Illinois basketball in top 5 for elite transfer portal guard

Illinois basketball is one step closer to landing one of the best transfer portal players this offseason.

It has been somewhat calm waters for the Illini since the 2023-24 season concluded. We added a nice wing player from Mercer in Jake Davis. He should be able to help our scoring tremendously.

The lone departure Illinois has had from the roster this offseason is big man Dain Dainja. His personality is a big loss in the locker room. So, as of right now, Illinois has one out and one in when it comes to the transfer portal.

Brad Underwood is trying to make that two in within the next couple of weeks, though. On Tuesday morning, Joe Tipton of On3.com posted on social media that transfer portal guard Dante Maddox Jr. has cut his list down to just five teams. The five programs vying for his commitment include Xavier, Creighton, Michigan, Louisville, and Illinois.

Coming out of Bloom High School in Illinois, the 6-foot-2 guard had low-level DI scholarship offers and ended up with Cal State Fullerton. He spent two seasons with the Titans but never really got traction. Maddox then transferred to Toledo.

While with the Rockets, Maddox’s game blossomed over the last two seasons. In 2023-24, he averaged 15.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest. The talented guard is looking for a new home, and Champaign is one of the top five possible destinations.

The Illinois basketball starting lineup would get an instant shot in the arm by landing Dante Maddox Jr. out of the transfer portal

There are some impressive teams eyeing Maddox. This kid had a big season as a junior. The thing that sticks out to me the most is his efficiency. Maddox only averaged 1.6 turnovers per game last season while playing 33.1 minutes per contest.

On top of taking care of the basketball, Maddox’s shooting has improved greatly. This past season, he took 5.6 three-point attempts per game and hit them at a clip of 40.2%. That is better than anything Illinois had in the Elite 8 run.

Maddox would change the projected Illinois lineup too. He is someone who would come into the program and start from day one. The transition from someone like Terrence Shannon Jr. to Maddox would be seamless. He would start at the No. 2 guard spot, traditionally reserved for a shooting guard.