Basketball

April 11th, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Utah Valley University Athletics)

There were some in Illini Nation who said 'who is this guy?' when former Chicagoan Justin Harmon gave his commitment Monday night to play his final season in Champaign.

Once again, IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy brings his nearly two decades of expertise and connections to breakdown Harmon's game and explain how he fits into Illinois' scheme next season and why he is such a valuable addition to the 2023-24 roster.

Sturdy posted this on the IlliniGuys message forums Monday evening.  For immediate access to all of our insiders' up-to-the-minute notes and updates, subscribe to IlliniGuys.com.   https://illiniguys.com/subscribe/

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 10, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Utah Valley University Athletics)

After being whisper quiet in the transfer portal since its season ended nearly four weeks ago, Illinois has opened the new week with a bang.  Head coach Brad Underwood accepted a commitment from Utah Valley transfer Justin Harmon Monday night, less than 12 hours after Southern Illinois veteran wing guard Marcus Domask pledged to come aboard. 

April 10, 2023

Who is Marcus Domask?  What kind of game does he bring?  And how does he fit in with the Illini next season with so many questions about the roster still to be answered?

IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy broke it all down in a report exclusively for IlliniGuys members this afternoon.  To read his insights and for the latest on the Illini's transfer portal dealings, be sure to subscribe today!  https://illiniguys.com/subscribe/

By IlliniGuys Staff 

April 10, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Southern Illinois University Athletics)

IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy has been covering Illini sports for nearly 20 years and ranks as one of the best sources of knowledge about the school's program.  And his information is never more valuable that at this time of year, as players - and schools - jockey to improve their prospects for next season through the transfer portal.

Some fans are getting restless as Illinois has yet to add anyone through the portal, but Sturdy gave this update to IlliniGuys members last night.

For access to this - and for real-time information as it is posted, subscribe to IlliniGuys.com.

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By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 6, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn)

As expected, the Illinois men's basketball team has lost three players to the transfer portal: guard Jayden Epps, forward RJ Melendez, and center Brandon Lieb.

With so many players entering the portal, some coaches around the country are trying to use that as a negative towards the Illinois program. But the reasons players transfer are all different and not always the fault of the school, program, or coaches. Some like different systems, others want to be closer to home or near family members with health issues.

Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn is a four-star commit to the Illini program who will be arriving on campus this summer.   I caught up with his dad Ben Gibbs for an exclusive interview, during which he described to me their relationship when it comes to his college career. 

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By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

April 4th, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Grand Canyon University Athletics)

(Note: this was posted on the IlliniGuys.com message forums Tuesday morning.  For instant access to the very latest Illini news, subscribe to IlliniGuys.com here: https://illiniguys.com/subscribe/

Happy Post National title game day.

It's a wild time for college athletics, and basketball is probably the craziest. There are roughly 4500 players on Division I basketball scholarships. Take out roughly 800 that are out of eligibility, then throw in a few NBA guys and you have 1,243 guys in the portal. That is over 1/3. And more are coming. Portal Kombat.

For high school kids, this is a wild time. First, they continue to lose opportunities to kids that are using 'COVID years'. Second, high majors aren't often taking 4 or 5 Freshmen, because they will transfer out anyway. What's crazy is the best way right now to build a program is to find a kid like Jayden Epps that has already gotten experience and has used his transfer, but still has 3 years of eligibility left

RJ Melendez, a 6-foot-7 wing who played 21.6 minutes […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting April […]

By Larry Smith - Host and Executive Producer, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

April 2, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy USA Today)

In a brilliant scheduling move by CBS last Sunday, the Eye network ran an in-depth piece on the loquacious and always entertaining Charles Barkley on "60 Minutes".  The former NBA All-Star makes more money now and raises more eyebrows - hard to believe - than he did during his playing days.  I've had the pleasure of knowing Charles personally for about 20 years; working alongside him at Turner Sports and even doing a long-form sit-down interview as part of a series I was working on at the time.

What makes him so special - and he said as much during this terrific segment done by former Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim and his excellent producer - is that he's honest.  He once told me that he doesn't do social media and doesn't have a public relations firm speaking for him.  He says what he thinks, whether it's right or wrong and regardless if you like it or not.