
Morez Is Gone - What's Next For the Illini?
By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
March 30, 2025
(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Of all of the players who may opt to leave the Illinois basketball program this spring, the abrupt departure of Morez Johnson Jr. stings the most.
Illini Nation has been waiting since Christmas 2021 for the Chicago teen to arrive on campus. He committed during his sophomore season at St. Rita and continued to develop into an interior beast on both ends. Johnson was known for his athleticism and agility, playing with a passion that would land him as Illinois' Mr. Basketball last season.