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Illinois Basketball: Illini lose Bryce Golden to Butler

By Rees Woodcock

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 05: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 88-60. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 05: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 88-60. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Just breathe Illinois basketball fans. Things are still going to be alright after the bad news on Monday night.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports announced on Twitter that big man Bryce Golden has decided to pick Butler. He decided to pick the Bulldogs over teams like Syracuse and Illinois. He was a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward from St. James School in Sharpsburg, Maryland. He was rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 205 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 37 power forward in the nation.

Golden is a good player coming out of high school. I wish the kid nothing but the best in the future. But, is he the game changer the Illini needed for the future? I don’t believe so. He would have been a suitable No. 4 next season but I don’t know if he would have started for this program. He would have been at worst a priority backup, though.

Do you know who would be a game changer? Francis Okoro would be a game changer. Right now, as far as impact players are concerned, Okoro is the priority. He is a must get especially if he reclassifies to the class of 2018, which all signs point to that being the case.

Okoro is essentially down to Purdue, Oregon and Illinois. He has already finished up his visits to the Boilermakers and Ducks, and he should be visiting Champaign this week. A decision should be made shortly after his final visit.

Losing Golden won’t matter if Okoro decides to pick the Illini. This would be the best scenario moving forward. Get Okoro and everything will be fine. Illinois is also in the running for Maurice Calloo as well.

Next: Projected Illini starting lineup with Francis Okoro

Calloo isn’t someone who will come into the program and be a difference maker year one, but he could be a solid player down the road. Illinois will hopefully land both of these players. Okoro would be the instant impact guy, and Calloo would be the solid depth piece for the future. These are the two main targets right now.

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