Illinois Basketball In Contact With High-Level Shooter in Transfer Portal

Brad Underwood and his staff have reached out Valparaiso guard All Wright - who was named the MVC Rookie of The Year

Mar 8, 2025; St. Louis, MO, Valparaiso Beacons guard All Wright (3) reacts after scoring during the first half against the Bradley Braves at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

After getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday evening, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and his staff have wasted no time looking ahead, and in fact have already begun reaching out to potential transfer portal targets. 

With his Illini knocking down just 31.3 percent from long distance as a team this season, Underwood has turned to the portal with one thing in mind: Shooting. 

And it seems Illinois appears to be high on Valparaiso transfer guard All Wright’s ability to do just that. While Wright certainly brings more than shooting to the table, the freshman guard – who was named the Missouri Valley Conference Rookie of The Year – was a dead-eye from beyond the arc, connecting on 38.3 percent of his triples, and hitting 2.0 per game. 

Valpo transfer guard All Wright has received interest from the following schools since entering the portal, per his agent @DanielPoneman:

South Carolina
Florida State
Butler
Richmond
Kansas State
Loyola-Chicago
Mississippi State
Illinois
St. Louis
Kansas
Boise State
DePaul… https://t.co/y9gCWV8Bgo

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 24, 2025

In his first year of collegiate basketball, Wright poured in 15.5 points per game, grabbed 2.2 boards per contest, and dished out 2.4 assists per game. 

With the likely departure of Kasparas Jakucionis, and potentially Will Riley and even Tomislav Ivisic, the Illini may be in-line to lose all three of their top scorers, and Underwood seems to view Wright as a possible option to fill that void. 

Nonetheless, to obtain the talents of Wright, Illinois would have to beat out a heavy mix of programs, as 20 other reported schools have reached out to the 6-foot-3 guard, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Social Media Heats Up After Kentucky's Round of 32 Win Against Illinois

Slipped Away: Illinois' Season Ends in NCAA Tournament Loss to Kentucky

Why Illinois Basketball's Season Fell Short - And What's Next