Illinois Basketball: Alex Tchikou receives offer from the Illini

Brad Underwood and the Illinois basketball team did some great things on the recruiting trail on Monday.

Kofi Cockburn is only going to be around the program for one maybe two years. That is the reality we are dealing with because he is such a talented player. So, the Illini are going to need immediate impact players who can come in and start right away. One of those players could be Alex Tchikou.

Tchikou is a 6-foot-11, 200-pound power forward from Dream City Christian High School and resides in Glendale, Arizona. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 30 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 8 power forward in the nation. He is also the No. 3 player in the state of Arizona.

Illinois was by no means Tchikou’s first scholarship offer. He has roughly 10 offers right now with some of the bigger programs being UCLA, Baylor and Arizona. It is going to be hard to pull this kid from the west coast and south, but the Illini have had some success recently. Getting a player like Tchikou would be big for the team.

There isn’t a ton on Tchikou and his game, but the little I have seen I really liked. The main thing about his game that pops out to me is his length. He stands at 6-foot-11, but I feel like his wingspan could be greater than 7-foot. Having that type of length in the paint for the Illini would be huge.

I see Tchikou being a possible No. 5 for the Illini. He has the length to be a stopper in the paint. That is what I want for my big man in the middle. He would be a good replacement for Kofi.

Hopefully, Illinois can make an impact on Tchikou’s recruitment. He is a player who could really help this program moving forward.