The saga to land the top in-state recruit for 2018 continued yesterday for the Illinois basketball team. They had an in-home visit with Ayo Dosunmu.
Dosunmu is a highly rated combo guard from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a five-star recruit who is the No. 27 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 2 combo guard in the nation. That is why this visit was so important for the Illini. Getting this caliber of a player would be huge for the program.
According to Kedric Prince of Rivals, Dosunmu really enjoyed the visit. The coaching staff put on a nice pitch with each coach adding something different. Dosunmu also mentioned he was impressed with how quick the Illinois coaching staff built a relationship with him.
#Illini bball rec. '18 All-American Ayo Dosunmu on Coach Brad Underwood: The way we built a great relationship fast was impressive to me. pic.twitter.com/v3XRlQI1Pr
— Kedric Prince (@KedPrince4) September 12, 2017
The (Illinois) presentation was nice. Very personable, each coach added something different. Ayo Dosunmu just shared with me. #Illini pic.twitter.com/P2SHa0ygRZ
— Kedric Prince (@KedPrince4) September 12, 2017
Said he really enjoyed it!!!
— Kedric Prince (@KedPrince4) September 12, 2017
As an Illinois fan, I am glad to see Dosunmu have a good time during the in-home visit from the Illinois coaching staff. They needed to knock this one out of the park and it sounds like they did just that. They really made an impression on this kid and that has to help come decision time.
I haven’t had a great feeling lately about Dosunmu and the Illini but this visit and some news from another recruiting expert have really helped change my feelings on where Dosunmu will end up going. Illinois is right in the thick of this recruiting battle and it would be huge if they could come out victorious.
I would have no doubt Dosumnu would start year one for the Illini. I think whoever performs well this season will determine who gets the starting nod in 2018. My guess is Te’Jon Lucas will play well and keep the No. 1 spot on the team. Mark Smith will be the No. 2 spot. That would leave Dosunmu, with his 6-foot-5 size, as the No. 3 on the team.
This would give the Illini a nice three-guard starting lineup much like the 2005 national title team. Trent Frazier would then be the sixth-man for this Illinois basketball team. Having him as the first player off the bench is a huge luxury for the Illini.
Next: Recruiting update on the class of 2018
Getting Dosunmu would be amazing. He would help transform this really good Illinois basketball team into a national championship contending program. That is a real possibility but we need him to come aboard.