him out of the transfer portal is going to take a lot of convincing and cash.