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Illinois Basketball: Top 5 targets left for the Illini in the class of 2021 2.0

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 06: General view of Illinois Fighting Illini basketballs seen before the game against the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 06: General view of Illinois Fighting Illini basketballs seen before the game against the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 14: Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders are seen during a Big Ten Tournament game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa Hawkeyes on March 14, 2019, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Rafael Pinzon (7.5 out of 10 confidence)

There are always recruits who aren’t on the radar but rise sharply throughout their final year of high school basketball. A player who could continue to rise in the rankings is Rafael Pinzon.

Pinzon is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound shooting guard from Long Island Lutheran High School and resides in Glen Head, New York. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 133 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 27 shooting guard in the nation. He is also the No. 2 player coming out of New York.

In a recent interview with the Writing Illini, Pinzon talked about his recruitment and Illinois. The fact he is coming from the same high school as Andre Curbelo is a huge bonus for the Illini. He enjoyed playing with Curbelo at the high school level.

There are some other programs that are vying for Pinzon right now. He mentioned that Mercer was a hot program, but they had a coach depart. Dayton is also a team to keep an eye on in his recruitment.

Pinzon plays with his hair on fire on the basketball court. When he gets the ball, it is zero to 60 pretty quickly. It would be exciting to have another guard like that. He reminds me a little bit of Andres Feliz in this aspect. I also love Pinzon’s shot and ability to get to the rim.

I want Pinzon on the Illini. We have room for 2021. He would bring this program energy, and that is something that has lacked in years past.

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