Illinois Basketball Adds Transfer to Fill Final Roster Spot: Who Is Quentin McCoy?

Just when you thought it was safe to turn off your college basketball transaction antennae, Illinois on Thursday filled its final open roster spot with Arizona State transfer and Chicago native Quentin McCoy.

Illini coach Brad Underwood's decision to fill out his roster this late in the offseason shouldn't really blow any minds, but the choice of which player he would use to address the last vacancy in the locker room might take some by surprise.

Who is new Illinois guard Quentin McCoy?

McCoy joined Arizona State in 2024, playing his first two seasons of college basketball with the Sun Devils. A former All-State honorable mention at Robert Lindblom Math & Science Academy on Chicago's south side, McCoy also played his AAU ball for Mac Irvin Fire.

Yet he was a fringe prospect coming out of high school, and after walking on at ASU, McCoy played in just nine games across his two seasons in Tempe, playing a combined total of seven minutes and squeezing off just one shot attempt. Listed by the Illini at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds (though the Sun Devils measured him at 6-foot-1 a year ago), McCoy lacks ideal size and isn't a monster athlete.

Given that Illinois has made a habit of globetrotting for some of the best available talent and is currently competing for five-star recruits here on the domestic front, McCoy's signing surely comes off to some as odd.

How Quentin McCoy will fit at Illinois

College basketball talent acquisition has grown exponentially weirder over the past few seasons, but there's actually nothing too mysterious about the McCoy signing.

With respect to McCoy, Underwood realistically wasn't going to sign a blue-ribbon recruit in August to fill his last 2026-27 roster spot. A combination of player availability and revenue limitations undoubtedly created a scenario where any new Illinois addition had to be the right guy – not necessarily a world-beater.

Remember Toni Bilic? Even a die-hard member of Illini Nation can be forgiven if they don't. Croatia's Bilic signed during the season last December and was basically never heard from by the public again before exiting the program in the offseason. But Bilic was a 6-foot-8 20-year-old with international pro experience who, at least in theory, gave Underwood another valuable practice player.

McCoy may stick around longer than Bilic, and he's more likely to resemble recently graduated AJ Redd in terms of his player profile and contributions to the team. If he's a good student, a solid citizen and a lunchpail practice player who gets on well with teammates in the locker room, he'll provide exactly what Underwood needs from the role.

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