Illinois Basketball: Jaemyn Brakefield is the big man the Illini need in 2020

The class of 2020 could be pretty special for the Illinois basketball team.

I know, I know, this sounds like a long way away but it really isn’t. Illinois is currently finishing up their class of 2018 and, realistically, they only have about six months to do so. After that, they will be on to the class of 2019 and, hopefully, that class will be special as well.

The next two classes for the Illini will be the building blocks for special teams that could compete for a national title. All of this will be the buildup to a, potentially, top five class in 2020.

Just in the state of Illinois alone, there are two big-time recruits for 2020. Adam Miller leads the way. He is a 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Illinois. He transferred up there this past season from Manual High School in Peoria, Illinois. He is a four-star recruit who is the No. 32 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 1 player in the state of Illinois.

The other big-time recruit in the Land of Lincoln is DJ Steward. He is a 6-foot-1, 150-pound guard from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 38 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 2 player in the state of Illinois.

Of course, Brad Underwood and the Illini are hot on the trail for both Miller and Steward. They would both be big-time commitments for the program and Illinois will need guard help when 2020 rolls around. But, they aren’t the only recruits Illinois is eyeing right now. They have offered quite a few players including their most recent offer to Jaemyn Brakefield.

Brakefield is a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward from Huntington Prep in Huntington, West Virginia. He is rated as a five-star recruit who is the No. 26 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 1 player in the state of West Virginia.

Brakefield is one of those basketball players where the game just comes easily to him. He glides on the court and it looks like he doesn’t have to put much effort into the game to be great. The kid has so much size already and if I had to bet, I would say he isn’t done growing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up around 6-foot-9 or 6-foot-10 when he enters college.

With that said, Illinois would need someone with his size in the paint. Brakefield brings more than just size to the table, though. He has developed an outside shot – which makes him a nightmare – and he can take people off the dribble. He has great handles and that is an extra bonus for whoever gets him.

A player Brakefield reminds me of is Meyers Leonard. One of Leonard’s big attributes coming out of high school was that he could handle the ball. He was a smaller player who handled the ball more but then hit a growth spurt to become a big man.

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Without a doubt, Brakefield will be a sensation player at the college level. Someone who moves that smoothly through defenses and can handle the ball always has a place on the basketball court. I just hope Illinois can land him over the blue bloods.