Illinois might have found an unexpected contributor this offseason.

According to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, former transfer guard Austin Hutcherson has been standing out during Illinois’ offseason.

He transferred to Illinois from Wesleyan (Division III) before the 2019-20 season, but has sat out the last two years due to NCAA rules and a back injury.

While at Wesleyan, Hutcherson was a big contributor. He averaged 20 points per game and also led the team in 3-point percentage, assists and steals. He was also second on his squad in rebounds with 5.6 per contest.

Hutcherson has tremendous size for the guard position at 6-foot-6 and could really help the Illini this season. Andre Curbelo is back for another year, but Illinois will be trying to replace both Ayo Dosunmu and Adam Miller.

Illinois also got a boost earlier this summer when center Kofi Cockburn announced he will return for another season for the Illini. He considered multiple other avenues this offseason, including starting a professional career or transferring to another program.

Hutcherson and the Illini will try for their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this season.