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18 hours ago
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The transfer portal has become an increasingly significant part of college sports seasons, more so than ever before. In fact, if a program doesn’t have a successful portal season, it’s likely that the upcoming season will be a challenging one. On the other hand, a strong portal season suggests that the immediate future is promising.
Now more than ever, players are entering the portal in search of better financial opportunities, improved chances for success, or simply a fresh start with a new program. By day two of the portal window, 1,200 college basketball players had already entered.
Illinois and head coach Brad Underwood have seen their share of players leave for the portal, so for them, the focus is on restocking the roster. With Tre White and Morez Johnson opting to explore other options, the Fighting Illini will need to find players to replace them. Following the team's loss to Kentucky, Underwood shared his thoughts:
“Our program is in great shape," Underwood said. "We've got great leadership and facilities. We’ve got the ability to continue bringing in players. We sell out every night. We have the best fan base out there. We came up short today, but we’ll be back. We’re not going anywhere.”
Big man Tomislav Ivisic, who has the potential to enter the NBA draft, seems likely to return to Champaign after his comments following the final game of the season.
“It was a great experience, I really liked it here... We’ll come back,” Ivisic told the media.
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Ivisic’s return to Illinois is further solidified with the latest Illini commitment. Arkansas transfer Zvonimir Ivisic, Tomislav’s brother, is joining the team in Champaign for at least one year. The former Razorback has followed head coach John Calipari throughout his career, but with his brother coming to the U.S. to play college basketball, the desire to play together has led him to Illinois.
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