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Illinois Basketball: Illini need to land 2 of the 5 recruits on this list

By Rees Woodcock

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini gives instructions to his players during a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini gives instructions to his players during a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 22: A general view of the shoes worn by Illinois Fighting Illini forward Leron Black (12) during the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Michigan State Spartans on January 22, 2018 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Kahlil Whitney

The No. 1 target for the Illinois basketball team should be Kahlil Whitney. He is a player who I think could be a First Team All-American at the college level.

Whitney is a 6-foot-6, 190-pound small forward from Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, New Jersey. He is rated as a five-star recruit who is the No. 18 player the class of 2019 and the No. 5 small forward in the nation.

Illinois needs to land Whitney because of what he would bring to the program. He would immediately take over the No. 3 spot on the Illini roster. This would change some things with the program, but I believe he would improve the team greatly.

Brad Underwood and the Illinois staff continue to recruit Whitney pretty hard as well. They had him up for an unofficial visit about three weeks ago, and now they are up to watch him this week on the court. I think it is clear that he is a top priority for the team.

The odds of landing Whitney seem to be solid. Do I think other teams are going to be fighting for him and making good arguments? Sure, but I ultimately think Illinois will win out here. They have a good program that needs another wing player who can dominate. Champaign should be the landing spot.

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