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Illinois Basketball: 3 reasons Justin Smith would be perfect fit for Illini

By Rees Woodcock

BLOOMINGTON, IN - FEBRUARY 23: Justin Smith #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers brings the ball up court during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Assembly Hall on February 23, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - FEBRUARY 23: Justin Smith #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers brings the ball up court during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Assembly Hall on February 23, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Illinois basketball
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 05: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini calls out to his teammates in the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

2. There is room on the roster

It is fun having a head coach who can recruit talented players. Brad Underwood has done a tremendous job pulling in top recruits from all over the country. The only downside – and it really isn’t a downside – is the fact these talented players could leave the program early.

Ayo Dosunmu was the program changer for Underwood. The kid committed to Illinois as a top 30 recruit and someone who helped bridge the gap between Champaign and Chicago. It had been a long time since the Illini were relevant in the Chicago area.

Underwood was then able to land Kofi Cockburn the next recruiting class. Having the ability to go to the east coast and snag one of the best big men in the country is impressive. He paired nicely with Ayo and his abilities.

But, as I mentioned earlier, getting talented players means we have to be on our toes recruiting. Ayo and Kofi both declared for the NBA Draft this offseason. That doesn’t mean they will stay in the draft. They could both easily come back. But, if they do leave, that would give the Illini three available scholarships for the 2020-21 campaign.

Some of those scholarships need to be filled. Underwood would have a chance to bring in three players who could help this team get back to the postseason and actually make a run this time around. Justin Smith could be one of those players.

Let’s play a hypothetical and say Ayo and Kofi both come back. We would still have a scholarship available for Smith. I believe the Illinois coaching staff is playing this perfectly. The chance to have a special team this upcoming season is extremely high.

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