Top 10 most painful Illinois basketball transfer portal departures of all time

8. Amani Hansberry

I was really excited about the potential of Amani Hansberry. He was a great get for Illinois from the East Coast, and his ability on the court shined brightly.

Coming out of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Maryland, Hansberry was a four-star recruit who was the No. 61 player in the class of 2023. He was also the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year.

Hansberry came into the Illinois program and saw okay minutes as a freshman. He logged 7.5 minutes per game and averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds. This was a good foundation season to a really bright future.

That bright future is going to be with a different team, though. After the season, Illinois lost assistant coach Chester Frazier to West Virginia. This triggered some transfers in the Illinois program. Hansberry was one of the players who ended up following Frazier.

Hansberry only spent one season with the Illini, but I thought he had a promising future. He was a developing big man who had an underrated three-point shot. I also loved his hustle on the court. At the end of the day, I believe Hansberry is going to be a really good addition to the West Virginia roster. It kills me to lose him.