How a roster changes in a month (2024)

Illinois returned to Champaign from Omaha, Neb., on March 24 with the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance secured in nearly two decades. In the 30 days since, Illini coach Brad Underwood has started to remake essentially his entire roster. Beat writer Scott Richey has the timeline of events so far during a busy stretch:

March 30

Not long after Illinois got blitzed by eventual NCAA champions Connecticut, Coleman Hawkins was ready to call it an Illini career. That he thought the Elite Eight loss was his “last game in an Illinois uniform,” which put him in the same boat as Terrence Shannon Jr., Quincy Guerrier and Justin Harmon as their college careers concluded. On Tuesday, Hawkins wrote in a social media post that he is “100 percent set on the 2024 NBA draft,” so barring a last-minute change, it appears Hawkins’ time with the Illini has ended.

April 1

Illinois wasted little time in adding to its 2024-25 roster with a commitment from Mercer freshman Jake Davis just two days after the 2023-24 season ended. The McCordsville, Ind., native started 25 of 33 games for the Bears and averaged nine points and 4.5 rebounds as a 42/39/85 shooter. He’s also the state of Indiana’s all-time charges taken leader. Major points from Underwood on that front. That Davis will arrive in Champaign with three years of eligibility was the start of a trend for Illinois’ portal newcomers.

April 1

The same day Illinois officially secured a commitment from Davis, Dain Dainja announced his intent to transfer. The 6-foot-9 big man came through in a pair of postseason games, helping the Illini beat Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament and Morehead State in the NCAA tournament, but his playing time was essentially cut in half during the 2023-24 season with Illinois opting for a five-out approach. Dainja wasn’t in the portal long, though, committing to Memphis on April 5.

April 8

Illinois’ portal activity didn’t just have an effect on its current roster (keep reading). Class of 2024 guard Jase Butler (left) saw the writing on the wall, too, and asked for and received a release from his National Letter of Intent. The 6-4 guard out of The Branson School (Calif.) skyrocketed up the recruiting rankings in the last year to four-star status and had several high-profile suitors after decommitting from the Illini, whom he’ll face next season after Butler committed to Washington on Tuesday.

April 10

Recruiting Tre White (left) out of high school paid off for Illinois three years later. The Dallas native picked USC as a four-star prospect in the Class of 2022 and earned All-Pac-12 Freshman Team honors for the Trojans. His pitstop last season at Louisville might have been ill-advised given how unstable that program was in the Kenny Payne era, but it did put him back on the market this spring. The Illini pounced on the athletic 6-7 wing, who has 55 starts at the high-major level under his belt and two remaining years of eligibility.

April 14

The pitch to Kylan Boswell (left) was simple. The 6-2 guard was looking to reset his career after two seasons at Arizona, and Illinois offered both that opportunity (where he’ll have the ball in his hands running the offense) and a chance to come home. The Champaign native was an Urbana Middle School star, and the Illini are hoping he can fully tap into the potential that made him a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022. That he didn’t turn 19 until last week portends continued room for growth and development.

April 15

Sencire Harris (left) deked the Illinois fan base a week earlier when he dropped a nearly six-minute video on social media of his highlights from the 2023-24 season. Highlights that all happened at Ubben Basketball Complex given Harris’ decision just before the season started that he would take a redshirt year. A not insignificant number of fans thought that it was an “I’m back” post. It wasn’t. Harris chose to transfer instead and committed to West Virginia on Sunday, following Chester Frazier to the Big 12.

April 16

Underwood maintained that Amani Hansberry (left) would have been in line for a bigger role during the 2023-24 season had the freshman forward not dealt with lingering back spasms that cost him 10 games during the heart of Big Ten play. Now, we’ll never know if Hansberry would have made good on that potential in Champaign. The Illinois coaching staff’s approach in the transfer portal made it clear that frontcourt players were a priority. Hansberry opted to hit the portal himself and he also committed to West Virginia on Sunday.

April 16

Carey Booth spent his official visit weekend in Champaign at the same time as Boswell. Not a bad move from the Illinois coaching staff given Booth’s commitment just three days after Boswell’s and how many pick-and-pop scenarios those two might run in the 2024-25 season. Booth’s freshman season at Notre Dame might not have been the most efficient — he shot 39 percent overall and 30 percent from three-point range — but the 6-10 forward has the stretch-big potential the Illini were hunting in the transfer portal.

April 17

Underwood confirmed the news that Frazier (left) was leaving Champaign for Morgantown, W.Va. — and would be associate head coach at West Virginia — a day before new Mountaineers coach Darian DeVries officially did. It was a move that had been rumored for nearly a week, and it was a move that could help the former Illinois guard get closer to his goal of running his own program after three seasons with the Illini, two at Virginia Tech as associate head coach and seven at Kansas State working for Bruce Weber.

April 21

Orlando Antigua (left) was one of the first hires Underwood made when he got the Illinois job in March 2017. Antigua’s reputation as an elite recruiter — mostly with his efforts at Kentucky — preceded him, and then he lived up to them in the early stages of the Illini’s rebuild by helping land guys like Andres Feliz, Kofi co*ckburn and Andre Curbelo. Now that the rebuild is well in the rear view, Underwood is counting on Antigua to continue to bring talent to Illinois after moving quickly to bring him back to Champaign for a second stint.

April 22

Illinois is down to three returning scholarship players following Monday’s decision by Luke Goode (left) to enter the transfer portal. Goode is coming off the most productive season of his career and will have value in the portal as a career 39 percent three-point shooter. Value that’s piqued Indiana’s interest given Goode, a Fort Wayne, Ind., native will reportedly visit the Hoosiers this Thursday and Friday.