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Illinois Basketball: Key Hits and Misses From the Mac Irvin Fire

By Rees Woodcock

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Jan 25, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Nike basketballs on a rack before a game between the Boston College Eagles and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Nike basketballs on a rack before a game between the Boston College Eagles and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois has struggled over the last three seasons but you can tell that they just didn’t have the personnel to compete with powerhouse programs like Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini /

Illinois Fighting Illini

One way to get back on the map is to get players who will play with heart and grit.  This is where forward Christian Negron would come into play.

Negron isn’t the most talented player in the country by any means.  He is listed as a 3-star recruit that is the 196th best player in the class of 2017 and the 7th best player in the state of Illinois.

Illinois is in the hunt for this solid forward and 247sports has them and Iowa neck-and-neck for Negron’s services.

This would be a great, sneaky, pickup for the Illini.

Negron isn’t he biggest guy on the court, standing at 6-foot-6, but he hustles and is athletic.  He is averaging 5 points per game in the summer AAU Basketball, but the most important attribute to Negron is his ability to rebound.

Illinois was one of the worst in the league in rebounding last season.  Negron would help in 2017 on the rebounds.  He leads the Mac Irvin Fire with an average of 6.3 rebounds per game.

If Illinois can pull in this Mac Irvin Fire player, there will be future success.

Next: F Justin Smith

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