Illinois once again dipped into the portal. With the roster for next season in a flux and the future of two backcourt starters unclear, Illinois added insurance and long-range shooting ability on Saturday in Utah transfer Alfonso Plummer.
Plummer chose Illinois from a final five that also included Florida, Georgia, Texas Tech and BYU. He joins Florida transfer big man Omar Payne, who has signed a tender of financial agreement with Illinois.
Plummer, who originally hails from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, played two years at Arizona Western Community College and was a JUCO All-American before joining the Utah program. He entered the transfer portal after Utah fired head coach Larry Krystkowiak.
Originally declaring his intention to enter the NBA Draft, Plummer locked in on returning to the college game and taking advantage of the extra season granted by the NCAA Covid rule.
Known primarily as a jump shooter, Plummer averaged 13.6 ppg, shooting 44% from the field and 38% from three-point range last season. He's streaky at times, but when he's knocking down 3's he can be difficult to contain.
He'll definitely add a scoring punch for the Illini, whether it's as a starter or coming off the bench. His exact role will depend heavily on the decisions of two Illinois starters who's careers are currently in limbo.
Senior guard Trent Frazier declared for the NBA Draft, while freshman Adam Miller, a former top recruit, entered the NCAA Transfer Portal following the season. Both players are rumored to be considering a return, but noting has been decided.
Regardless, Illinois coach Brad Underwood wanted to add another ball handler to compliment dynamic point guard Andre Curbelo, who like Plummer is a native of Puerto Rico. The two have a connection that could carry over to the court.
Whether or not Plummer can backup Curbelo at point guard is a question mark, though. He had just 25 total assists last season at Utah. The Illinois staff also likely debated if they wanted to add another small-ish guard to a rotation that already includes the 6-foot-1 Curbelo and possibly 6-foot-2 Frazier.
Still, you can never have too many shooters, and Illinois added a player in Plummer who led the Pac-12 in 3-pointers made per game. More than half of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc.
Plummer won't be the only newbie. The Illini roster could look very different that the one that won the Big Ten Tournament this past season and secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Besides Frazier and Miller, center Kofi Cockburn and wing Da'Monte Williams haven't made a decision on their futures. Cockburn is expected to declare for the NBA Draft, while Williams could forgo his extra year of eligibility.
They'll be an influx of newcomers, regardless. In addition to transfers Plummer and Payne, Illinois just capped off its 2021 recruiting class that includes wings Luke Goode, RJ Melendez, and Brandin Podziemski.
Should Frazier and Williams return, they would not count against the allotted 13 scholarship athletes.
