Top 10 greatest Illinois basketball transfer portal additions of all time

2. Terrence Shannon Jr.

Illinois was recruiting Terrence Shannon Jr. out of high school, but sadly, we weren’t his first stop. He ended up heading to Texas Tech for three years before coming to Champaign.

Shannon’s stop with the Red Raiders was successful. He put up big numbers and helped Texas Tech win a lot of games. Shannon averaged 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in those three seasons. Texas Tech also made a Round of 32 and Sweet 16 appearance in that span of time.

After he was done with Texas Tech, Shannon departed and committed to Illinois. His first year in Champaign was a weird one, as the team didn’t seem to gel much. Illinois still managed to get to the NCAA tournament but lost in the first round. Shannon averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game that season.

The 2023-24 campaign was a special one, though. Shannon was given the reins to the team, and he led us to great heights. Shannon averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game for an Illinois team that won 29 games and advanced to the Elite 8.

Illinois needed a boost, and we got that with the transfer portal addition of Shannon. He was a special part of the team, and I think he is the second-best transfer portal player of all time.