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Illinois Basketball: Early look at the top five Illini recruiting targets for 2022

By Rees Woodcock

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 13: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks with players in a timeout during a Big Ten Tournament game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Illinois Fighting Illini on March 13, 2019, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 13: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks with players in a timeout during a Big Ten Tournament game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Illinois Fighting Illini on March 13, 2019, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – MARCH 08: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates with fans following the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

What Brad Underwood has done for the Illinois basketball team on the recruiting-front is something I am extremely grateful for.

Illinois had lost all zest when it came to recruiting with the previous coaching regime. We were landing okay players, but the crews who were coming in weren’t getting the job done. This was a big reason why the Illini couldn’t get back to the NCAA tournament.

That previous coaching regime is no longer associated with the Illinois program, and now we have a new group of coaches who are competent when it comes to recruiting. This group is led by Underwood.

The class of 2017, 18 and 19 have all had a hand in getting Illinois back to a top-four program in the Big Ten, see last season. The class of 2020 will help the team get back to the postseason and go deep into the NCAA tournament. The class of 2021 will help sustain this success. The class of 2022 should be a group that can continue to make the Illini a top team in the nation.

Yes, 2022 seems like a long way away, but it really isn’t that far. This class is entering their junior year in high school, and that is when recruiting really starts to heat up. Illinois has already been targeting a wide range of recruits who could help this team down the road.

There is a handful of players who I think should be top targets for the Illinois basketball team as of today, though.

Here is an early look at the top five Illini recruiting targets for 2022.

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