Illinois Basketball: Jalen Bridges is exactly what the Illini need for the future

The class of 2020 isn’t close to being completed for the Illinois basketball team.

With exactly zero commitments to-date, the Illini need to make sure they have their hand in the cookie jar for a variety of players across the nation. As of right now, Illinois has two scholarships open for 2019 and, with Ayo leaving after this year, they will have a total of five open spots for 2020. I imagine the two scholarships for 2019 will be filled, which would leave the Orange and Blue with three spots to be filled for 2020.

The Writing Illini put together a projected lineup for the 2020-2021 campaign a week ago. That post mapped out what spots are solid and where the Illini need to use their open scholarships. The No. 3 spot, which people can call the wing, is one area that needs to be addressed. I have two of the open scholarships over the next two years being used on players who would fit in the No. 3 mold.

One player I wouldn’t mind having fill one of those available scholarship spots is Jalen Bridges. He is a 6-foot-8, 180-pound small forward from Fairmont Senior High School in Fairmont, West Virginia. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 109 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 26 small forward in the nation.

On Wednesday, Bridges retweeted a graphic of him with 10 team logos around him. He confirmed with the Writing Illini that this was not his top 10, but it was merely 10 of his top scholarship offers right now. Although, when it is all said and done, I wouldn’t doubt if the graphic was pretty accurate on his top 10.

Bridges is the type of player that Illinois needs to fill one of the open spots on the team in 2020. His numbers for the Wildcats Select AAU team prove that this kid can play. Through seven games in the Adidas Gauntlet league, Bridges has averaged 17.7 points on 47.1-percent shooting from the field. He is also 84.4-percent from the free throw line and 34.2-percent from three-point range. All of those numbers are pretty solid.

This kid can do other things on the court as well. Bridges adds in 3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1 block per game. He doesn’t foul often either, only having 1.6 fouls per game. All of these numbers show that he is what I am looking for in a No. 3 for the Illini. He would be a perfect backup to Tevian Jones for a year or two and then when Jones leaves, Bridges can then step up into the starting role.

Bridges size and skill set is something I want to see for the Orange and Blue. He has the attributes to help this team take the next step into the NCAA tournament. Let’s see how things play out with his recruitment. Getting a visit should priority number one for the Illini. That would be a good first step into landing this talented wing player.