Illinois Basketball: How to use the four remaining scholarships
The Illinois basketball team has a good amount of players looking at their program for 2017 and into the future.
These players should help the program get to where it needs to be. They would have an impact on this team and I wouldn’t doubt they lift the Illini to heights we haven’t seen in a decade.
But one problem Brad Underwood and the Illinois basketball team are going to run into is the lack of scholarships. They only have four spots available for 2017 and 2018 combined. Not only are there a handful of players looking to come aboard this season, but there are a few in the class of 2018 I want as well.
What does Underwood do about this situation?
I think the answer to this question is pretty simple. You take the talent up front and worry about the scholarship availability with the class of 2018 later. This kind of contradicts the long-term thinking I usually preach, but getting good players will help in the long term because the Illini will win, so I guess it is thinking in the long-term.
The players that are currently being wooed by the Illini range in size. Illinois could always use more guard play and that is where Charlie Moore and Mark Smith come into play.
If the Illini can get both of these talented players to come to Champaign, Moore by transfer and Smith by the class of 2017, then Illinois would have an incredible backcourt.
The Illinois backcourt would consist of four top 100 players in their respective recruiting classes; Moore No. 55, Jalen Coleman-Lands No. 39, Smith No. 52 and Trent Frazier No. 91. That doesn’t even count Te’Jon Lucas who proved he could be a starting point guard in the Big Ten, Da’Monte Williams who could easily be a top 100 player but dealt with injuries and Aaron Jordan who just didn’t fit in with the previous regime.
Illinois’ guard play would be out of this world and that is why I think Underwood should use two of the four scholarships on both of Moore and Smith, if they want to play for the orange and blue.
The Illini also need another big player who can man the paint. They would be short-handed if things ended today, but I think they can still snag another big talented player.
Using the third scholarship on transfer Carlton Bragg would be the way to go for me. He is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man who could start at the No. 5 spot for the Illini. This would be a cure for the weak paint presence for Illinois in 2018, but they would have to just push through with Leron Black starting this season at the No. 5 spot.
The final scholarship I want Underwood to use is on Taylor Bruninga. I know a lot of you are down on him and want a bigger impact player right away, but I think this kid is going to be special in a few years. He might be a ‘project’ now but if he doesn’t come to Illinois then in a few years we will all be asking why we didn’t land him.
Bruninga would likely end up redshirting year one, but that is okay. He will be able to get experience and Illinois can stash him away until he is ready to be unleashed on the Big Ten.
Next: Final recruiting pitch to Mark Smith
That is how I want the Illini to use their four scholarships. I know that there are a few great players in the class of 2018 that wouldn’t have a spot, but things could change in a hurry. I would rather take the talent up front and start winning now.