Illinois Basketball: What to expect from Andre Curbelo in year one

Brad Underwood has secured a top 20 class in the fourth year at the helm of the Illinois basketball program.

A massive snag and another headliner to this impressive recruiting class, Andre Curbelo, enters his tenure at Illinois with some lofty long-term expectations. Curbelo has all the makings of creating a huge legacy in Champaign, but what is reasonable to expect in year one?

Quietly, Curbelo’s signing makes him the No. 8 highest-rated recruit in program history coming out of Long Island Lutheran High School in New York. The Puerto Rican native should enter the season at about 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. Deadly end to end speed, an incredibly tight handle in traffic and running on a relentless motor, Curbelo will inevitably become a fan favorite for the Illini.

Andres Feliz’s graduation leaves Illini Nation begging for more of that grit and intensity, and while Feliz has a different body and skillset, Curbelo is capable of bringing a similar impact to the game.

While Curbelo might not be tasked with a starting role early on, Coach Underwood has routinely run three ball handlers simultaneously in order to keep the pressure on the defense.

Curbelo is undersized and certainly has some areas of growth in terms of shooting consistency, but his change of pace, elite IQ and overflowing competitiveness will shine through when he is on the court. He should secure a ton of easy layups and smooth floaters while providing similar toughness to Feliz when guarding lead guards on-ball.

In terms of team fit, Curbelo is simply the most naturally gifted facilitator on the roster. His ability to draw defenders and penetrate the paint to find the open guy is a missing trait in this group of guards.

While Feliz often opted for the floater, layup, or even a three-pointer, Curbelo is primarily a pass-first lead guard. When the offense is stalling and some perimeter shots do not fall, expect Coach Underwood to throw in Curbelo in order to penetrate, put pressure on the defense, open up the paint for Kofi and provide opportunities to wing shooters in Trent Frazier, Ayo Dosunmu, Austin Hutcherson and Jacob Grandison.

While Adam Miller and Curbelo do fall in a similar territory ranking-wise nationally, I view Curbelo as more a favorite to leave a lasting impact on the Illini program in four years rather than Miller’s impact on future recruiting by making it to the next level.

For pure Illini fanatics, Curbelo will likely have the edge. There are standout areas of development needed, but I do see the potential of Curbelo being a premium ball handler nationwide three or four years down the line similar to Cassius Winston, Frank Mason and even Illinois native, Jalen Brunson.

I have lofty expectations in the long run, but this year I expect Curbelo to make an impact when on the court and to eventually maintain a high-level reserve role. There will be plenty of games where Coach Underwood raves about Curbelo’s irreplaceable impact on the court, but also many games where he takes a backseat to a veteran group of scorers.

The 2020 Illini recruiting class is rated as the program’s best class since 2014 and the pieces could not be falling into place at a better time, not even accounting for two standout transfers on the wing. The influx of talent to an already top-flight Big Ten program should have Champaign on their feet, and I expect Andre Curbelo to leave the biggest long term impact on Illinois basketball a few years down the line.

Statistical Projection

8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game