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The Illini picked up another versatile wing when Jacob Grandison announced that he will be transferring to Illinois via Instagram on Sunday morning.
The 6’6” player is a jack-of-all-trades swingman from Holy Cross who averaged 13.9 points, 2.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2018-19. Grandison was leaned on to be a main scorer for Holy Cross which caused a bit of inefficiency from the field (42.9% on FG). However, if Grandison is deployed in more of a complementary role with the Illini, he’s showed that he can be counted on as a respectable three-point shooter, shooting 36.5% from three last year.
Grandison has also showed a willingness to compete on the defensive end, averaging just over a steal per game. Coach Brad Underwood hopes that Grandison will bring that same fire to Champaign as it looks like the Holy Cross transfer has a body that will be able to hold up in the Big Ten. Regardless, he will have another year to build muscle as he will be sitting out this coming season per NCAA transfer policy unless he is granted a waiver.
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It is interesting to see how Underwood is constructing his roster for the coming years. He’s been prioritizing length and experience, adding Grandison as well as 6’6” transfer Austin Hutcherson from Wesleyan University. Both provide Illinois with positional versatility and outside shooting that can help spread the floor. At worst, the two transfers will be competitive practice bodies this year to challenge Ayo Dosunmu and the rest of the roster.