No. 3 Guard
Starter: Austin Hutcherson (Senior – Transfer)
Last year, Illinois received two players who were going to make a difference for this program. Both players were via the transfer route. I already mentioned one in Jacob Grandison. The other player to come into the program was Austin Hutcherson. He transferred in from DIII Wesleyan University.
In 2021-22, Hutcherson will be a senior, and I have him starting at the No. 3 spot for the Illini. I was always going to have him starting when he was a senior, but recent praise from Brad Underwood solidified his spot in the Illinois lineup. Underwood told Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports that Hutcherson was Illinois’ best athlete. The comparison of Hutcherson to now NBA player Duncan Robinson was made too. If we can get a Duncan Robinson out of this kid, then Illinois will have a chance to do something special.
Backup: Brandon Weston (Freshman – 4* – #64 overall)
We are now onto my first wish list player. This dream team lineup for 2021-22 consists of a total of four newcomers from the class of 2021. Goode was the first I mentioned, and he has already committed to the program. For the backup No. 3 guard spot, I would want Brandon Weston.
Weston is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound wing player who is a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 64 player in the class of 2021. Illinois would have a ton of depth if this kid picked the Orange and Blue. He would be the primary backup to Hutcherson, and I think he would get some decent playing time. The fact Weston is a Morgan Park and Mac Irvin Fire product is great too. Illinois seems to have recent success landing these kids. Hopefully, Weston is next in line.