Former Illinois four-star recruit enters the transfer portal

Fresh off an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, roster turnover has already begun for the Illinois Fighting Illini and head coach Brad Underwood.

Former four-star recruit and star point guard Andre Curbelo has entered the transfer portal, he announced via Twitter on Monday afternoon. Spending the past two seasons with the Fighting Illini, Curbelo only started in four games throughout his career and will now be looking for a new home.

“Illini Nation… Where do I begin? These past two years have been insane. So many amazing moments and some hard times that we had to battle through. I am so thankful I could be part of this program. Without my teammates and staff, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish the all of that things that I did personally and that WE did collectively. I’m thankful I was part of two amazing teams here at the University of Illinois and for the relationships I have made. I’m thankful for all the support from The Orange Krush, you were my energy and the reason I never stopped pushing. Unfortunately, my time here at the UIUC has come to an end and I have decided to enter the transfer portal. Belo OUT.”

Curbelo only played in 19 games this season for the Fighting Illini. There were a lot of ups and down from a scoring perspective. For example, he was able to put 20 past the Purdue Boilermakers, shooting just over 50% in the upset win. However, there were also moments where Curbelo would go missing, like against the Houston Cougars in the Round of 32 with zero points.

Coming out of high school, the On3 Consensus ranked Curbelo as the No. 36 overall prospect of the 2020 class. He was the top player from the state of New York and stacked up as the No. 9 point guard in the country.

Curbelo was down to two schools before making his commitment, choosing Illinois over the Miami Hurricanes. Programs such as the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks were involved as well, with the hometown St. John’s Red Storm being there as well. Whether or not the point guard wants to move back closer to home or stay within the Big Ten conference is not yet known.

Whoever is able to land Curbelo out of the portal will be getting a point guard with a ton of potential still left in the tank. Some consistency will need to come if he can live up to the All-American hype for the beginning of this season.