Now that the window to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal for immediate eligibility has closed, let's reset where the Illini men's basketball roster stands.
Joey Wagner
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The deadline for a player to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and be eligible immediately at their next school passed on May 1. By now, any player who entered the portal by that date has been posted.
That may provide some relief for college coaches who are managing and filling out their roster. Unless the NCAA provides waivers for entrants after the May 1 deadline — not including those who declared for the NBA Draft but may opt to return to school — coaches know who should be returning for next season. Teams can still add players out of the portal, and the Illinois men’s basketball team is still expected to be active in portal recruiting after landing Texas Tech transfer Terrence Shannon Jr.But for the most part, the rosters are set in terms of returners.
This is the first full offseason of transfer portal recruiting combined with the one-time transfer exception and the new rule that allows players to profit off of their name, image, and likeness, providing a bit of chaos in roster building.
The next major offseason deadline is June 1, when a player must decide to stay in the NBA Draft or return to school. The Illini will closely monitor that deadline in terms of who elects to return to potentially add another wave to the transfer portal.
“We’d be foolish if we didn’t,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said this week when asked if he’d monitor that deadline. “That’s an important time. We know there are 300-plus guys in the draft this year. There’s 60 spots. You’ve got to understand there’s going to be a multitude of guys going through the process and then they’re going to pull out. We’ll see what their portal availability is and what they’ve done. We’ll do the best we can to be making those calls when they happen.”
Let’s take a look at the roster as Illinois approaches the home stretch of roster building. Illinois has three open scholarships, though Underwood has indicated an interest in leaving one or two scholarships open for potential mid-season transfers.
The departures
Andre Curbelo, G, Jr., transferred to St. John’s
Curbelo was a star as a freshman, earning the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year, but struggled as a sophom*ore after missing two months due to lingering effects of a concussion. The dazzling guard never seemed to find his footing before entering the portal.
Omar Payne, F/C, Sr.,transferred toJacksonville
Illinois landed Payne, a former top-50 player in the Class of 2019, as a transfer from Florida last offseason. Payne played behind star Kofi co*ckburn and struggled to stay out of foul trouble.
Brandin Podziemski, G, So.,transferred toSanta Clara
Podziemski was Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin following the 2020 high school season but was behind more veteran options on the Illini depth chart. He played sparingly last season but scored seven points against Missouri and five against Northwestern.
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, F/C, RsJr., Undecided
Bosmans-Verdonk had largely been a reserve big man but consistently played hardwith strong defense when he did get in the game, which made up for his limited offensive game. He played well at home against Purdue, particularly defensively against the combination of Zach Edey and Trevion Williams.
Trent Frazier, G, Sr.
Frazier will go down as an all-time fan favorite at Illinois. The guard exhausted his eligibility after five years of helping to lift the program out of the Big Ten’s basem*nts. He was the point guard last season and one of the team’s best defenders. He had a knack for going on heaters and turned into the team’s closer in place of Ayo Dosunmu.
Da’Monte Williams, G/F, Sr.
Williams was the jack-of-all trades for the Illini for the last five seasons, earning plenty of praise as the team’s “glue guy.” He was one of the top defenders on the team and an important part of Illinois’ success over the last five seasons. He exhausted his eligibility after taking advantage of the bonus year.
Alfonso Plummer, G, Sr.
Illinois jumped into the transfer portal last season to land Plummer from Utah and the sharp-shooting guard delivered with 98 made 3-pointers, good for third all-time in program history. Plummer had one season of eligibility left when transferring and helped the Illini win a share of the Big Ten championship.
Kofi co*ckburn, C, Jr.
co*ckburn declared for the NBA Draft for a third time, meaning he vacated his remaining eligibility. He’ll go down as one of the all-time greats at Illinois — and likely the best big man in program history — with his jersey soon to be raised to the rafters. co*ckburn was a two-time All-American. Illinois will play differently without the 7-foot, 300-pound big man in the middle.
NOTE: Jacob Grandison and Austin Hutcherson have declared for the NBA Draft but have not announced their intentions beyond that. Both have an additional year of eligibility.
The returners
Coleman Hawkins, F/C, Jr.
Last season’s stats: Hawkins played in 33 games and started 14 of them, averaging 19.0 minutes. He shot 44.2 percent from the field, 29.2 percent on 3-pointers and averaged 5.9 points with 4.3 rebounds.
Comment: Hawkins was one of the best players on the team late lastseason after a mid-year lull. His length and athleticism give Illinois a different dynamic, and he showed he can be a top defender in the league. Hawkins played great defense early in the year against Ron Harper Jr. and against Keegan Murray in the Big Ten-clinching win against Iowa. He should be more of a factor onoffense next season due to his physical skills, passing ability, basketball intellect and ability to stretch the floor, but he could be one of the elite defenders in the Big Ten given his length, athleticism and versatility.
