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By Austin Duncan
NORMAL – The addition of 6-foot-9 Christian Romine to the Illinois State men’s basketball program leaves the Redbirds with just one scholarship remaining for the 2016-17 season.
The Mahomet native announced Tuesday via Twitter that he will continue his basketball career with the Redbirds after transferring from Texas-El Paso.
Romine, a 2015 Mahomet-Seymour High School graduate, planned to redshirt his first season at UTEP to become more Division I ready, but had his redshirt was pulled after injuries to a pair of UTEP forwards.
The 220-pound forward appeared in 14 games for the Miners, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds in 50 minutes of action.
During his senior season at Mahomet-Seymour, Romine averaged 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to the Class 3A Super-Sectional. Romine also played baseball and football in high school, lettering in all three sports, while being an honor roll student.
Romine was rated the No. 18 player in Illinois by 247Sports.com, a credited recruiting website, after his senior season.
Per NCAA Division I transfer rules, Romine will be required to sit out a year before having three years of remaining eligibility.
Romine is the third confirmed addition to the roster this offseason, joining Issac Gassman and Phil Fayne.