Illinois Basketball: Big man Cyr Malonga picks up Illini offer

The Illinois basketball coaching staff continues to make the 2023 recruiting class a priority after another key offer to an underrated prospect.

Head coach Brad Underwood and the Illini assistant coaches have been everything but quiet in recruiting, as they have sent out another scholarship offer to a member of the class of 2023.

This one was given to 6-foot-11, 205-pound big man Cyr Malonga, from Evangel Christian School in Louisville, KY.

The 6-foot-11 center announced the Illini’s offer via Twitter late Monday night.

Illinois becomes Malonga’s fourth offer.  The big man has also received offers from Mississippi State, Georgia, and Western Illinois.

Malonga is currently unranked by recruiting sites, considering he is still a young player without much exposure.  That can be expected to change, however, given that he possesses the potential to be a power-five starter, as well as a recruitment that is starting to heat up.

Malonga has proven to be a nice presence in the paint as a rim protector, as he is seen on film grabbing offensive rebounds and converting tip-ins and put-back dunks. The 2023 center has also shown signs of athleticism with some flashy reverse layups and dunks.

Malonga had a solid 2020 campaign with AAU program Louisville Defenders, where he once took over a game with 28 points and 17 rebounds, per @KYINhoops Twitter.

Illinois’ coaching staff appears to be prioritizing on filling the void that will be left by the departures of current Illini big men Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Kofi Cockburn, given that this offer comes just two weeks after the Illini offered 2023 big men Matthew and Ryan Bewley.

Illinois currently does not have any commitments from the class of 2023, yet.