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Illinois Basketball: Losing DJ Stewart is small blemish on bigger picture

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 7: Illinois Fighting Illini fans cheer against the Indiana Hoosiers during the game at Assembly Hall on February 7, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated No. 1 ranked Indiana 74-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 7: Illinois Fighting Illini fans cheer against the Indiana Hoosiers during the game at Assembly Hall on February 7, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated No. 1 ranked Indiana 74-72. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Illinois basketball team lost out on a class of 2018 recruit today.

It was announced by Eric Bossi of Rivals.com that DJ Stewart has ended his recruitment and announced he will be committing to Mississippi State. This commitment comes just days after Stewart released his top 10 teams he will be choosing from moving forward. The 10 teams he released just four days ago included LSU, Alabama, Mississippi State, Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, UAB, Mississippi and Illinois.

Stewart was a player who was on the rise for the past year. He garnered some serious Division I attention and that showed in the list of scholarships he had been offered. He was also rated as a four-star small forward who was the No. 114 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 33 small forward in the nation.

What does this now mean for the Illini? I don’t think it means much for the program as far as direction under Brad Underwood. You can’t get every recruit you pursue and looking at the list Stewart put out four days ago, you could tell he wanted to stay in the south. Pretty much every team besides the Illini was from southern states.

Looking at the class of 2018, this leaves more room for players to come into the program, like Ayo Dosunmu. One of my big worries was there would be too many players signing up and not enough spots. But, with Stewart heading to Mississippi State, that should help solve that issue. Illinois will still, likely, have a great class of 2018 and I still believe in what Underwood is selling.

The one issue I do have is who will fill in for the missing No. 3 spot left by Mark Alstork after he is finished this season? That role needs to be filled by a playmaking guard/forward who can really lift this Illini program to new heights.

Next: 3 accomplishments for Brad Underwood

My goal is to get Dosunmu in here and he can fill in that spot. He is 6-foot-4, so his height wouldn’t be a problem. He would be the Luther Head of this Illini roster. That is my vision for Illinois basketball moving forward. Focus on Dosunmu and the rest will fall into place. I still believe we will win.

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