No. 4 Forward
Starter: Ben Humrichous (GR)
Illinois was able to land a bunch of younger guys who are going to bring a lot of energy to the program. But I also love the addition of Ben Humrichous. He has been in the college ranks for a few years now, but he has had to go through the gauntlet to get to Illinois.
Humrichous started out in the NAIA ranks with Huntington University in Indiana. He then played well enough to get noticed by the Evansville Purple Aces. This past season with Evansville, Humrichous averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He also hit a blistering 41.4% from three-point range. There are many elements of why I love this addition to the roster. The fact that Humrichous had to struggle to get to this level means he is hungry. I also love that he is 6-foot-9 and can hit three-point shots at a clip of 41.4%. That is why I believe he will start at the No. 4 spot.
Backup: Carey Booth (SO)
The depth in the frontcourt is quite impressive for the Illinois basketball team. We have great talent in Morez Johnson Jr. and Humrichous, but I think our second unit is going to be one of the strongest in the Big Ten. Landing a player like Carey Booth out of the transfer portal is one of the reasons for this belief.
Booth is 6-foot-10, 203 pounds, and is coming off a freshman campaign with Notre Dame where he averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He only logged 19.9 minutes per game as well. I think Booth has a chance to see better numbers and even more minutes as a primary backup at the No. 4 spot. I see Booth playing both the No. 4 and No. 5 spot, depending on what the opposing team has on the floor. In this updated lineup, I see Booth as the primary backup at the No. 4 spot.
Backup: Scholarship
With Humrichous likely departing after the 2024-25 campaign, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Brad Underwood to go out and get another frontcourt player for the future. This can be a young player who is looking for a home and to develop. You can’t have too many frontcourt athletes.