Illinois Basketball makes top-four for former UCF guard

Per Joe Tipton of On3Sports, Illinois basketball has made the top four schools for UCF transfer guard Jaylin Sellers. Sellers is a 6 foot 4 guard who will be seeking a new home for his fifth year of college basketball. Along with the Illini, Sellers is also looking at Georgetown, Cincinnati, and Providence. The transfer guard started his career at Ball State and played two years there before transferring to Central Florida prior to the 2023-2024 season. He was certainly impressive and averaged 15.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. This past year, Sellers only played in three games due to a lingering back injury. However, if he can return to the form he had during the 2023-2024 season, Sellers will be one of the top backcourt options in the transfer portal.

For Illinois basketball, Sellers is a strong fit for what they need.

UCF transfer guard Jaylin Sellers is down to four schools, source tells @On3sports:

Cincinnati, Georgetown, Illinois, Providence

The 6-4 senior appeared in only three games this season due to injury but averaged 15.9 PPG with UCF last season.https://t.co/5g2bGpe7Ah pic.twitter.com/T21S2AnuVs

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 30, 2025

Toughness, Age, and Experience.

Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley were unbelievable contributors to the Illini basketball program. Certainly, having two first-round picks brings national attention and credibility to the recruiting trail for Illinois. However, having such a young team as Illinois leads to vast inconsistencies and a boom-or-bust profile come March. Look at all the teams in the Elite Eight of this year’s NCAA tournament. They are led by older, experienced players who refuse to lose. For example, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. started his career at Iona and is continuously trying to prove that he belongs at the high-major level. He refused to let his team lose vs UCONN and vs Texas Tech.

Illinois basketball needs that kind of veteran leadership and moxxie. Sellers may be a tough evaluation, given that he missed a majority of last year; however, perhaps this would open up a door to two years of eligibility. Regardless, Illinois needs to pursue more players that are college basketball veterans with proven production.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We at Armchair Illini are proudly sponsored by Hamilton Walker’s Steak, Seafood, and Spirits. Located in the heart of downtown Champaign, there is certainly no better restaurant for Illini fans to visit. Order online here or call (217) 350-0363 to make a reservation.

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! Furthermore, subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.