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Illinois Basketball: Recruit update from EYBL Session 2

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 23, 2017; New York, NY, USA; A view of game NCAA basketballs during practice the day before the East Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2017; New York, NY, USA; A view of game NCAA basketballs during practice the day before the East Regional semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois basketball team has a few big recruiting targets participating in the EYBL Session 2 this weekend.

These players are important for the future and after day one here are some updates.

Tim Finke

Tim Finke struggled with his shot on Friday going 2-of-11 from the field and only shooting 16-percent from the three-point arc. He finished the night with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the Meanstreets victory.

I would still love Finke to come to Champaign, but I think, over the past few years, we have all seen how streaky of a shooter he is. He can knock down a shot from just about anywhere on the court, but he can also go 18-percent from the field sometimes too. This has to get better in the near future.

Talen Horton-Tucker

The Mac Irvin Fire won again and Illini target Talen Horton-Tucker was one of the main contributors. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field. He also had 4 rebounds and 7 assists while shooting 33-percent from beyond the three-point arc.

Horton-Tucker is only a three-star according to Scout. I think they have seriously underrated this kid, though. He has shown he can keep up with good players and he is one of the best on his team that includes a top 30 player. I wouldn’t doubt if he ends up becoming a top 100 four-star recruit.

Ayo Dosunmu

The only thing more guaranteed than death and taxes is Ayo Dosunmu going off for a big night. He is such a talented player and it shows every game. He dropped 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the Mac Irvin Fire victory.

Dosunmu is easily the top target for the Illini right now and for good reason. He has tremendous talent and a scoring ability that is rare among basketball players. I have no doubts he will continue to tear up the circuit but that also means more scholarship offers.

Next: 3 options for the future center position

Francis Okoro

Big man Francis Okoro got some playing time yesterday as well. He only managed to score 2 points on 1-of-2 shooting, but he played limited time. He also pulled down 4 rebounds as well.

I wouldn’t worry too much about Okoro. He is playing an age group higher than what he really is and he is a 2019 recruit. Illinois needs to snag him down the road, though.

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