On Saturday, the Illinois basketball team picked up some much-needed recruiting news.
The Illini were listed in Austin Trice’s top six teams he will be choosing from. He included New Mexico, Kansas State, South Florida, Oklahoma, Washington State and Illinois. The list came as a bit of a surprise but Illinois making at least his top six did not.
Trice has been on the radar of Illinois for a while. He is one of the most talented junior college recruits in the nation. He is a 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward from Wabash Valley Community College. He is ranked as the No. 5 JUCO player in the country.
The list Trice posted is pretty stout. Kansas State and Oklahoma both made the NCAA tournament this year and the Wildcats even advanced to the Elite 8. These two programs have the most recent winning track record and they are both coached by former Illini coaches.
South Florida and New Mexico both have solid teams, but I just don’t see them being a real threat at landing Trice. These two teams aren’t too competitive right now and they are far away.
That brings me to Illinois. The Illini are the in-state program. Trice can stay closer to home by committing to Illinois. They have the location factor. They also have the biggest need for someone of his size and type on the basketball court.
Leron Black departed unexpectedly after this past season. He is now trying the NBA, but this leaves a huge hole at the No. 4 spot for the Illini. There are a few options to fill this void, but Trice would easily get the starting nod if he decides to come to Champaign. He would immediately fill the need at that No. 4 spot. Illinois has the playing time factor.
The Illini also one more thing that is being overlooked by some people. Brad Underwood stepped in year one and transformed Black into a player who is being considered by teams in the NBA. The year before, Black wasn’t close to being NBA ready. Now, he is a player that looks like a Big Ten Player of the Year type of forward. This is what could happen with Trice as well. I see Underwood enabling Trice to be the best basketball player he can be.
Next: Updated top 5 Illini targets for the class of 2018
Getting Trice would be huge for the Illini. The need another big like him and making his top six is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, they can do enough to land him in the next couple months.