Illinois Basketball: Illini make cut for Alex Tchikou, decision looming

The Illinois basketball team is right in the mix to land one of the best young players in the nation.

Just about a day ago, Alex Tchikou announced that he was going to reclassify for the class of 2020. He also mentioned a top eight which looks to actually be a top nine. In a post on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, Tchikou announced his top nine programs which included Oregon, Alabama, Saint Mary’s, Mississippi State, St. John’s, Arizona, USC, Florida State and Illinois.

Tchikou is a 6-foot-11, 205-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. 36 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 6 power forward in the nation.

The recruitment of Tchikou is now down to nine teams, and I believe Illinois is right there in the running for this kid. The Orange and Blue have a massive need for someone of his size and basketball skill.

As of right now, I have Illinois with 11 scholarships filled for 2020. That means we only have two spots left on the team. But the most important thing for the Illini is to find someone who can play the No. 5 spot on a nightly basis.

I realize that Tchikou is a power forward coming into college, but with his size, I see Illinois putting him at the No. 5. This would make the most sense considering what he could bring to the table. He would start day one for the Illini at the No. 5 spot as well.

If Tchikou does pick Illinois, that would also mean either Ayo Dosunmu or Kofi Cockburn are going to be gone from the team. We would only have one spot left on the roster. I would assume Ayo would be gone for sure at that point.

Either way, Tchikou would be an amazing addition to the Illinois basketball program. This kid would be a dominant force in the paint and someone the Illini could look to for points and rebounds. If we can land him, the upcoming season would be a boom or bust year.