Illinois Basketball: Ranking the last 10 Illini recruiting classes
7. Class of 2017
The class of 2017 was very unique in the way it was constructed, deconstructed and then reconstructed again. This class will be fresh in the minds of Illini fans for years to come.
The 2016-2017 season was not good for the Illini. This was the final year of the Groce era and they once again missed the NCAA tournament. This called for a change. But, before Groce was let go, he secured a class that was one of the best in the nation.
Groce was let go and two of the Illini commits bolted and committed to play for Missouri. That left the class with only two players.
Da’Monte Williams was the original commit of this class. He was a three-star guard who was ranked as the No. 177 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 34 point guard in the nation. He dealt with injuries his senior season and this dropped his ranking. He is actually a four-star guard.
Trent Frazier is the highlight of this class. He was a four-star point guard who was the No. 109 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 24 point guard in the nation. This kid was so underrated, and he proved that year one. He had a sensational freshman campaign and was robbed of the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award.
Mark Smith was a great get by Underwood. He was Underwood’s first commitment. Smith struggled year one in Champaign, though. He couldn’t pick up the speed of the game, and his shot was off. After the season, Smith decided to transfer out. He committed to Missouri.
Greg Eboigbodin and Matic Vesel were the two big men who committed to the class of 2017. These two are development projects, but I think the future of both of these players could be pretty bright.
The class of 2017 consisted of two four-star recruits, two three-star recruits and one recruit who wasn’t ranked. That is a solid haul but one of the players already transferred out of the program. When it is all said and done, this class has a chance to be special but as of right now, I wouldn’t put them any higher than No.7.