Illinois Basketball: EJ Liddell and Brea Beal would take Illini to next level

The Illinois basketball teams are trying to build their programs back into contenders in the Big Ten.

Yes, I realize how low the men’s basketball team has fallen. They were once a feared conference program but over the last decade or so, the team has struggled to even get on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. And, now, they are coming off a 14-18 campaign. This is unacceptable.

The women’s team has been even worse. They haven’t finished a campaign with a winning record since the 2012-2013 season. They made the NIT that year and won three games. Overall, they finished with 19 wins on the season. The recent losing by both the men’s and women’s basketball programs needs to stop and it could come in the form of two top recruits for the class of 2019.

Both EJ Liddell and Brea Beal took official visits to Champaign this past weekend. Beal is a 6-foot wing player who is rated as a five-star recruit and is ranked as the No. 13 player in the class of 2019. Liddell is a 6-foot-7 power forward who is rated as a four-star recruit and is ranked as the No. 48 player in the class of 2019.

These two players have a chance to help turn around two programs that have the potential to be great once again. Beal would bring a level of player to this Illini women’s team that would help win games on the court and show high-level recruits it is okay to come to Champaign off the court.

Liddell would come into the men’s program and be a star from day one with a starting job likely lined up for him. He would be one of the leading pieces in a class of 2019 that could be legendary for this Illini men’s program.

There are so many good things happening with Illinois recruiting right now. The men’s and women’s basketball teams have gone through some rough patches in the past, but it looks like things could be getting better for Illini fans. These two teams are on the rise and snagging players like Beal and Liddell would help accelerate the rebuild.