Illinois Fighting Illini forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili (15) cheers on his teammate during a three-pointer during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Alton Strupp/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
Illinois basketball fans were quite confused when Giorgi Bezhanishvili decided to depart the program after last season.
The reports after he announced his decision to leave the Illini were that he was going back home to his family in the country of Georgia. With COVID, Giorgi hadn’t seen his family in a long time, so it was understandable to try to go back home and play international basketball.