The Illinois Fighting Illini fell to UConn in the Elite Eight to put an end to their season, and big man Dain Dainja has already jumped ship. The forward, who stands at 6-foot-9 and weighs in at 255 pounds, will be joining the Memphis Tigers for the 2024-25 season.
BREAKING: Illinois transfer big Dain Dainja (@DDainja) has committed to Memphis, per source.
Averaged 9.5 PTS 5.5 REB and 1.2 BLKS per game while starting 21 games in the 2022-2023 season for Illinois.
First big off the board for Penny Hardaway and Memphis. Good addition. pic.twitter.com/ExsfaVFrmg— Hitmen Hoops (@HitmenHoops) April 5, 2024
Dainja played just under 11 minutes per game on average this season for the Illini, but put up 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Last season, he saw much more playing time, and averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Memphis missed out on the NCAA Tournament entirely this season. In fact, they entered the American Athletic Conference Tournament as the No. 5 seed, and promptly lost in the first round to No. 12 Wichita State ending their season. The Tigers will benefit from the addition of the big man after finishing the year ranked outside the top 70 in rebounding and outside the top 200 in scoring defense.
The Tigers will be looking to return to the AAC championship in 2025 after winning and earning the conference’s automatic bid in 2022-23. Dainja was part of an Illinois team that won the Big Ten championship this season, and adding a starter who has experience at that level of play will be a huge boost for Penny Hardaway’s squad, particularly in the postseason.