Another big offer the Illinois basketball team handed out on Friday night was to a Fort Wayne, Indiana native.
The Illini extended a scholarship offer to Keion Brooks. He is a 6-foot-8, 185-pound forward from North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is rated as a five-star recruit who is the No. 16 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 1 player in the state of Indiana.
Honored to receive an offer from the University of Illinois 🏀🔵#FightingIllini pic.twitter.com/9xedsfs6WH
— Keion Brooks Jr. (@KeionB_12) May 4, 2018
Brooks has been the main reason his AAU team – Indy Heat – has started the season off 6-2. He is currently averaging 22.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2 blocks per game. He has been such a great player and was even named the MVP of the Indianapolis Session this past weekend.
There is just so much to love about Brooks’ game. It is like he is a college player playing with a bunch of high school kids right now. On top of being great at defense, Brooks also brings a tremendous amount of talent on the offensive end. He can get to the rim and score at will, but he can also shoot well from the outside. He can pull up from anywhere on the court including the three-point arc. He has great handles as well.
I am not saying Brooks is going to be as good as the player I am about to mention, but he really reminds me of a Kevin Durant type of player. He isn’t too physically intimidating, but he will drop 35 points on you in a heartbeat. This kid is going to be something special, and he is probably going to play in the Big Ten.
The recruitment of Brooks has all the big players involved. Kentucky is there along with Louisville and Michigan, but it looks like Michigan State and Indiana are the two favorites right now. That makes sense because Indiana is the in-state program and the Spartans have had success recruiting out of Fort Wayne.
Honestly, it should be Michigan State and Fort Wayne (formerly IPFW) vying for Brooks’ commitment. I am surprised Indiana is even in the mix considering they have failed to beat Fort Wayne the past two seasons. Sorry, I have to keep reminding people of this fact.
Next: Projected Illini starting lineup with Francis Okoro
Anyways, I love this offer by the Illini. Brooks is a superstar in the making. Do I think Illinois has any shot at him? Probably not, but it doesn’t hurt to dip your toe in the water. It would be impressive if we can even be in the conversation for Brooks. Hopefully, Brad Underwood can pull off a miracle because he would be a great addition.
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