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Mar. 28—Even if Illinois were to return both Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr., a third big man would still be a critical piece for the 2025-26 roster. It won't be Carey Booth. Not with the little used forward entering the portal Thursday night. Jason Jakstys is also an unknown after redshirting the 2024-25 season.
So the Illini will likely dip into the portal for that third big. Per On3's Joe Tipton, Illinois had a Zoom with Santa Clara transfer Christoph Tilly on Thursday. Call him the player to be named later in the Brandin Podziemski transfer.
Tilly just wrapped up his third season — and second as a starter — with the Broncos and has one year of eligibility remaining. The 7-foot, 240-pound center averaged in scoring and rebounding this past season at 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He's averaging 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds for his career.
Pursuing Tilly fits with Illinois' growing preference for international players. The German-born Tilly played for Alba Berlin and LOK Bernau before moving to the U.S. to play at Santa Clara. He also represented Germany at both the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship and the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers.
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So the Illini will likely dip into the portal for that third big. Per On3's Joe Tipton, Illinois had a Zoom with Santa Clara transfer Christoph Tilly on Thursday. Call him the player to be named later in the Brandin Podziemski transfer.
Tilly just wrapped up his third season — and second as a starter — with the Broncos and has one year of eligibility remaining. The 7-foot, 240-pound center averaged in scoring and rebounding this past season at 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He's averaging 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds for his career.
Pursuing Tilly fits with Illinois' growing preference for international players. The German-born Tilly played for Alba Berlin and LOK Bernau before moving to the U.S. to play at Santa Clara. He also represented Germany at both the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship and the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers.
Continue reading...
