Illinois Basketball: Potential Starting Lineup for 2017
The recruit that everyone has been talking about, not just in the Illinois recruiting circles but also the entire nation, has been center Jeremiah Tilmon.
Tilmon is a 5-star center that is ranked as the 19th best player in the class of 2017. A lot of people lost hope for this big man to come to Champaign, but over the last week that hope is returning.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Many people have seen Tilmon with Groce and the coaching staff and it was also reported that he is going to commit to Illinois as well.
Getting Tilmon would be a huge player for the Illini. They are going to be missing the center position for 2017 and that is where Tilmon comes into play.
If Tilmon commits to the Illini he would automatically be the starter in 2017.
In his freshman season, Tilmon should do pretty well. I am not looking for him to be much of a scorer, though.
I could see Tilmon averaging something like 11 PPG and 8 RPG in his first season with the Illini.
These types of numbers are great for a freshman and would only increase from there.
Backup: Michael Finke (Junior)
The backup to Tilmon would be Michael Finke. He is a solid player but right now he isn’t a starting center.
I love how Finke can become a mismatch to players because he can step out to shoot the three-point shot on command. He is a versatile player that can score.
Finke would come in for Tilmon in situations where Illinois needs more scoring than defense and he would be a better free throw shooter as well.
Next: Recruiting Comparison to 2002
Having a good backup like Finke is going to do wonders for this Illinois basketball team and could potentially be the key to a solid run in the NCAA Tournament.