Rising sophomore forward Amani Hansberry has decided to enter the transfer portal, he announced on Tuesday morning via X. The 6-foot-8 forward played 19 games for the Illini as a freshman and averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.
The big man was stuck behind Coleman Hawkins, Dain Dainja and Quincy Guerrier in head coach Brad Underwood’s rotation for most of the year and did not play many meaningful minutes. While playing time figured to open up in the upcoming season, Hansberry’s decision does not come as a surprise. Assistant coach Chester Frazier, who recruited Hansberry as a fellow Baltimore native to play in Champaign, recently left Illinois for West Virginia, according to sources close to the program.
Hansberry was the 2023 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and a four-star recruit coming into Illinois. While he had limited minutes in his short tenure with the Illini, Hansberry proved to be a capable three-point shooter for a big man, especially in the Elite Eight, where he knocked down two triples.
He joins Dainja and Sencire Harris as the third Illini to enter the portal this offseason, with Illinois now needing to replace seven of their top ten minute-earners from last year. Head coach Brad Underwood now has just two players taller than 6-foot-7 on his roster, giving Illinois something to look for as they continue to bring players in from other programs.
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