Illinois Basketball: Recent Illini recruiting scholarship offers to forwards
![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](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/71d95b38812eaa8d838593650b46c90e66589998df7896f3fa2a586586a5f45c.jpg)
Jerome Hunter
It will be interesting to see if any of the recent scholarship offers pulls the trigger on the Illini. While these offers are exciting, Illinois only has three scholarships remaining for 2018.
Illinois would continue to gain size if their offer to Jerome Hunter turns into a commitment. He is a player who is lankier but does add height to the program.
Hunter stands at 6-foot-7, 195-pounds so he is a player who will need to bulk up if he wants to bang around in the paint. He is pretty highly rated, though.
Right now, Hunter has six scholarship offers including the Illini. He also has offers from Michigan, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Xavier. There is also an offer from Dayton but apparently, after the coaching switch, they are out of the running.
There isn’t a wonder why Hunter is so highly rated. He is ranked as a four-star recruit who is the No. 81 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 16 power forward in the nation.
Like I mentioned earlier, Hunter is not a great shooter by any means. He reminds me a lot of what DJ Williams was coming out of high school. He is super athletic who can get a rebound but when it comes to the perimeter game there is some work to do.
I think Hunter would be a great addition if Underwood is looking for someone who can bang around in the paint and play taller than he really is. Hunter would need to work on his shot, though.