No. 3 Guard
Starter: Tre White (JR)
The man of the hour is Tre White. Illinois secured his transfer portal commitment on Tuesday night, and now we get someone who can put the ball in the hoop and give us more size in the starting lineup.
I have White coming in and starting at the No. 3 spot right now. He is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound guard who can play out on the wing and slash to the basket. This past season with Louisville, White averaged 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. While he only shot 29.9% from three-point range, I see White’s role being similar to Quincy Guerrier. He is a player who can get to the rim and finish. White will put up around 10 points and eight rebounds each night. That is what I want.
Backup: Sencire Harris (SO)
I was so happy when Sencire Harris announced on social media that he was returning to the Illinois basketball program. Losing his depth would have hurt the program a lot. I have Harris coming back and being the primary backup at the No. 3 spot.
The last time we saw Harris, he averaged 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game. He was more of a defensive specialist, and that will help the second unit for the Illini. In 2023-24, Illinois struggled defensively when the second unit came into the game. That won’t be the case with Harris now being one of the main players in that second unit. Illinois will get a huge boost from his presence on the court.