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Illinois Basketball: Rerating every Illini recruit from the 2010s

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks up a scuffle between Da'Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Connor McCaffery #30 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the game at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks up a scuffle between Da'Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Connor McCaffery #30 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the game at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 30: Michael Finke #43 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at State Farm Center on January 30, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 30: Michael Finke #43 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at State Farm Center on January 30, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

22. Michael Finke (Old: 3-star/0.8694 – New: 3-star/0.8722)

Some of the players on this re-ranking list aren’t very high for one reason or another. But there are a handful of the players who will always hold a special place in my heart. Michael Finke is one of those players.

Finke was a 6-foot-9, 210-pound power forward coming out of Centennial High School and residing in Champaign, Illinois. He was rated as a three-star recruit who as the No. 203 player in the class of 2014 and the No. 50 power forward in the nation. He also had a composite rating of 0.8694.

A lot of programs were coming after Finke. There were some local programs that were trying to snag him too. Some of the top programs to come in with an offer included Wisconsin, Iowa and Kansas State. But Illinois ended up landing the local product.

Finke spent three years playing with Illinois. He was a solid player for the program, starting in 50 games and playing in a total of 93 for the Orange and Blue. He finished his Illinois career averaging 8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

After his third season of playing, Finke decided to become a graduate transfer and take his talents to Grand Canyon to play with his brother. He would end up starting in 29 games for the Antelopes and averaged 12.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest.

The recruiting sites weren’t far off with Finke’s profile. They had him as a three-star with a rating of 0.8694. I would actually adjust that slightly and give Finke a bump up to a three-star with a rating of 0.8722. This kid was solid for the Illini.

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