RJ Melendez, G/F, So.
Last season’s stats: Melendez played in 22 games last season and started one, averaging 8.5 minutes. He shot 56.9 percent from the field and 60 percent on 3-pointers while averaging 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds.
Comment: Melendez was buried in the rotation behind more experienced players but really came on strong late in the year, averaging 10.7 points during a three-game stretch from Feb. 8-16 and closed out the year with nine points and three assists in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Houston. Melendez is the kind of long, skilled, athletic wing that Underwood and his coaching staff covet. Melendez has spent the spring working on his ball-handling and should be in line for a sizable role increase and a potential breakout year.
Luke Goode, G/F, So.
Last season’s stats: Goode played in 28 games, averaging 8.9 minutes as a true freshman. He shot 32.7 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from 3-point land, averaging 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Comment: Goode showed he’s not afraid to step into big shots but will likely be asked to do more next season beyond being a spot-up shooter (43 of his 55 shot attempts were 3-pointers). He’s a tall, long shooter who is adding strength and has plenty of leadership ability and trust from the coaching staff. Should Grandison not elect to return for an additional year, Goode could step into a similar role that blends a bit of facilitating and shooting. Goode is a solid team defender who gets after it on the glass.
Dain Dainja, F/C, So.
Last season’s stats:Dainja played in three games at Baylor before transferring for nine total minutes and six total points with three total rebounds.
Comment:Entering his third collegiate season, Dainja is still an unproven prospect. He redshirted as a true freshman at Baylor and joined Illinois as a mid-year transfer. Underwood has been excited about Dainja’s skillset -- which includes plus passing and dribbling from the post -- and versatility while cautiously noting the big man hasn’t played a game at Illinois and barely played at the college level. Illinois will likely still utilize the transfer portal in pursuit of more front-court depth, but as it stands now Dainja is in line for the first major workload of his college career.
Brandon Lieb, C, Jr.
Last season’s stats:Lieb played in 24 minutes over 10 games last season, almost entirely at the end of lopsided games, and scored eight points with seven rebounds.
Comment:Lieb has made major strides physically but still likely will not be counted on in the post rotation. He’s listed at 7-feet, 220 pounds and can step out a bit and shoot. He's added 20-25 pounds during the last year but still is thin for his position.Lieb has stuck with the process and the staff has praised him for his work ethic and commitment. After Payne and Bosmans-Verdonk left, he has a chance to carve out a role as a third big man who can get limited minutes.Still, expect him to be low on the depth chart as he enters his third collegiate season.
The freshmen
Skyy Clark, G
247Sports Composite Ranking: 29
Comment: Clark is the most recent addition to the Class of 2022 and signed with Illinois after being granted a release from his National Letter of Intent at Kentucky. He’s recovering from an ACL injury but Underwood expects the freshman will be good to go by the time he returns to campus and Clark should be a candidate to start immediately at Illinois. He’s the highest-rated player in the recruiting class, which ranks No. 9 nationally.
Jayden Epps, G
247Sports Composite Ranking: 68
Comment: Epps is the top-ranked player in the state of North Carolina and is a walking bucket-getter. He’ll likely compete for a starting spot (depending on how the roster shakes out) but is a virtual lock to be a major player in the rotation from the time he steps on campus. Illinois could still add a backcourt piece but Underwood seems comfortable turning the keys over to the freshmen guards.
Ty Rodgers, F
247Sports Composite Ranking: 51
Comment: Rodgers looks physically ready to play in college right now at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds. He’s a do-it-all player who can pass, rebound and defend. He still needs to polish his scoring game, particularly shooting, but think of a bigger version of Da'Monte Williams. According to MaxPreps, Rodgers averaged 15.3 points, 13.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.9 blocks for Thornton last season.
Sencire Harris, G
247Sports Composite Ranking: 110
Comment: Harris is an in-your-face defender with a fierce competitive streak. At 6-foot-5, 160 pounds he’s long and athletic and led St. Vincent-St. Mary to a state championship last season. He was Cleveland.com’s player of the year, averaging 20.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.8 steals. He might need to add a bit of weight when he arrives on campus but should fit right into the culture Underwood has helped foster at Illinois.
The additions
Terrence Shannon Jr., G/F, Sr., Texas Tech
Last season’s stats: Shannon averaged 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Texas Tech last season while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent on 3-pointers.
Comment: Shannon appears to be a perfect fit for this Illinois roster as a long, athletic wing who can shoot and get out in transition. Underwood was patient for Shannon — both in the portal and in the big picture after recruiting him out of high school — and Shannon should be a key contributor for this Illinois team. He can play alongside any of the freshmen guards, Melendez, Hawkins and Dainja.
