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Illinois Basketball: Illini offer Wings Academy’s Jayshane Woodard

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 21: An Illinois Fighting Illini flag is seen in the tailgate lot before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 21: An Illinois Fighting Illini flag is seen in the tailgate lot before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Illinois basketball is really cranking up the heat on the class of 2022 as the Illini coaching staff has extended an offer to another solid guard.

Not every recruit comes with high ratings or rankings. There are some diamonds in the rough, and it looks like that is the case with Illinois’ most recent offer to Jayshane Woodard.

Haven’t heard of the kid? Don’t feel bad, there isn’t a ton out there on him. Woodard has good size, though, at 6-foot-6, 170-pounds. It looks like Woodard plays the No. 2 guard role for his Wings Academy High School team and is starting to pick up some serious recruiting momentum.

As of right now, I can’t find Woodard on the 247Sports or Rivals database, but Verbal Commits has him as a two-star recruit. Despite the low rating from Verbal Commits, the offers do continue to flow in for the talented guard. Illinois is one of his latest offers, but teams like Manhattan and St Peter’s have also extended offers.

While there isn’t a ton on Woodard, the little I could find showed me why this kid was starting to rack up some offers. The first thing that stood out to me is that Woodard is way more of a “we” guy than a “me” guy. Woodard is whatever his team needs him to be, and that is important at the next level.

I wanted to also point out the shooting ability that Woodard brings to the table. He isn’t afraid to pull up from anywhere on the court. The ability to hit shots anywhere from five feet all the way out to the three-point arc is going to help any team he picks heading into the college ranks.

A comp that comes to mind when watching Woodard play is Malcolm Hill. The one major difference is the body. Illinois strength coach Adam Fletcher should be able to change that, though. Getting Woodard into the right training program is going to do wonders for his game.

Next. What to expect from Austin Hutcherson in year one. dark

I love this under-the-radar offer by Brad Underwood and the Illinois coaching staff. Woodard is a 2022 recruit who could provide valuable depth to the program. Let’s see how he develops over the next year or so.

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