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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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TULSA, OK – MARCH 20: A view of the ball during the third round game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

3. Trey Pettigrew

The final in-state recruit I want to mention as the top targets for 2022 would be Trey Pettigrew. He isn’t the highest-rated recruit in the nation, but this kid could be a solid piece to a Big Ten title team.

Pettigrew is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard from Fenwick High School and resides in Oak Park, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 179 player in the class of 2022 and the No. 24 combo-guard in the nation. He is also the No. 3 player in the state of Illinois.

Illinois came in with an offer to Pettigrew back in June of 2020. Overall, the talented guard has picked up offers from some big-time programs including Nebraska, Penn State and Georgia. But Illinois should have a solid shot with this recruitment. Not only are we the in-state program, but Pettigrew also plays for the Mac Irvin Fire, which is the AAU team where Da’Monte Williams, Ayo Dosunmu and Adam Miller all came from.

Listed as a point guard and rated as a combo-guard, Pettigrew can do it all on the court. He is definitely more of a No. 2 guard than a No. 1 guard, but I believe Brad Underwood would be able to fit him in anywhere. Pettigrew can hit shots from anywhere on the floor. He can handle the ball well. He has good basketball IQ. I am a little surprised he isn’t in the top 150, though.

Pettigrew is someone who won’t likely start from day one, but he will come in and be a spark plug for a team. He would eventually take the reins for the program but would always have a place on the floor. I really hope Illinois can pull this kid into the mix.

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