The pain of Illinois basketball losing one of the fan favorites is starting to subside a bit, but the hurt is definitely still there.
The transfer portal can show its teeth at times, and when it does, it can really hit you. On Friday night, the Illini lost a talented big man in Morez Johnson Jr. A player who could have been one of the most memorable in a generation decided to find a new home.
It will take a minute for that transfer portal departure to finally heal, and if Illinois has to play Johnson next season and into the future, the pain may never go away. But do you know what could help the healing process?
Josh Dix.
Numerous outlets reported that Dix is taking an official visit to Champaign this weekend. The former Iowa guard spent three seasons with the Hawkeyes, and in 2024-25, he averaged 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
An eye-popping number for Dix comes from the three-point shooting department. He attempted 4.8 three-pointers per game and hit them at a clip of 42.2%. For his career, he is a 41.9% three-point shooter and has never shot under 40% from beyond the three-point arc in any season.
Illinois basketball likes big guards, and with transfer portal talent Josh Dix, his size does matter
The Brad Underwood era has had a lot of ups. The recruiting has skyrocketed under his regime, and throughout his time at Illinois, there are trends with the players he eyes.
One of the big trends is the size of the guards Underwood brings into the program. Ayo Dosunmu was a 6-foot-5 guard who could play the No. 1 through No. 3 spots. Jacob Grandison was a 6-foot-6 guard. Terrence Shannon Jr. checked in at 6-foot-6. There is a clear trend with big guards playing and succeeding in the Underwood system.
Dix fits that mold. He is a 6-foot-6 guard who can play multiple roles on the court. For Illinois, I could see Kylan Boswell playing the No. 1 spot. Dix then comes in and is at the No. 2 spot. Tre White then starts at the No. 3 spot. Boswell and White are more slashers and aggressive players, while Dix can hit shots from all over the court.
Development: One minute after this article was posted, Tre White hit the transfer portal.
This weekend is pretty big for the Orange and Blue. We just lost one of the main players I thought this program was going to have for at least one more season. Landing someone like Dix out of the transfer portal would be a nice Band-Aid to help the departure of Johnson heal.