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Illinois Basketball makes guard Ayo Dosunmu’s top 11

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 27: Illinois Fighting Illinois fans cheer against the Michigan Wolverines during the game at Assembly Hall on January 27, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Michigan defeated Illinois 74-60. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 27: Illinois Fighting Illinois fans cheer against the Michigan Wolverines during the game at Assembly Hall on January 27, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Michigan defeated Illinois 74-60. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Illinois basketball team has been after superstar guard Ayo Dosunmu for quite some time.

Illinois’ pursuit of Dosunmu started during the John Groce era and has spilled over into the new regime led by Brad Underwood. This kid has talent that is rare in a player coming out of high school and getting him would help the Illini, potentially, get back to at least the Sweet 16 and likely even further.

Dosunmu is a highly wanted recruit for a reason. He is a four-star guard from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Illinois. He is ranked as the No. 32 player by both 247Sports and Scout in the class of 2018 and the No. 1 player in the state of Illinois. What this means for the Illini is that they need to land the top player in the state to regain control of the recruiting grounds.

Underwood and the Illinois program took a step in the right direction last night as they found out they made Dosunmu’s top 11 teams. The others in the mix for his commitment are Kansas, Memphis, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Connecticut, USC, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Xavier and Creighton. This is a great list and there are a few things that stand out to me.

The first thing about Dosunmu’s list is there aren’t any Big Ten teams besides Illinois. He really spanned the entire country. You have a couple ACC and Big 12 teams but the Illini are the lone Big Ten team to make the cut. I think that is good for Illinois.

There are a few teams that worry me the most when it comes to Dosunmu’s recruitment. Kansas, Xavier and Creighton are three teams that I am keeping an eye on with the Jayhawks being the most dangerous. Bill Self and his coaching staff recruit the state of Illinois well. In addition to that, they also had Charlie Moore transfer into the program. He went to Morgan Park as well, and if he has success with Kansas, he might encourage Dosunmu to head there.

Next: Illinois Basketball 2018 roster with top in-state recruits

Illinois made the top 11 for Dosunmu and I think they will make the next cut as well. They are in the mix for his commitment and, hopefully, they end up landing this talented guard. The future is extremely bright right now and just imagine if Dosunmu donned the Orange and Blue.

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