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Projected Illinois basketball lineup with the transfer portal addition of Carey Booth

The 2024 offseason continues to be crazy, as the Illinois basketball team landed a big man out of the transfer portal on Tuesday

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 9, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood speaks
Dec 9, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood speaks / Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
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No. 4 Forward

Starter: Ty Rodgers (JR)

I have enjoyed watching Ty Rodgers develop his game, and I think entering next season, he is going to take the next step in his shooting. Rodgers is phenomenal in every area on the court except for putting the ball in the bucket from further than three feet away.

Rodgers finished the 2023-24 campaign averaging 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He played the point guard role, but he can now be a forward. Rodgers didn’t take a single three-point attempt last season in the 38 starts for the Illini. Look for this to be a big offseason for the kid. I think he continues to start for Illinois at the No. 4 spot next season.

Backup: Carey Booth (SO)

Rodgers only received 22.7 minutes per game as a sophomore. Illinois was short on point guard help, so he played that role. Now that he is back in the No. 4 spot, I think he sees around the same minutes and is in a timeshare with new Illini transfer portal talent, Carey Booth.

Booth is entering the Illinois program after playing his first season with Notre Dame. The 6-foot-10, 203-pound big man averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest last season. I see Booth coming in and being a primary backup at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. He will likely play both roles when needed, and this should get him around 25 minutes each night. Look for this kid to blossom in 2024-25.

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