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Illinois Basketball: Ranking the last 10 recruiting classes

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 21, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders run on the court before a basketball game against the Missouri Tigers at Scottrade Center. Illinois won 75-66. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders run on the court before a basketball game against the Missouri Tigers at Scottrade Center. Illinois won 75-66. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders perform on the court during a stoppage in play against the Michigan Wolverines in the second half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 6 Class of 2009

A lot of the foundation for Illinois making the NCAA tournament and being somewhat successful in the early 2010’s was from the class of 2009.

This class consisted of four total members, in which, two were four-star recruits and two were three-star recruits.

The highest rated four-star recruit was DJ Richardson. He was ranked as the No. 43 player in the class of 2009 and a great get for Weber out of Henderson, Nevada.

Richardson spent four seasons with the Illini and was known as one of the best three-point shooters. He averaged 12.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in his final season in Champaign.

Brandon Paul was the other four-star recruit. He was ranked as the No. 58 player in the class of 2009 from Gurnee, Illinois. This was a great get for Weber as well.

Paul was with the Illini for four seasons and was spectacular. He averaged 16.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in his final year.

The other two members of this class were three-stars Tyler Griffey and Joe Bertrand. Both of these players played key roles with the team over the next four seasons.

Griffey is most known for his game-winning layup to beat No. 1 Indiana at the State Farm Center.

This class really had some special moments. It consisted of two top 75 players which is awfully impressive.

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