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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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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 05: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini helps up Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 05: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini helps up Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

20. Giorgi Bezhanishvili (Old: 3-star/0.8618 – New: 3-star/0.8881)

Brad Underwood’s first true class he brought into the Illinois basketball program was solid. This class was led by Ayo Dosunmu, but the class also had some key players who have contributed the last couple of seasons. One of those players is Giorgi Bezhanishvili.

Giorgi was a 6-foot-9,230-pound power forward coming out of St. Patrick High School and residing in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was rated as a three-star recruit who was the No. 373 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 63 power forward in the nation. He also had a composite rating of 0.8618.

Underwood has been known for targeting relatively unknown players. Giorgi was one of those players for a while but teams like Minnesota and St. Bonaventure quickly took notice. Illinois was able to land the big man, though.

The first season in Champaign was great for Giorgi numbers-wise. He started every game and averaged 12.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest. The team wasn’t good, though. This past season, Giorgi took a little step back because of the addition of Kofi Cockburn at the No. 5 spot. He still managed to average 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, though.

It is pretty amazing what Underwood has been able to do with Giorgi. He came into Illinois as a three-star with a rating of 0.8618. I would adjust that and improve his recruiting status. He should be more of a three-star with a rating of 0.8881.

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