The transfer portal has enabled players to be more mobile, and the Illinois basketball program has been at the forefront of the new era.
Brad Underwood has done a great job adapting to the changes. That doesn't mean the Illini are immune to feeling the wrath of the transfer portal, though.
There have been plenty of transfers, but some of the transfers hurt more than others. There are some players who have transferred to less-than-savory teams from Illinois.
Here are the Illinois basketball players who sadly transferred to the dark side under Brad Underwood
5. Amani Hansberry – West Virginia
You could see the potential of Amani Hansberry as a freshman at Illinois. The former four-star recruit had the talent, but he just didn't have the time to wait and develop.
Hansberry only played 19 games in Champaign before departing for the transfer portal. This wouldn't have been a huge deal if it weren't for the reason for his landing spot.
Illinois assistant coach Chester Frazier departed the program after the 2023-24 season, and he signed on with West Virginia. Hansberry did the same, signing with the Mountaineers after his lone season with the Illini.
Underwood did just fine without the duo, who ended up heading to Virginia Tech a year later. This was a sad departure, though. Hansberry could have been a good player at Illinois, but he followed one of our coaches to greener pastures.
4. Mark Smith – Missouri
I thought Illinois had a good one when we landed rising four-star Mark Smith. He shot up the recruiting rankings, finishing as a four-star and the No. 87 player in the class of 2017.
Underwood was a month into the job, and this was supposed to be the start of something special. After a year, the marriage ended, though.
Smith couldn't handle Underwood's coaching, and he departed the program. There could have been plenty of landing spots for him, but at the time, Missouri was one of the biggest recruiting rivals for Illinois. That ended up being the landing spot for Smith.
In five years, Smith played for Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas State. He averaged 9.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in college. While it was sad to see Smith bow out so early at Illinois, there was no love lost, as he got what he wanted in a mediocre career.
3. Adam Miller – LSU
Illinois has had numerous players transfer out of the program. We have only had a handful of players who went to programs that I consider the dark side. And then you have Adam Miller.
Miller was an Illinois darling. He was a Mr. Basketball for the state, and then he picked the Orange and Blue as his landing spot. The future was set with Miller on the roster.
Illinois entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed with Miller starting. He was going to be the lead dog on the team the following season. Instead, Miller shockingly hit the transfer portal.
Will Wade convinced Miller to depart Illinois, and it has all been downhill from there. Miller instantly got injured. He played the following season with the Tigers. He has now transferred three times and is entering his sixth season in college. There was so much potential for Miller at Illinois, but he went to one of the grossest coaches in the college game.
2. Luke Goode – Indiana
The only player on this list who is still liked by this Illinois fan is Luke Goode. He was a four-star recruit coming out of Fort Wayne, and we had never landed a player from this area of Indiana.
Goode was solid for the Illini, and he was a hustle player. He wasn't a star by any means, but he was a fan-favorite for the program. Goode spent three seasons with Illinois, starting just seven games.
After his third year, he hit the transfer portal. The landing spot was painful. He went back home and committed to Indiana.
Seeing Goode in those candy-striped pants was vomit-inducing. While it was a horrible sight for Illinois fans, we did dominate the Hoosiers in the lone game that season. Illinois beat Indiana, 94-69, while Goode had a good 13-point outing.
1. Morez Johnson Jr – Michigan
I thought Morez Johnson Jr. was going to be with the Orange and Blue until his time in college was done. Boy howdy, was I wrong.
Johnson was committed to Illinois for a couple of years, and he suited up for us as a freshman. His talent was evident, averaging 7.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in year one. I thought this was the start of something special.
Illinois received shocking news after the 2024-25 season, as Johnson entered the transfer portal. The in-state talent departed the program, and he landed in one of the worst spots possible, Michigan.
The icing on the cake for the painful transfer of Johnson was the fact that Illinois made the Final Four, but we fell short, while Johnson and Michigan won the national championship.
Johnson went to a Big Ten rival and succeeded. That was so disappointing.
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This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as Illinois basketball players who sadly transferred to the dark side under Brad Underwood.