Illinois Basketball: Will Adam Miller and/or DJ Steward end Illini drought?

The coveted McDonald’s All-American participant has eluded the Illinois basketball team for quite a while now.

In 2010, Jereme Richmond earned a spot in this game. I didn’t think that was going to be the last time I would see a future Illinois player suiting up with elite high school talent. I was wrong, though. Since Richmond stepped foot on that court, Illinois has been skunked when it comes to this prestigious high school contest.

Will that all change for the 2020 McDonald’s All-American Game? I got the idea for this article from Michael O’Brien of the Chicago Sun-Times. He posted the question on Twitter, “Will Illinois have two burger boys in 2020?”

O’Brien was talking about the state of Illinois and not the state university, but he was also talking about Adam Miller and DJ Steward, two of the Illini’s biggest targets for the class of 2020. So, that question can apply to the Orange and Blue. Can we have two McDonald’s All-Americans in 2020?

The answer is most likely, no. I say this based on history and the fact Illinois hasn’t had one since the Great Recession was in full bloom. There isn’t a long history of the Illini getting two into the game either. But we have had two players suit up in this game before.

I was -8 years old at the time, but in 1982, Illinois had two McDonald’s All-Americans. Bruce Douglas was one of the talented players. He went on to play four years with Illinois and averaged 9.7 points, 5.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. The other Illini to don that coveted jersey was Efrem Winters. He would go on to play four years as well and averaged 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds during his time in Champaign.

So, while it is possible for Illinois to get two players into the McDonald’s All-American Game, it is highly unlikely. I am also putting the cart before the horse here too. Illinois still needs to land Miller and Steward. We haven’t even snagged one of these two highly touted recruits.

I believe Illinois will end up pulling in Miller. If we can’t get Miller, I will be nervous about the future of the program. He is a local kid, started in Peoria and moved to Chicago, and Illinois has been recruiting him since he was in diapers (slight exaggeration). He is someone who needs to don an Illini jersey.

Steward is going to be more difficult. Illinois is right there for this kid, but the blue-bloods came knocking recently and they seem to be making up some serious ground. 247Sports has him doing to Duke, but this race isn’t over. Illinois has the room for this kid to play and potentially start right away.

Let’s hypothetically say Illinois does land both of these great players, that doesn’t mean they are going to get into the game anyways. 247Sports has Steward as the No. 27 player in 2020 and Miller as the No. 29 player. There are only 24 players that get into the McDonald’s All-American Game. They would both be right on the border.

Whether Miller and Steward get into this high school showcase is irrelevant. It is just another exhibition game for them to show off their talents. Being in this game isn’t indicative of future success by any means. But it would be cool to see two talented guards from the state of Illinois represent in the McDonald’s All-American Game. It would be even cooler if they eventually suited up for the Orange and Blue.