
29. Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (Old: NR/NR – New: 3-star/0.8347)
Brad Underwood has the ability to land the big-time recruit. We have seen that with him bringing in Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and Adam Miller. But he also has an eye for unrated talent that can blossom into something. That is what Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk could be for the Illini.
Verdonk was a 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward coming out of Gistel Oostende High School in Belgium. He wasn’t rated or ranked by the recruiting sites, but Verdonk ended up picking the Orange and Blue as his college destination.
2019 was a quiet year for Verdonk. He did have a chance to play in nine games and was fairly productive when on the court. He finished his freshman campaign averaging 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per contest. The athletic ability really shined when Verdonk was on the court, though. The future is bright for him.
No one has really seen the full potential of Verdonk. I believe he has a chance to be a solid player, but I can’t put him too high in the re-ranking of the Illinois recruits. He wasn’t rated or ranked previously, but I would put him as a three-star recruit with a rating of 0.8347. This makes him a solid three-star. I wouldn’t be shocked to see that number rise in the coming years.