Samba Kane won’t be with Illini until August

Samba Kane was not able to enroll in summer classes at Illinois due to transcript issues, and won’t be with the team this summer per 247’s Derek Piper.

Kane arrived on campus in late May, but he was unable to enroll in summer courses. He plans to return to Illinois in August to begin taking classes for the fall semester.

Kane signed with Illinois back in April.

The 7-foot Kane is the only true center on Illinois roster after the transfer of Greg Eboigbodin, and this missed practice time with the team over the summer doesn’t bode well for Illinois front court.

Giorgi Bezhanishvili is the only other natural front court player on the roster, standing at 6-foot-9.

Illinois currently has three open scholarships and the need to find some depth in the front court is even more urgent.

And fans should remember that literally any front court depth is better right now than an open scholarship.