Illinois basketball transfer portal departures, where are they now?

Andre Curbelo

Illinois had an electric point guard in the early 2020s with the emergence of Andre Curbelo. He was fun to watch, but sadly, his time with the Illini was short.

Coming out of Long Island Lutheran but hailing from Puerto Rico, Curbelo was a highly touted point guard. He was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 47 player in the class of 2020. He was also the No. 8 point guard in the country and the best player coming out of Puerto Rico.

Curbelo could have picked numerous programs, but he had his eyes set on Illinois. The impact of Curbelo was felt too. As a freshman in 2020-21, Curbelo played in 31 games and averaged 9.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game.

As a sophomore, Curbelo dealt with some injuries and only played in 19 games. He averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per contest. These were still great numbers, and the future at the point guard position went through this kid.

That didn’t stop Curbelo from entering the transfer portal, though. On March 28, 2022, Curbelo entered the transfer portal. Three weeks later, he committed to St. John’s. In 2022-23, Curbelo averaged 9.6 pints, 4.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game with the Red Storm.

On March 30, 2023, Curbelo once again entered the transfer portal. A few months later, he would end up with Southern Mississippi. This past season with the Golden Eagles, Curbelo dealt with injuries and only played in 12 games. He averaged 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Southern Mississippi finished 16-16 overall.