You guys didn't ask a lot about recruiting in the mailbag, so here's an update.
Illinois doesn't seem to have much traction with 2024 prospects right now. Several kids who they were in on early fell off after their recruitments blew up.
One of those was four-star wing Austin Schwarz. Illinois was in early and was in line for a visit. He shot up 96 spots in the rankings and Illinois is now on the outside looking in. One major issue with him is he has the same AAU coach as Jayden Epps, so that recruitments was poisoned in terms of any shot Illinois had. Epps and his peeps aren't high on Brad, to say the least.
Of the highly ranked kids in the class, Illinois appears to have the best shot at PG Mikey Lewis from Accelerated Prep. I mentioned him in the mailbag. The Illini should get a visit. They aren't the leader, but should be one of the top 4-5 teams.
Not everyone was enamored with the offer to in-state big man Jason Jakstys. Some are still mad that Illinois backed off of James Brown, but they need to look at what Jakstys brings to the court himself. 6-11 and can really shoot it. Is he a superstar? No. But he's a developmental player who could end up being good in time. Illinois is the favorite. I actually thought he would have committed by now. so maybe they are slow-playing it some.
Illinois thought they had a shot at four-star wing Micah Robinson from Oak Hill (No. 118) in 2024, but he just named a top 8 of Alabama, LSU, Virginia Tech, Cal, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, TCU and Mississippi State.
The focus in June was primarily on 2025 kids. Coaches could contact them for the first time directly on June 15, then watch them play for their high schools at NCAA certified scholastic events. The three to watch right now are Jeremiah Fears, Phoenix Gill, and Aleks Alston.
Underwood, Tim Anderson, and Geoff Alexander all watched Phoenix Gill play multiple games at Riverside-Brookfield. He's getting closer and closer to being a kid that they push for a commitment on. He started out a bit slow at R-B, but really turned it on and may have been the best rising junior at the event. He's a combo-guard who can handle it, shoot, slash, and defend. Phoenix isn't the same kind of high riser as his dad, but he's a very good athlete. I think they will end up taking him.
Fears is much more open to Illinois than his brother Jeremy, who had concerns that his skill set didn't fit in Underwood's system. Jeremiah is a good shooter who thrives in ball screen situations. He liked what he saw on his visit. He won't likely make an early decision, though.
Alston isn't a complete player yet, but he's physically gifted. Legit 6-9, handles the ball, shoots it pretty well with range and is a monster on the offensive glass. He likes Illinois quite a bit, but will be a national recruit.
illinois.rivals.com
