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Illinois basketball picks up commitment from veteran contributor out of Baylor
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Illinois has lost some key pieces to the transfer portal and the NBA Draft this offseason. Fortunately, head coach Brad Underwood is doing his best to replace those pieces on the recruiting trail and through the portal.
On Friday, Underwood struck again, this time pulling a versatile and veteran contributor out of Baylor. The Illini landed a commitment from Matthew Mayer, a 4-year player for the Bears who started more than 30 games during the 2021-22 season.
Mayer revealed his commitment on Instagram:
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Mayer averaged 9.8 points, 5 rebounds, an assist and 1.2 steals per game last season as the Bears landed another No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Mayer was a key piece off the bench for Baylor’s national championship squad in 2021.
Mayer joins a 3-man group of incoming transfers to the Illini that includes Terrance Shannon out of Texas Tech and Dain Dainja out of Baylor. Mayer and Shannon were both given 4-star transfer rankings by 247 Sports.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.