An Illinois guard who helped key the program's turnaround in the 2019-20 season is transferring to Syracuse, he told 247Sports. Alan Griffin, a 6-foot-5 guard and 41.6 percent 3-point shooter as a sophomore, will have two years of eligibility with the Orange.
Griffin averaged 8.9 points in 18.1 minutes per game off the bench for Illinois this season after playing just 7.8 minutes per game as a freshman. The former three-star prospect helped the Illini improve to 21-10 (13-7 Big Ten) in coach Brad Underwood's third season after they struggled to a 12-21 (7-13) record in the 2018-19 campaign.
By transferring to Syracuse, Griffin is returning to his home state. The Ossining, New York, native will likely be tasked with helping the Orange replace the production of Elijah Hughes, who led the ACC in scoring at 19 points per game during his junior season before announcing on March 21 that he will go through the NBA Draft process. Hughes is ranked 58th on the latest CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board.
Griffin announced on March 24 that he would enter the transfer portal. The son of former NBA player and current Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin also contributed 4.5 rebounds per game for Illinois this season. He posted a farewell message to Illinois on Instagram in which he thanked "Illini Nation."
"I also want to thank the university, my teammates, the coaching staff, and all of the staff," Griffin wrote. "After careful thought and consideration, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal. I wish all of the upcoming and current players and coaching staff best of luck next season!"
