Top ten most painful Illinois basketball transfer portal departures of all time.
While it is amplified in today’s game, the transfer portal has always had its hold on the Illinois basketball team.
Every college sports program, including the Illinois basketball team, is affected by the transfer portal.
While the Illini have had a wild offseason, with four players entering the transfer portal, this is not new to the program. Transfers have hampered Illinois for years.
However, some transfers have a different impact. While losing any player to the transfer portal is never enjoyable, some are more significant than others.
The following are the top 10 most painful Illinois basketball transfer portal departures of all time. Awvee Storey.
The 1990s were an unusual time for the Illinois basketball program. The team was undergoing changes, but we were still able to recruit some talented players. Awvee Storey was one of the best players the program was able to recruit.
Storey, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 222 pounds, began his high school career at Proviso West in Illinois before finishing his senior year at New Hampton Prep. With New Hampton, he averaged 30 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Illinois was able to bring Storey into the program for the 1997-98 season. The Illini finished 23-10 overall and 13-3 in the Big Ten, advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Storey also had a solid freshman season, averaging 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
Following his freshman season, Storey entered the transfer market. He ultimately decided on Arizona State as his destination. In his three seasons with the Sun Devils, Storey averaged 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
Storey went on to play three seasons in the NBA and is currently working for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA.
Could you imagine the early 2000s teams with a winger like Storey? We were an Elite 8 program at the time, so who knows how far he could have helped us go.
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