Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your each day dose of faculty basketball information from Illini beat author and AP High 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll supply up insights each morning on Brad Underwood’s crew:
Illinois goes to recruit nationwide. Even internationally. However homegrown expertise nonetheless has a spot in Champaign. (Simply ask Ayo Dosunmu).
So it isn’t a shock that the Illini’s first supply within the Class of 2024 — not less than that I am conscious of — went to an in-state goal. Illinois supplied St. Rita huge man James Brown this previous weekend. The 6-foot-8 freshman ahead performs for the Mac Irvin Hearth 15U crew, which performed on the NY2LA Swish ‘N Dish within the Milwaukee, Wis., space and acquired Brown his supply.
Extraordinarily Grateful and Blessed to recieve a scholarship supply from the College of Illinois!!! pic.twitter.com/0OCEVUe9fm
— James Brown13 (@JamesBrown13_24) April 4, 2021
“He runs the ground, has good footwork across the rim and a few taking pictures contact,” 247Sports’ nationwide basketball director Eric Bossi wrote. He’s already very productive as a scorer and on the glass, he grabs all the things in sight.”
The Illinois supply is already Brown’s seventh complete. He obtained provides from Western Illinois, Siena, Howard, Northern Illinois (former workers), DePaul (former workers) and Windfall earlier than he even performed a minute for St. Rita.
Illinois has made recruiting in-state gamers a precedence to this point within the 2022 and 2023 lessons. Here is who the Illini have focused:
Class of 2022
- AJ Casey, Whitney Younger
- Trey Pettigrew, EDUPrize (Ariz.); previously Fenwick
- Jaden Schutt, Yorkville Christian
- A.J. Storr, AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.); previously Kankakee
- Kyle Thomas, St. Joseph
Class of 2023
- Darrin “Dai Dai” Ames, Kenwood
- Matas Buzelis, Brewster Academy (N.H.); previously Hinsdale Central
- Dalen Davis, Whitney Younger
- Jeremy Fears Jr., La Lumiere (Ind.); previously Joliet West
- Owen Freeman, Bradley-Bourbonnais
- Davius Loury, Kenwood
- Javonte “JJ” Taylor, Kendwood
- Donaven Youthful, Bolingbrook
