Champaign, ILL.– Former top-100 recruit, and Baylor transfer Dain Dainja has joined the Fighting Illini Basketball program. Dainja is enrolled at the University of Illinois for the 2022 spring semester, with classes beginning today. He will practice and train immediately with the Illini, and will be eligible to play beginning with the 2022-23 season.
Dainja is a 6-foot, 9-inch, 270-pound forward with a 7-foot, 7-inch wingspan. He redshirted last season at Baylor, where the Bears won the 2021 NCAA Championship. He played in Baylor's first three games this season before entering the transferring portal, totaling six points and three rebounds in nine minutes of action.
Born in Chicago, Dainja hails from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. He was a four-star prospect ranked No. 52 overall in the Class of 2020 by ESPN, No. 91 by 247Sports Composite, and No. 104 by Rivals. He also was ranked the No. 10 power forward in his class by ESPN.
Dainja attended Park Center High School, leading the Pirates to a 23-5 record, conference title, and 5AAAA section final as a senior before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. He earned second-team All-State honors by the Associated Press, and was named to the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Series green team and All-Northwest Suburban West Conference Team.
"Dain is a young man that we evaluated out of high school and loved his skillet at his size," Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood said. "He has great physical attributes, 7-7 length, a strong upper body, and a versatile game to either post up or put the ball on the floor and beat you off the dribble and with his passing. He's an interior player that you can run offense through. Dain was part of a Baylor team that won an NCAA title, and we're looking forward to him having a semester of practice with us and a full off-season of work with Fletch prior to suiting up next season."
Dainja is a 6-foot, 9-inch, 270-pound forward with a 7-foot, 7-inch wingspan. He redshirted last season at Baylor, where the Bears won the 2021 NCAA Championship. He played in Baylor's first three games this season before entering the transferring portal, totaling six points and three rebounds in nine minutes of action.
Born in Chicago, Dainja hails from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. He was a four-star prospect ranked No. 52 overall in the Class of 2020 by ESPN, No. 91 by 247Sports Composite, and No. 104 by Rivals. He also was ranked the No. 10 power forward in his class by ESPN.
Dainja attended Park Center High School, leading the Pirates to a 23-5 record, conference title, and 5AAAA section final as a senior before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. He earned second-team All-State honors by the Associated Press, and was named to the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Series green team and All-Northwest Suburban West Conference Team.
"Dain is a young man that we evaluated out of high school and loved his skillet at his size," Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood said. "He has great physical attributes, 7-7 length, a strong upper body, and a versatile game to either post up or put the ball on the floor and beat you off the dribble and with his passing. He's an interior player that you can run offense through. Dain was part of a Baylor team that won an NCAA title, and we're looking forward to him having a semester of practice with us and a full off-season of work with Fletch prior to suiting up next season."
