Illinois basketball close to landing huge depth piece in transfer portal

The transfer portal might seem like it is coming to an end this offseason, but the Illinois basketball team is still working every angle possible.

This offseason has been one to remember for the Illini. We lost nearly everyone. Ty Rodgers and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn are our only returning scholarship players from the Elite 8 team we watched less than two months ago.

Numerous players departed due to aging out. Illinois also had Dain Dainja, Niccolo Moretti, Sencire Harris, Amani Hansberry, and Luke Goode transfer out.

But Brad Underwood didn’t just sit on his hands and watch the world go by. He started making moves and filling the voids. Three incoming freshmen are now joined by five newcomers via the transfer portal. Ben Humrichous, Carey Booth, Tre White, Kylan Boswell, and Jake Davis will be the names to remember for the upcoming season.

Illinois potentially isn’t done adding either. On Friday, Jeff Borzello of ESPN reported that Mike Sharavjamts is down to just three teams he is eyeing as his landing spot. The three teams to make his final list include Saint Mary’s, Utah, and Illinois.

Coming out of Andrews Osborne Academy in Ohio, Sharavjamts was a four-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 93 player in the class of 2022. He had solid scholarship offers coming out of high school but picked Dayton as his landing spot.

As a freshman, Sharavjamts averaged 5.6 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game with the Flyers. He then hit the transfer portal and ended up with San Francisco last season. Sharavjamts improved his numbers with the Dons, averaging 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

Illinois basketball is looking for depth in the transfer portal, and Mike Sharavjamts is the perfect answer

Sharavjamts is a very appealing transfer portal player. He is exactly what I want Illinois to snag for the team next season to round out what I believe is another Elite 8-contending roster.

Illinois is very thin in the backcourt right now. I have Rodgers and Kylan Boswell starting at the No. 1 and No. 2 guard spots right now, respectively. Gibbs-Lawhorn would likely be the backup to both roles.

If Sharavjamts did pick the Illini, he would come into the program and likely be the primary backup to Rodgers. His ability to handle the basketball is intriguing, and at 6-foot-8, that size mismatch will help against opposing teams.

I also like how well Sharavjamts shoots the ball. He attempted 3.4 three-point attempts last season and hit them at a clip of 36.0%.

The fact Illinois is in the mix for Sharavjamts shows you the type of hustle Underwood has going on right now. We are checking under every rock to make sure we don’t miss some key transfers.