Illinois Basketball: Projecting the Illini class of 2018

The Illinois basketball team is laying the groundwork for a great class of 2018.

This class would be the first true group Brad Underwood brings to Champaign. Getting a top 25, or potentially top 15, class would be huge because that would show he has pull in the recruiting ranks.

Right now, the Illini would have four scholarships available for next season. Judging by the way things usually go, that number could jump to five. The class of 2018 could be special for the Illini, and here is what it could potentially look like.

No. 21 Ayo Dosunmu

New head coach Brad Underwood has yet to land a big-time recruit. But, he has only been on the job for less than three months. There is still plenty of time to build a great class of 2018.

The top priority in this class is Ayo Dosunmu. He is a 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard out of Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Illinois. He is also rated as a five-star recruit who is the No. 21 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 5 point guard in the nation.

Dosunmu would be the centerpiece of the class of 2018 for the Illinois basketball team. He is an athletic guard who can get to the basket and score at will. He is exactly what Underwood looks for in a player.

Illinois has been all over Dosunmu in the recruiting game. He was a top priority with the previous coaching regime, and now he is the No. 1 target for the new staff as well. The Illini continue to be a presence in his recruitment despite the signing of Mark Smith in the class of 2017.

Dosunmu has also been tearing it up in summer ball as well. He is averaging 22.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for the Mac Irvin Fire. Those are impressive numbers and Illinois could use a player like that.