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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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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – DECEMBER 30: Detail view of the basketball goal and net during a game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Illinois Fighting Illini at Mackey Arena on December 30, 2008 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

2. Jaden Schutt

I want to stay in-state for a few of the recruits on this list. Landing AJ Casey would be a great accomplishment for this Illinois coaching staff. But he is going to need someone to dish the ball to out on the perimeter when defenders close down on him. That is where Jaden Schutt would come into play.

Schutt is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound shooting guard from Yorkville High School and resides in Yorkville, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 85 player in the class of 2022 and the No. 16 shooting guard in the nation. He is also the No. 2 player in the state of Illinois, right behind Casey.

The Illini have really cranked up on the heat on Schutt over the last month. They offered the talented shooting guard back on August 16. Since then, the Illinois coaching staff has been on a Zoom meeting with Schutt to talk about the program and what they have to offer.

It is clear Illinois wants to add more shooting moving forward. That is why we snagged Luke Goode for 2021 and is why we are now after Schutt. This kid can get buckets.

When the Illini first offered Schutt, I believed I compared him to Grayson Allen. I am going to stick with that comparison. This kid has so much bounce to his game. He can fly around the court and create his own shot. Schutt can score from anywhere on the court, including from NBA range.

If Brad Underwood wants a prime-time scorer, then he needs to look no further than Schutt. He would be a great option at the No. 2 spot in Champaign. It wouldn’t shock me to see him move up the recruiting rankings over the next couple of years as well.

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