Illinois Basketball: Checking in with Illini target Rafael Pinzon

Illinois basketball brought in Brad Underwood and the level of recruiting has unquestionably increased during his tenure.

While the top tier recruiting has improved with players like Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn, the second and third-tier players have also seen a boost in quality. Not every diamond comes in the form of a four or five-star recruit.

Rafael Pinzon is a player Illinois has been after for quite some time. The 6-foot-5, 175-pound shooting guard hails from Puerto Rico but plays his high school basketball up in Glen Head, New York with Long Island Lutheran. Yes, that is the same high school as incoming Illinois freshman Andre Curbelo, who is someone Pinzon enjoyed playing with at LuHi.

“I felt really comfortable playing with him (Curbelo). We have a good chemistry together.”

There is a building hype surrounding Pinzon and his game. Teams are taking notice of his rising stardom, and a big reason for his ascent is his hard work. Even through a pandemic, Pinzon has been working on his game.

“Yes, I’ve been training every day here in Puerto Rico. There is a gym five minutes away from home. I work on my body in the morning and in the afternoon, more basketball stuff.”

One of the teams that have taken notice of Pinzon is Illinois. The Illini have seen a surge in recruiting the east coast. You can mainly attribute this success to assistant coach, Orlando Antigua. He has had his fingerprints on commits such as Cockburn, Curbelo, Andres Feliz and Giorgi Bezhanishvili, among others. Coach Antigua is someone who Pinzon wants to talk to down the road as well.

“I haven’t talked to him deeply, but we will definitely talk during the season.”

Illinois is currently sitting with one commitment for the class of 2021. Luke Goode will bring a great shot to the program. The Illini want to add another talented shooter, like Pinzon, to the mix as well.

“They are talking with the assistant coach of my high school. I haven’t done any virtual visits yet. I am waiting for this year to go and start my visits.”

With the Illini showing interest in Pinzon, other teams have also jumped on board. He has roughly six scholarship offers to date, but what other teams besides for Illinois are showing him love?

“Mercer University really wanted me because the assistant coach that was there is Puerto Rican. But he left, so I don’t know what will happen now. Dayton’s (showing love) too.”

A decision doesn’t seem to be in the near future for Pinzon either.

“I’m not sure yet when I will decide. But I will talk it over with my coaches as soon as I get in the school and decide what the best option for me is.”

The sky is the limit for Pinzon. He continues to climb the recruiting rankings and teams are taking notice. This kid will only have his stock increase with time. I am curious to see how everything plays out, and if Illinois is there at the end.