Illinois Basketball: 4 mid-level Illini recruiting targets for 2020

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 09: Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Brad Underwood looks on as Big Ten referee Keith Kimble runs across the court during the college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 9, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.(Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Andre Curbelo

Illinois needs to focus on the guard positions for the next few classes. We are going to be losing a lot of talent at both the No. 1 and No. 2 guard spots, so filling these voids is paramount. Andre Curbelo is a great option at the No. 1 spot.

Curbelo is a 6-foot, 155-pound point guard from Long Island Lutheran in Glen Head, New York. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 59 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 8 point guard in the nation. He is originally from Puerto Rico, so 247Sports has him as the best player from Puerto Rico.

247Sports has Louisville, St. John’s, West Virginia and Illinois as the leaders for Curbelo right now. But I don’t think anyone knows who the team to beat is just yet. I would figure we have a chance at landing this kid because of the great recruiting ability of Orlando Antigua and the success Brad Underwood has had with guards since coming to Champaign.

Curbelo helped take his NY Jayhawks AAU team to the Adidas Gauntlet Finale where he put up an average of 14 points, 3.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per contest. These are good numbers and would fit well with the Illini.

I love Curbelo’s energy on the floor. He isn’t going to shoot opposing teams out of the gym, but this kid can run and he has the ability to find the open man. The way he operates on the floor seems like controlled chaos. I love it.

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