Illinois Basketball: Fighting Illini land transfer Kylan Boswell from Arizona

The full attention of the college basketball world is on the Transfer Portal, especially now that the coaching carousel is starting to slow down after recent chaos. In one of the latest moves, former Arizona point guard Kylan Boswell has found a new home at Illinois, joining Brad Underwood’s program.

Boswell is a 6’2 guard from Champaign, Illinois who returns to his hometown after two seasons out west with the Wildcats. He actually attended high school in both California and Arizona before joining Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona program in 2022.

He was a solid bench weapon in his freshman season with decent shooting figures in limited chances, though Boswell really developed into a key for Arizona this past season. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 assists per game as a full-time starter for the Wildcats.

Boswell got his sophomore season off to a great start offensively, scoring in double figures in Arizona’s first six games. He’d make 38% of his 3-pointers on the season, had a decent shooting touch throughout the year, and would score a career-high 20 points in Arizona’s opening round NCAA Tournament win over Long Beach State.

Even as an underclassman, Boswell was an important piece of the puzzle for a Wildcats team that won another Pac-12 regular season title. Instead of sticking with Arizona as they transition to the Big 12, he’s heading back to his hometown, joining an Illinois squad that’s reloading after losing several big names at the end of this season.

Last year, the Illini didn’t utilize a natural point guard, meaning Boswell will bring a different wrinkle to that offense this season. With Marcus Domask, Coleman Hawkins, and Terrence Shannon Jr. all gone, things will look very different in Champaign next season, but having a bona fide point guard is a major step forward.

We don’t know exactly what to expect quite yet from Illinois, but Underwood and his staff have already added forwards Jake Davis and Tre White and now have an experienced piece in the backcourt. If Boswell can take another step forward in his third collegiate season then he can be an important weapon for the Fighting Illini.