College basketball transfer portal chock full of area players

The transfer portal dominates the college basketball conversation for roughly two months in the spring.

Each year, the portal is littered with former Illinois high school basketball stars. Once again, there are dozens moving on from their previous college stop in search of a better or different opportunity.

Here are some of the best Illinois products in the transfer portal who are currently being courted by college coaches throughout the country.

Rashaun Agee, Bogan (Bowling Green)

The All-MAC second-team selection has improved each year of his career. The 6-7 Agee, who has already visited San Diego State, averaged 13.3 points and 9.9 rebounds a game this past season.

Update: Committed to USC. (April 22)

Xavier Amos, Whitney Young (Northern Illinois)

A non-factor as a freshman, the 6-8 Amos burst on the scene this past season as a sophomore for the Huskies. He’s one of the more coveted players in the portal. Amos put up 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game while shooting 38% from the 3-point line (40 of 104) and has two years of eligibility remaining.

Robbie Avila, Oak Forest (Indiana State)

The 6-10 Avila emerged as a major figure in college basketball as a result of his game, unique style and production. His whopping numbers for a team that reached the championship game of the NIT have high-major programs lining up for his services. He averaged 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and over four assists per game. For good measure he’s a big man who can space the floor, dropping in 61 three-pointers this past season.

Update: Avila committed to St. Louis

NJ Benson, Mt. Vernon (Missouri State)

The 6-8, 230-pound multifaceted big man is headed to DePaul. He really came on late this past season as a sophomore at Missouri State, averaging 11.9 points and 10.3 rebounds a game over his final nine games.

Tyler Cochran, Bolingbrook (Toledo)

The big-bodied guard will bring a ton of experience to his final college stop. He started 68 games in his career and has been a steady double-figure scorer at Northern Illinois, Ball State and Toledo. He averaged 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds this past season at Toledo.

Conor Enright, Mundelein (Drake)

The point guard who helped Drake to the NCAA Tournament this past season entered the portal when coach Darren DeVries left Drake for West Virginia. Now he’s coming home to play at DePaul.

The numbers aren’t huge — Enright averaged 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game — but he’s a perfect culture fit for first-year Blue Demons coach Chris Holtmann with his toughness and competitive spirit.

TY Johnson, DePaul Prep (UC-Davis)

The high-scoring guard will be heading to his third school after one season at Loyola and the last two at UC-Davis. The All-Big West second team selection put up 17.8 points and 3.3 assists a game this past season.

Update: Announced on April 17, “I will be declaring for the NBA draft while maintaining my eligibility. Excited for the process and ready for the journey.”

CJ Jones, East St. Louis (UIC)

The 6-5 guard has two years of eligibility remaining after starting the past two seasons at UIC. This past year as a sophomore he averaged 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game for the Flames.

Update: Jones committed to Kansas State (April 15)

Jayson Kent, Oak Forest (Indiana State)

Kent spent four years in the Missouri Valley Conference — two years at Bradley and two at Indiana State. The versatile 6-7 Kent played his best basketball at the end of the season while the Sycamores made their NIT run. He finished the year averaging 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds a game and is now a hot commodity in the portal among high-major programs.

Update: Kent committed to Texas (April 17)

Dante Maddox, Bloom (Toledo)

One of the bigger names in the portal, the 6-2 guard spent two years at Cal-State Fullerton and the past two seasons at Toledo. He’s already scored over 1,200 career points and is coming off a season in which he averaged 15.6 points a game as a three-point marksman. Maddox made 136 three-pointers the past two seasons.

Update: Maddox committed to Xavier (April 18)

Isaiah Rivera, Geneseo (UIC)

Following three seasons at Colorado State, the 6-5 Rivera spent this past season at UIC where he put up some impressive numbers: 15.4 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. Rivera has committed and will play his final season at DePaul.

Jaden Schutt, Yorkville Christian (Duke)

The former prep star and prolific scorer won a state title and was the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. But he played in just 14 games as a freshman at Duke and then redshirted this past season following an ACL injury. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Keshawn Williams, Bloom (Northern Illinois)

The electric 6-3 guard began his career at Tulsa. He transferred and immediately put up significant numbers over a two-year stretch at NIU, averaging 16.3 points as a sophomore and then 17.9 points in 15 games as a junior. But injuries have derailed Williams. He tore his ACL midway through his junior season and played in just one game this past year.