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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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BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 07: Jalen Coleman-Lands /

16. Jalen Coleman-Lands (Old: 4-star/0.9859 – New: 4-star/0.9280)

This wasn’t planned at all, but the class of 2015 has produced three-straight players on this list. Again, the Illini had a lot of talent on paper coming out of this class. When we were able to snag a state of Indiana recruit in Jalen Coleman-Lands, I thought the sky was the limit.

Coleman-Lands was a 6-foot-3, 160-pound point guard coming out of La Lumiere High School and residing in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 37 player in the class of 2015 and the No. 9 point guard in the nation. He also had a composite rating of 0.9859.

I was pumped for Coleman-Lands to join the Illini. He had so much hype coming out of high school. After his first season where he averaged 10.3 points on 42.2-percent shooting from three-point range, I thought this kid was going to take Illinois to places we hadn’t seen in a while.

Coleman-Lands hit a sophomore slump with the Orange and Blue, though. He only averaged 8 points on 38-percent shooting from distance in year two. The Illini flailed to another NIT appearance and John Groce was fired. After the season, Coleman-Lands decided to find a new home.

The next destination for Coleman-Lands would be DePaul. He would save a year of eligibility during the 2018-19 campaign due to an injury. He did get a chance to play the following year and averaged 11.1 points on 32.1-percent shooting from three-point range. He wasn’t done transferring, though.

This offseason, Coleman-Lands decided to become a graduate transfer. He picked Iowa State to play his final year of college basketball. That will be an interesting season for the talented guard.

Coleman-Lands came in with a lot of hype as a four-star with a rating of 0.9859. Those are recruiting numbers that should put you in the conversation for the NBA. I believe he should be downgraded, though. I think he should keep his four-star status but move his rating down to 0.9280. He is just inside the four-star line.

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