Illinois basketball early 2024 transfer portal wish list

5. Xavier Amos – Northern Illinois Huskies

There are plenty of under-the-radar players who went to smaller schools and have proved they are high DI-caliber players. That is the case with Xavier Amos. He is someone who was completely overlooked but balled out with Northern Illinois.

Amos wasn’t rated or ranked coming out of Whitney Young High School in Illinois. He didn’t have much in the way of scholarship offers, but Northern Illinois came calling and he answered.

The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward only played in eight games as a freshman, but he blossomed this past season. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 assists per game.

On Tuesday, The Portal Report listed off some big programs that were in contact with Amos after he entered the transfer portal. One of those teams was Illinois.

The fact that Amos is a Chicago kid has me intrigued. I always love pulling from the talent-rich area of Chicago. I think another aspect of Amos’ game that I love is the fact he is a long player who can shoot from three-point range.

Amos took 4.2 three-point attempts per game this past season and knocked them down at a clip of 38.5%. That is a great number. He stands at 6-foot-8 and can shoot that well from three-point range, which means he can stretch the floor. His man isn’t going to sag off and cover the paint. You have to be on Amos at all times.

Brad Underwood is always looking for big players who can shoot. That is what we want in the offense. Amos fits that bill, and I think he would be a great addition to the program.