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Illinois Basketball: 5 players to watch from the updated 2021 ESPN 100

By Rees Woodcock

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - FEBRUARY 18: The Illinois Fighting Illini logo on a pair of shorts during a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center on February 18, 2020 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - FEBRUARY 18: The Illinois Fighting Illini logo on a pair of shorts during a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center on February 18, 2020 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 18: A. Illinois Fighting Illini logo is seen on the side of a basketball before the start of the during the college basketball game between the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 18, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Kendall Brown

I do have a couple of players on this list who will be tough for the Illini to land. Illinois is in the running still for many players, but there are some who are going to be tougher than others. One player I would love on the team would be Kendall Brown.

Brown checks in on the 2021 ESPN 100 as the No. 16 player in the class of 2021. This 6-foot-7, 195-pound forward from Sunrise Christian Academy is rated as a five-star recruit who is the No. 3 small forward in the class and the No. 2 player in the state of Minnesota.

Obviously, every team in the country is after the services of Brown. The kid is an extremely talented player. But, back on May 16, Brown decided to trim his list down to just 10 programs. The 10 teams still vying for his commitment include Ohio State, Marquette, Arkansas, Arizona, Virginia, Baylor, Minnesota, Kansas, Maryland and Illinois.

When you are looking at players in the top 20, it is hard to say if their ranking is wrong. No. 16 is probably about right, and he still has room to grow. I can only imagine what this kid would be like in the Illinois lineup too.

If Brown would pick the Illini, I would have him slotted at the No. 4 spot. I think he would be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Brown can get the ball on the win, top of the key or in the paint. He is a great player from anywhere on the court, and he would fit nicely with the pieces Illinois would have around him too.

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