Illinois' frontcourt depth takes another hit
Mar. 31—CHAMPAIGN — Illinois took a flyer on Brandon Lieb in the summer of 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic was still in its formative months, in-person recruiting was far from the only item shut down and coaching staffs with available scholarships were hunting to fill out their rosters.
Lieb's recruitment increased dramatically in late spring and into early summer. The intrigue of his 7-foot frame and the 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks he averaged for a 20-win Deerfield team saw him go from a few low-major Division I offers at the end of his senior season to multiple high-major programs getting involved by mid-June.
Lieb ultimately went from a phone call with then-Illinois assistant coach Chin Coleman on a Monday in late June to a Tuesday offer, a Wednesday Zoom with the entire Illini staff and a Thursday commitment to Brad Underwood's program.
Three years later, Lieb is on his way out. The Illinois junior announced Thursday morning he was entering the transfer portal.
"Thank you Illinois for everything these past three years," Lieb's note to social media read. "I've made memories with my teammates that will last a lifetime. I am grateful to Coach Underwood and the entire staff for all the valuable lessons I have learned here.
"Thank you to my family for always supporting me through this process. With this being said, after careful consideration, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal. I am excited to get to work and start these next steps in my career."
Featured Local Savings
Lieb's decision to transfer makes him the third player from the 2022-23 Illinois team following that path. Freshman guard Skyy Clark left the team in January, entered the transfer portal the first week possible earlier this month and has since committed to Louisville. Fellow freshman guard Jayden Epps announced his entrance into the portal Tuesday. A fourth player, freshman forward Zacharie Perrin, left the team in February to return to France and pursue a pro career.
Lieb played sparingly in his three season at Illinois. He spent his first two years as a backup center behind All-American Kofi Cockburn. Limited playing time — just 15 games and 36 total minutes on the court — didn't send the Deerfield native into the portal after his sophomore year.
"People just want to find where's best," Lieb said last May. "I think that's here for me. Being here two years, I think I carved out a role I can have on this team next year.
"I think I've really kind of been molded that way growing up just believing that things will work out how they're supposed to if you put the work in and you stick with it. I know a lot of people get frustrated not playing at first, but in my mind, I'm thinking more long term, and that it will work out for me."
Lieb's role didn't change in the 2022-23 season, though. He appeared in more games — one more this past season, in fact, than he'd played in his career — but playing time was still sparse. Baylor transfer Dain Dainja eventually emerged as the team's starting center, and Coleman Hawkins assumed that role in name only in smaller lineups.
Lieb finished his junior season averaging 0.9 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 3.7 minutes per game. He played double-digit minutes just once, doing so in Illinois' mid-January win at Minnesota. First-half foul trouble for Dainja and Hawkins necessitated it, and Lieb finished with four points, two rebounds one block and one assist in a career-high 13 minutes.
"I just do what I can to help," Lieb said after the 78-60 win against the Gophers. "We always say, 'Stay ready.' You never know when your number will get called."
