Illinois sophomore guard Alan Griffin is entering the transfer portal, he announced Tuesday on Twitter.
His departure leaves a significant void for coach Brad Underwood. Griffin led the Illini in 3-point shooting at 41.6% and ranked fifth scoring at 8.9 points per game.
He came off the bench in all but one of 28 games he played this season, but his playing time increased from 8.1 minutes per game as a freshman to 18.1 minutes.
“Illini nation, I first want to start off by saying thank you and welcoming me with open arms and supporting me through the years,” a post on Griffin’s Twitter account read. “I also want to thank the university, my teammates, the coaching staff, and all of the staff. After careful thought and consideration, I have decided to enter my name in the transfer portal.
“I wish all of the upcoming and current players and the coaching staff best of luck next season. Please respect my decision.”
Griffin displayed a hot hand in a few games this season. In a late-February victory at Northwestern, he hit 9 of 11 field goals, including 6 of 8 3-pointers, to score a career high 24 points.
The son of former Bulls guard and assistant coach Adrian Griffin, who is now an assistant with the Raptors, Alan Griffin was a three-star recruit out of New York.
“He adds another dimension,” Underwood said after Illinois beat Northwestern. “Alan’s becoming a really nice Big Ten basketball player. (He is) light years (better) on the defensive end.”
Like most college basketball teams, No. 21 Illinois’ season ended early after the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments were called off because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
Griffin was expected to be a key player for the 2020-21 Illini after the loss of guard Andres Feliz to graduation. Sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu, the team’s leading scorer, is weighing a decision about leaving early to enter the NBA draft.
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