The Illinois basketball team has a handful of recruits they are targeting for the class of 2019.
Among these targets are Francis Okoro, Kahlil Whitney and EJ Liddell. All of these recruits are extremely important but the one who is about to make a jump in the rankings is Liddell.
Liddell is currently rated as a four-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 94 player in the class of 2019. But, recently, it was reported that he is going to rocket up to the rankings for 2019 very soon. This means more teams will soon be offering Liddell and he will be opened up to some of the blue bloods.
There is no doubt that Liddell is one of the most important recruits for the Illini, though. They need a player who could play either the No. 3 or No. 4 in 2019. Liddell is that man and that is why he is a priority.
Liddell still needs to finish up his junior year. He is excited about how things are going.
“We are really doing great right now,” said Liddell, “We are 12-1 and I’m having a monster season.”
This monster season is one of the reasons why Liddell is going to launch up to the recruiting rankings. My guess is that he becomes a top 60 player when the new Rivals rankings are released.
Liddell continues to work on his game every day, so he can continue improving. One of the areas I think he needed to improve on when I watched his tape is his shooting. This is actually what he is focusing on. He is doing a lot of shooting and ball handling drills right now.
It is good Liddell knows what he needs to work on. He also knows what his strengths are as well. These are the things that really sets him apart from the rest of the competition.
“I think I’m really good back to the basket and stepping out shooting the mid-range and three-point shot,” said Liddell.
Liddell continues to improve every day and there will be a time where every team in the nation is after this kid. His recruitment is blowing up right now, but I can’t imagine what it is about to be here in the next month.
It seems like Liddell is taking the recruitment process pretty well too. He let the Writing Illini know how the recruitment process has been.
“It’s pretty laid back right now and not too stressful at all. It is just going to be stressful when it comes down to my final decision because I like all the coaches recruiting me now,” said Liddell, “I’ll also, most likely, like other coaches who are going to come into the process.”
Illinois continues to push for Liddell and for good reason. This kid is special, and he would be a great get for Brad Underwood. It also helps that Liddell like’s what he brings to the table as far as coaching is concerned.
“I like their spread offense and Brad Underwood’s background,” said Liddell.
Don’t hold your breath on a commitment anytime soon. Liddell doesn’t have a timeline for a commitment or when he is going to cut his list down. There is still a lot of recruitment left and he clearly expects more teams to come into the mix.
Next: Illini target EJ Liddell is about to move up the rankings
Illinois is going to have a long recruitment with Liddell but at least he likes the program. Underwood brings a lot of coaching ability to the table and, hopefully, this helps land Liddell for 2019.