CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — Dain Dainja is returning to Illinois basketball next season. The 6-foot-9 forward announced on social media Monday morning his plans to come back to Champaign for his redshirt junior year.

“For those that are wondering I will be staying!!” Dainja posted on Twitter.

In his first full season of college ball, Dainja started in 20 games for the Illini last season, appearing in 32 total, averaging 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. After redshirting his first season at Baylor in 2020-21, Dainja transferred to Illinois mid-year last season. The Minnesota native was the team’s fourth leading scorer and second best rebounder, shooting 63.7% from the field.