Illinois Basketball Suffers First Transfer Portal Entry of the Offseason

Fresh off of a round of 32 exit in the 2025 NCAA tournament, Illinois basketball has now fully shifted into the offseason mode. The transfer portal opened on Monday, March 24th, and the Illini is looking to reload it in a major way. On top of trying to recruit transfers from other schools, Illinois basketball is bound to have its share of exits from its current roster. Their first subtraction of the offseason is 6 foot 10 forward, Carey Booth, who is in the transfer portal per Sam Kayser of 24/7 Hoops and League Ready.

Booth’s decision is no surprise to anyone and we fully expect some more attrition from Illinois basketball.

#Illinois vs Kentucky postgame: #Illini forward Carey Booth pic.twitter.com/FgGCSWjLiY

— Sahil Mittal (@sahil_mittal24) March 24, 2025

Recapping Booth’s time in Champaign

Booth was considered a strong addition at this time last year. He is a former top-60 recruit out of high school and started games as a true freshman for Notre Dame. Though that team was not very good, and Booth’s efficiency was not all that great, he showed measurables and an intriguing skillset. Many expected Booth to be a rim-running athlete with solid pick-and-pop skills. Unfortunately, that never panned out as Carey Booth barely saw the floor, even when Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr. were battling injuries.

He never quite made the defensive impact that was expected of him and did not bring much on the glass. Booth ended the season averaging 1.2 ppg in 5.1 minutes per game.

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