Fri Mar 28 20:10:00 UTC 2025: ## High Winds and Illini Basketball Blow: Stormy Weather Forecast and Key Player Transfers
**CHAMPAIGN, IL – March 28, 2025** – The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for the Champaign area, with gusts potentially exceeding 50 mph expected tonight. Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to overcast conditions after midnight, with lows around 61°F. South-southwest winds will initially blow at 25-40 mph, diminishing to 10-20 mph later in the night.
Meanwhile, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team is facing its own storm. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr., a key rotation player, has entered the transfer portal, following the departure of Carey Booth less than 24 hours earlier. Johnson’s transfer is a significant blow to the Illini, as he started eight games and averaged seven points and 6.7 rebounds in his freshman season. His decision comes despite being considered a key part of the team’s future plans. Johnson, the News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year and Illinois Mr. Basketball, had committed to Illinois in November 2021. The team will now face the upcoming season without two key players.
First Piper 