Illinois Basketball: Illini in Jermaine Couisnard’s top 3
It looks like the Illinois basketball team is in the mix for another guard in the class of 2018.
Jermaine Couisnard is down to three programs – Louisville, South Carolina and Illinois – according to Sports Talk Radio Network. He has apparently already made his decision and notified the coach who he is selecting.
I Will Be Making My College Decision This Saturday ❗️ https://t.co/bxwlnpES0w
— Jermaine Couisnard 5️⃣ (@The__Future11) January 25, 2018
Illinois is after a player like Couisnard because he is a late bloomer and he can help the program. He is rated as a three-star guard who is the No. 192 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 20 player in the state of Indiana.
Couisnard is from East Chicago, Indiana but transferred down to Montverde Academy this past season. Since then, he has risen in the recruiting rankings and has received offers from a multitude of programs. Besides for the programs in his top three, Couisnard has offers from teams like Baylor, LSU and Virginia Tech as well.
In the article, Couisnard likes the prospects of not riding the pine. He says that the programs that were recruiting him didn’t want him to be on the bench. That means the Brad Underwood and the Illini were talking about him possibly starting. This could also mean that he was pitched a lot of playing time off the bench as well because I don’t see him starting day one for the Illini.
If Couisnard comes into the Illinois program, I seem him as a solid backup to Ayo Dosunmu. I would imagine Trent Frazier at the No. 1 still. Mark Smith would continue to develop and be the starter at the No. 2 spot. Then Dosunmu would be at the No. 3 spot. This is how the starting guards will look next season.
The main backup to Frazier will be Te’Jon Lucas. The backup behind Smith will be Da’Monte Williams. And the main backup behind Dosunmu will then likely be Couisnard.
Next: 5 takeaways from the Illini win over Indiana
Even if Couisnard doesn’t start, I think Underwood has proved that every player will get playing time in his system. He runs the ball a lot and this calls for substitutions. There is always room for more guards and hopefully, when he makes his announcement on Saturday, he will be picking the Orange and Blue.