Illinois Basketball: Illini look to rebuild guard depth with Will McClendon
The Illinois basketball team was busy over the last few days trying to build their recruiting relationships for the future.
One of the most recent targets is Will McClendon. McClendon is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound shooting guard from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 65 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 14 shooting guard in the nation. He is also the No. 3 player in the state of Nevada.
On Sunday night, McClendon took to Twitter to announce that he had received the scholarship offer from the University of Illinois. This is a big offer by the Illini considering the talent he brings to the table and the need from the Illini side.
I love a lot about McClendon’s game. He isn’t just a one area type of player. He can spread his game out to fit whatever a team needs him to be.
McClendon can shoot the ball well, which is always a good thing. I love his ability to not only shoot the deep ball, but he can drive in and score at the rim as well. He has a nice big body that can bully people in the lane too. His ability to rebound, distribute and score the ball is exciting to watch. Honestly, the player he reminds me of is a slightly smaller version of Talen Horton-Tucker.
Illinois is, obviously, going to need more guard help when 2021 rolls around. Ayo Dosunmu and Andres Feliz are gone after this season. Trent Frazier might be gone after this season but, at best, he will be gone after his senior year in 2020. Over the next two seasons, Illinois will essentially have a clean slate in the backcourt.
The need is there for the Illini. The playing time is there for McClendon. I love this offer by the Orange and Blue. We could use another talented guard who can get buckets.