Illinois Basketball: Four-star SF Aidan Shaw contacted by Illini

Brad Underwood and the Illinois basketball coaching staff have expressed interest in a 2022 game-changing prospect.

Over the last couple of weeks, it was announced the Fighting Illini have been contacting 2022 small forward, Aidan Shaw.  Shaw is a 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward currently attending Blue Valley High School, located in Stilwell, Kansas.  Missouri, Purdue, and Nebraska are among other schools that have also recently contacted the 2022 prospect.

The information that Illinois has been in contact with Shaw lines up with what the coaching staff has been doing for months. Back in June, Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers announced Illinois was one of the teams getting in on the Shaw sweepstakes.

The 6-foot-8 forward is rated a four-star recruit.  Shaw is currently ranked as the No. 87 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 3 prospect in the state of Kansas by 247sports.  He currently has 10 offers, notably from Iowa, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Creighton, and others.

What would Shaw bring to a 2022 Fighting Illini team?

Defense.

Shaw has many great attributes to his game, but his defense is what stands out to me the most.  The prospect has a highlight reel dedicated to just his defensive plays.  Those defensive highlights showed me the kid is an absolute monster.  The reel includes many chase-down transition blocks, steals, and bullying offensive players in the paint with his tough defense.  With his lengthy 6-foot-8 frame and athleticism, Shaw possesses the versatility to play defense both in the paint and along the perimeter.

Defense isn’t the only part of Shaw’s game that stood out to me, though.  The Kansas native’s film tells he is also superb on the offensive end, as he can score from the paint, mid-range, and three-point land.  Shaw could play either the No. 3 or No. 4 in Brad Underwood’s offense, as a large portion of his scoring come within the paint as well as from mid-range and beyond the arc.

Landing a recruit like Shaw would be crucial for Brad Underwood and the Illini given that he is a potential game-changer with his size, versatility, and, of course, his talent.  Underwood and staff are already on the right track to landing him by getting in on his recruitment early.