Illinois Basketball: Illini needed a player like Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk
As a bit of a surprise, the Illinois basketball team landed another recruit for the class of 2019 on Saturday.
Back in May, I put together a projected Illini lineup for the 2020-2021 campaign. In this article, I had Tevian Jones started at the No. 3 spot for the Orange and Blue. Behind him was two open scholarship spots that needed to be filled by either the class of 2019 or 2020. Illinois filled one of those spots with the addition of Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk on Saturday.
Bosmans-Verdonk is a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Belgium. He is a member of the class of 2019 and signed with the Illini on Saturday. This addition, while under the radar, could pay off for the Illini in the near future.
There are a few reasons why the addition of Bosmans-Verdonk is big for the Illini. One of the main reasons is the fact Illinois needed more depth at the No. 3 spot in the future. Once Kipper Nichols leaves after this season, it would have been just Jones to man the role. But Bosmans-Verdonk is now going to step in and contribute.
I also think this is a big addition because of the type of game Bosmans-Verdonk beings to the court. When you think 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, usually it is a post-up player who has his back to the basket. That isn’t the case with Bosmans-Verdonk. This kid likes to play on the perimeter. He can shoot the three-point shot. He drives with the ball and finds the open man as well. His passing ability is beyond his age. I am excited to see him make everyone else around him better.
The third reason I love the addition of Bosmans-Verdonk is that he likes to play fast. This kid can run the court and move with the ball. That is a big bonus when it comes to Brad Underwood’s style of play. I think he will fit right in with this team.
Next. Projected Illini lineup with Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk. dark
People probably haven’t head much of this kid, but they also didn’t hear much of Giorgi Bezhanishvili either and look how his freshman year turned out. I think Bosmans-Verdonk is going to do some great things for this program. I can’t wait to see him on the court this season.