Illinois Basketball: Sam Ruzhentsev keeps Illini in top 5

The Illinois basketball team made another top list on Wednesday night.

Sam Ruzhentsev announced on Twitter that he has decided to cut his list down to just five programs that will be vying for his commitment. The five teams still alive for Ruzhentsev include Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Stanford, Florida and Illinois.

Ruzhentsev is a 6-foot-7, 210-pound small forward from Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 52 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 14 small forward in the nation. He is also the No. 2 player in the state of Tennessee.

This recruitment came as a bit of surprise to me. I am excited about the potential of landing this kid, though. Ruzhentsev has some great athletic ability. He can run the floor well and can get to the hoop. Those are two important factors for Brad Underwood’s offense.

While his jump shot isn’t the best right now, I feel like the skill is there. He seems to have great touch and a buttery shot. This kid isn’t far away from being a top 30 player in the country. I wouldn’t be surprised if he continued to climb this high school season.

Ruzhentsev does have a few visits setup as well. It looks like he will be taking an official visit to Ole Miss on September 20-22, Florida September 27-29, Illinois October 2-4 and Stanford October 6-8, according to Courtney Asher Smith of Prep Hoops. There doesn’t appear to be a visit set up for Georgia Tech yet.

As of right now, Illinois will have 12 out of 13 scholarships filled for next season when Ruzhentsev would come into the program. But that number is likely to change. Ayo Dosunmu is probably going to be taking off for the NBA, and no one is really sure what is going on with Bernard Kouma either. He still isn’t with the team.

So, there is a legit possibility Illinois has three open scholarships next season. Adding Ruzhentsev would help fill one of those spots. I would welcome this addition with open arms. He is a talented player who could probably play the No. 3 or No. 4 spot on the team.