NORMAL — Even when he went to Division II Illinois Springfield, Ilijah Donnelly kept wondering if he had the stuff to be a Division I basketball player.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard said Monday he is transferring to Illinois State as a preferred walk-on after spending the last two seasons with UIS. Donnelly will have to sit out the 2018-19 season per NCAA transfer rules before having two years of eligibility with the Redbirds beginning in the fall 2019.
Giving up a scholarship at UIS and having to pay his own way at ISU didn't deter Donnelly. He wanted the chance to “challenge” himself at the next level.