Illinois basketball recruits are making a splash in the latest class of 2020 rankings for ESPN.
The first Illini recruit out of the two who made the ESPN 100 is Andre Curbelo. He is a 6-foot, 155-pound point guard from Long Island Lutheran High School and resides in Brookville, New York. He is now rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 48 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 10 point guard in the nation. He is also the No. 2 player in the state of New York.
Illinois was able to snag Curbelo back on November 1, just weeks after he took an official visit to Champaign. His decision was down to Illinois and Miami, with the Illini winning out. On November 1, Curbelo made it official and signed with the Orange and Blue.
The addition of Curbelo is huge for the Illinois basketball program. The Illini play positionless basketball. We are starting three guards, a stretch four and a big man. It varies who brings the ball up the court. Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier are the two starters who bring it up the court with Andres Feliz being the main backup who handles the ball.
But Feliz is gone after this season and Ayo has a chance of being gone. That leaves a big hole in ball handlers on this team. Adding Curbelo helps fill that void. His ability to get the ball to the hoop and to be able to find the open man has enabled his Long Island Lutheran team to jump up to No. 14 in the national rankings. This is a huge addition to the team.
Curbelo isn’t the only big addition, though. Illini commit Adam Miller checks in among the top 30 players on this list. Miller is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound shooting guard from Morgan Park High School and resides in Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 29 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 8 shooting guard in the nation. He is also the No. 3 player in the state of Illinois.
Having a top 30 player is exciting because there is the real possibility we get to see Miller in the McDonald’s All-American Game in April. He has already been nominated but selections are coming in the next couple of weeks.
Miller is another huge snag for the Illini. Replenishing the guard depth is important for this program. Miller has all the tools to be a high scorer for this team. He can hit his shots from the outside, and he can drive the ball into the lane. The thing that excites me most about his game is his ability to create his own shot. Illinois needs more of those players.
The Illinois class of 2020 is looking better by the day. These two top 50 recruits will pair nicely with incoming big man Coleman Hawkins. This group has a chance to build on what is being built today.