Illinois Basketball: Ranking the last 10 Illini recruiting classes

6. Class of 2013

The class of 2013 had a chance to be great. They had some talented players come into this program and play immediately. But, things didn’t turn out great for this group of players.

Malcolm Hill was the most heralded player in the class of 2013. He was a four-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 70 player in the class of 2013 and the No. 22 shooting guard in the nation. I really liked Hill, and he had a great Illini career. It is sad he didn’t get to the NCAA tournament, though.

Kendrick Nunn had a chance to be special too. He was a four-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 56 player in the class of 2013 and the No. 18 shooting guard in the nation. He had a great first three years in Champaign but was kicked off the team due to some legal trouble. Having him departed killed the Illini the following season.

Austin Colbert was a three-star recruit who was the No. 124 player in the class of 2013 and the No. 28 power forward in the nation. He played two seasons with Illinois but didn’t see much time. He transferred out of the program and eventually finished up his final season with Hampton.

Illinois also had Maverick Morgan and Jaylon Tate commit to this class as well. They were both three-star recruits. Morgan didn’t start developing as a suitable big man until his final few years, and Tate couldn’t take off with the Illini. Tate is having a great career overseas, though.

I was disappointed with the class of 2013 because they had some good players come in. One player was kicked off the team. Another player transferred out. Two of the players didn’t play up to Big Ten level for most of their careers. That is why this class finishes at No. 6 on this list.