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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 – 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) /

1. AJ Casey

I think it is fair to say that AJ Casey is and should always be the top player on the Illinois basketball radar when it comes to the class of 2022. His talent and in-state recruiting impact would be felt for years to come.

Casey is a 6-foot-8, 180-pound power forward from Tinley Park High School and resides in Tinley Park, Illinois. He is rated as a five-star recruit who is the No. 20 player in the class of 2022 and the No. 5 power forward in the nation. He is also the best player to come out of the state of Illinois.

Illinois has been recruiting Casey pretty hard over the past year. He has visited Champaign on at least one occasion. Since COVID-19 shut down college basketball, the talented power forward has also been on a Zoom call with Brad Underwood and the Illini coaching staff.

Obviously, the Illini should be all over Casey for multiple reasons. The in-state recruiting factor is one of the reasons. Establishing the strong state of Illinois recruiting ties is extremely important, and it would be nice to snag a McDonald’s All-American from the state.

I also think the pure talent Casey brings to the table is something that would help the Orange and Blue get to a national title. This kid has great length but is super athletic to go along with his tremendous size. The polish in his shooting game is also impressive. It wouldn’t shock me to see Casey grow more over the next two seasons and end up being somewhere around 6-foot-10 by the time he enters college.

When I watch Casey on the court, he reminds me a lot of what I see with Jaren Jackson Jr. He can be that type of player at the college level, and he is going to end up going to the NBA within the first couple of years. This kid has star written all over him.

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