Illinois basketball is now in the positive when it comes to players in the transfer portal.
Dain Dainja was the first Illini to depart the program, and so far, he has been the only one. We have landed talented wing Jake Davis, so that gives Illinois a 1:1 ratio as far as the transfer portal is concerned.
On Tuesday night, Illinois landed another transfer portal player. Louisville's Tre White picked Illinois as his landing spot. Now the Illini are +1 to the positive in the transfer portal. This addition also changes up the lineup a bit.
Here is the projected Illinois basketball lineup with the addition of Tre White
No. 1 Guard
Starter: Ty Rodgers (JR)
Not much has changed at the No. 1 guard spot over the past week. In 2023-24, Brad Underwood had Ty Rodgers starting at the traditional point guard role, and I think we roll with that to start the season as of right now.
Rodgers is someone who has proved he can do just about anything on the court. He can sky for rebounds with the tallest players in the game, and his athletic ability enables him to finish around the rim. He averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game as a sophomore. This offseason needs to be about developing his shot. The fact defenders can sag off of him creates clogging in the lane. We don’t need that. Rodgers has to start becoming more of a threat on offense.
Backup: Niccolo Moretti (SO)
Illinois has a more traditional point guard waiting in the wings. We got to see glimpses of Niccolo Moretti this past season, and I was a fan of what I saw on the court.
Moretti played in 18 games and averaged 1.5 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 5.9 minutes per contest. He has good vision and is what you want in a traditional point guard. Look for Moretti to get a lot more playing time in 2024-25. Illinois needs his depth. I fully expect Moretti to get 15-17 minutes per game as a sophomore.
Starter/Backup: Scholarship #1
The first of three scholarships Illinois currently has available should go to an experienced and talented point guard. Underwood could have so much flexibility if we snagged a point guard out of the transfer portal. Landing someone like Kylan Boswell would be great. He averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game in 2023-24. He also hit 37.9% from three-point range. I would move Rodgers to the No. 4 spot if Boswell did come to Illinois.
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