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Illinois Basketball: Recruiting update on the class of 2018

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 03: A general view of the Assembly Hall as the Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs on December 3, 2011 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated Gonzaga 82-75. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 03: A general view of the Assembly Hall as the Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs on December 3, 2011 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated Gonzaga 82-75. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 11: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference Basketball tournament between the New Mexico State Aggies and the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners at the Orleans Arena on March 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

54. Talen Horton-Tucker

One of the players I want the most from the class of 2018 is Talen Horton-Tucker. He is a 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward from Simeon High School in Chicago, Illinois. The new Rivals rankings have him listed as a four-star recruit who is the No. 54 player in the class of 2018.

On August 27, Horton-Tucker trimmed his list down to his top 13 schools he will be choosing from. The list included Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Kansas, Saint Louis, Dayton, Missouri, Iowa State, Ohio State, Xavier, Georgetown, Michigan and Illinois. As far as I know, there hasn’t been any official visits set up in the foreseeable future.

I love Horton-Tucker as a player. This kid has a chip on his shoulder bigger than the Sears Tower. Whatever team he picks, he will come out of the gates running and will be a tremendous player.

Horton-Tucker is built like a bull. His size is another reason I want him on the team. He can get into the lane and score or potentially get to the free throw line for easy points.

The game Horton-Tucker brings to the table is exciting. He plays with a passion and fire and getting him would be a great accomplishment for Underwood and the coaching staff. I am really 50-50 on what Horton-Tucker wants to do. He is a hard player to read but hopefully, he picks the Illini.

Update: September 8

Nothing has really changed on the Talen Horton-Tucker front. He still has his list at 13 teams and isn’t cutting that down anytime soon. He isn’t scheduling visits either. Don’t expect much out of him for a while.

Illinois is in the running for Horton-Tucker still, in my opinion. He would be a great get for the Illini and a fan favorite immediately. Plus, he is from Simeon and it would be nice to re-establish that great connection.

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